The “therapeutic use” means that the chosen activity helps the client achieve awareness of his or her inner self – “What I feel”, “Why I react this way”, “What I want”, “Why I am (not) doing it”, “What scares me”, “What makes me happy”, “What I prefer”, and so on. The ability to understand and deal with inner emotional experiences facilitates self-expression, as individuals comprehend their preferences, become aware of their personal space and other individuals’ spaces, and learn to handle their psychophysical power rationally.
Family art therapy groups focus on motivation, maintenance, and development of the open resource communication within the family. The group’s major goals include creative expression of accumulated emotions (both positive and negative); identification and transformation of automatic behavioral patterns in Child-Parent relationships; resolution of complicated conflicts; interactive developmental experiences; and, not least, deriving pleasure from collaborative creative acts.
During the sessions, parents learn to fully comprehend and accept their children, provide them(selves) with more freedom for self-expression, and build a healthy subordination model. Most techniques revealed in the classroom can be applied at home as well.
Sessions include creative collaboration, underwater games, reflection exercises, and parental counsel.
