AboutMaryAnn F. Kohl Expertise I am an expert on art for children. I believe in the process of art more than the finished product. I have written ten+ books on art for children, and have tons of ideas to share!
Experience Teaching degree in Elementary Education, own Bright Ring Publishing since 1985, published over ten books on the subject of art for children, present workshops around the USA and Europe on this topic.
Organizations NAEYC
Publications Parenting Magazine, Early Childhood News, Scholastic "Let's Find Out"
Expert: MaryAnn F. Kohl Date: 1/7/2008 Subject: Art as therapy
Question I recently met a rather outspoken woman that stated no preschool teacher could use art as therapy unless she/he was a certified art therapist. What exactly is an art therapist and why are there no specific classes/college degrees that I can find? Was she just misinformed about all of this information. Art as therapy in my classes usually means extra help for a child that needs some form of remediation. I have a bachelor degree in early childhood and am pursuing my graduate studies in special education. Thank you for your answer. Kahlen!
Answer I was curious why you gave me a 6 for timeliness on my answer. I answered you the same day you asked the question, according to AllExperts, actually only about 5 hours after you asked it. I am glad you liked receiving an answer, and if it took too long, I apologize.
MaryAnn
original answer:
Sorry, I don't know much about art therapy. I do know that people have degrees in it. They use art to bring out children's worries and solve problems and dig deeper into psychologic issues. They often work as a team with doctors or therapists. An easy example: a child only paints in black and makes her father huge and she is tiny. This could be a sign that she is being too heavily dominated by a cruel father. (COULD be.) I think if you read up on art therapy, you will know a great deal -- there are specific degrees including a masters in Art Therapy. This link has FAQ's on art therapy and degrees of such. http://www.arttherapy.org/aafaq.html
There is an organization called AATA, American Art Therapy Association, and they have standards and such. http://www.arttherapy.org
I think you're on the road to understanding art therapy! It's much broader than one would think, and very interesting.
