The Challenges of Art Therapy

Mary Lynn: Although exciting and fulfilling in many ways, art therapy has its own challenges. Some of them come from personal limitations and peer pressure.

Delasega: I’m not good at drawing, I’m not a good writer so they’re maybe reluctant in the point is not to be ready for a surprise when you pick up your pen or not be in the Philadelphia Art Museum for your art, but just to express something to put it down on paper to externalize it to create and not to sensor yourself because you think that you’re not any good at it.

Mary Lynn: According to Doctor Delasega, cultural and social differences play a role in determining whether art therapy will be affective.

Delasega: I think once you get people willing to engage in some type of artistic expression, I don’t really notice the cultural differences in terms of how they create art. I think it’s a harder cell in some cultures. Emotions aren’t talked about and they’re kept more internal.

Mary Lynn: Delasaga has found that many men seemed reluctant to draw a picture or pick up a musical instrument at first.

Delasega: And we had a guest come to our arts and healing class and do waltzing with us and the males and the class were a little uncomfortable with that but once they got into it, it was very positive and a wonderful experience and you could see how for a patient that kind of movement and music and the combination could be very helpful.

Mary Lynn: According to Delasega, not only our patients sometimes reluctant to engage in arts therapy but their doctors are hesitant as well.

Delasega: Sometime it’s a hard sell in my arts and healing class to really convince people that this is a valuable clinical tool that they can use in and my students have told me that it is something that you can see some applicability. Maybe you would have somebody write something and bring it back to you for their next clinic visit. Maybe in the waiting room there’s some way that you can have an art project for people to be working on it.