Important Therapeutic Exercise - Research Paper Example

? Art Therapy - drawing Art Therapy - drawing The children being considered under this therapeutic exercise are those who have been victims of domestic violence in their families. Domestic violence can range from spousal abuse to battering, and usually takes place in an intimate relationship such as marriage or family. It can be any sort of physical aggression, such as beating, shoving or sexually abusing. The children under this exercise are of ages between nine and eleven. They are ten in number and are mainly of African-American race, with a few belonging to the white race as well. There are about seven girls and three boys. All of them have witnessed domestic violence such as watching their parents fight or the father beating the mother; this has affected them in a negative manner and the consequences can be dangerous if they are not helped. The therapy being used in this case is called Art Therapy. It is a creative exercise which allows the people to express themselves through the process of making art. It enables the person to improve their physical and mental state, and also helps to overcome emotional difficulties. It has been proved that the process of improving oneself through art allows a person to overcome certain emotional difficulties, as well as helps in keeping their behavior and mental state in check. It has also been said to release the person from stress and clears the mind, helping the person to think accurately. (Art Therapy) In art therapy, an exercise known as house-tree-person (HTP) test has become quite popular. It is a simple test, which helps in exploring the mind and personality of a person. In this exam, the person taking the test draws anything which comes in their mind, and it is considered as an insight into their mind and their life. For example, if a person draws a picture of a man, it is possible that the man is the person’s father, who has left or has separated due to a divorce. It basically shows what the person is thinking about and it helps them overcome their difficulties. Its main purpose is to indicate certain aspects of a person’s personality, but it also aids in showing if the brain is functioning properly or not, and if there is some neurological issue. Tests similar to this exam existed since 1948, but John Buck upgraded those tests to make the HTP in 1969, as he thought that tests which went beyond the drawings of just human figures, and included houses and trees, could give further insight into a person’s mind and personality. HTP should always be carried out by well-trained individuals, who have had some experience in the field, as it is subjective and personal and scoring can be a challenging task. The test can be taken by anyone above the age of three and as the test requires the taker to draw pictures of houses, trees and humans, it is mostly used with youngsters. However, people who might have brain damage or some other neurological problem are so also advised to take this test. HTP test is marked both qualitatively and quantitatively. It requires the examiners to conclude with a general idea of the intelligence of the test taker and what kind of person he or she is. The examiners are required to study the drawings and also evaluate the answers to the questions the test takers were asked about their drawings. All of this evaluation finally provides the examiner with an insight into the person’s mind and personality. For example, if a test taker draws a small, secluded home, it might show that he or she is not very well attended and faces rejection from their relatives at a daily basis. HTP test has been quite successful and it has also been shown to provide evidence of the presence or absence of brain damage in normal patients, and the extent of brain damage in schizophrenic patients. (House-tree-person test) The part of the treatment being used in this practice is the drawing a person test. The population being considered for this test consists of children and adults, who have trouble communicating with other people. The purpose of this part of the treatment will be to analyze the patient and build a friendly relationship with him or her. This will help to gain the trust of the patient and also provide an insight into his or her mind and personality, and also dig out the cause of the communication barrier. Patients will be asked to share different stories about communicating with other people and the relationships they have had, especially the parent-child relationship. Patients will be continuously analyzed and their response to the questions, both verbal answers and their expressions will be taken into account. This test will require the patient to draw a person on the left side of the sheet that has been provided. The behavior of the person will be studied. After this, the patient will be asked to draw another person on the right. Now this other drawing of a person can be anyone; someone the patient likes or hates, a close relative, someone from the opposite gender. Then a series of questions will be asked to build a friendly relation with the patient, such as who is that person, does him or her go to school, or what is he or she doing. Then when approaching the treatment, there are two available options. To review the communication issue, the patient will be asked to draw or write a method of communication that they will like to use to get in touch with the two persons. And then regarding the relationship issue, the patient will be asked to draw a tree between the two persons, regardless of its shape, color or size. (Therapeutic Games and Guided Imagery) This therapeutic exercise can help a great deal to the patients suffering relationship and communication barriers. It will be required to develop an understanding with the patient so that the answers and responses to different questions is honest and accurate, which help to get to the root of the problem. The role of this exercise should be accomplished by the end, which is to help the patients get through a difficult time and resolve any conflicts or communication barriers they have developed in their mind. The purpose is to allow the patients to express themselves in an accurate way that will help them to overcome their inner pain. References What is Art Therapy? | What Does an Art Therapist Do?. (n.d.). Art Therapy | Expressive Arts Therapy | Inspiring Others to Create. Retrieved October 4, 2012, from http://www.arttherapyblog.com/what-is-art-therapy/#.UG4VsU2krcY House-tree-person test - children, functioning, adults, people, used, brain, personality, Definition. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. Retrieved October 4, 2012, from http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/House-tree-person-test.html#b Read More