Begin at the beginning: an exploration of arts therapies

Taking the first step

Once in a while, you see, hear or do something that just makes you stop and say, Wow. Of course, exactly what sparks that “magic moment” will be different for everyone: it might be seeing a thought-provoking documentary, driving a certain car for the first time or meeting a truly inspirational person. For me, a wow moment occurred about a year ago when Ashleigh Ochs, a friend of mine, asked me to help her with a new project.

Ashleigh (an Ohio University social work major with a dance minor) was serving an internship with ATCO, an organization in Athens, Ohio that helps adults with disabilities to “picture their potentials,” according to its Web site. ATCO provides opportunities for its participants to develop life skills, gain employment and acquire social skills and friendships through various activities and outings in the community. When Ashleigh’s supervisor learned she had a background in dance, he excitedly encouraged her to try something new with the ATCO participants – dance therapy.

Ashleigh began organizing the group and asked another dance major (Haley Dulman) and I to join her in the formation of a weekly creative dance/movement group for the ATCO participants. And with that, I was brought into the world of creative arts therapies.

What are those people doing??

Even in today’s society, which is increasingly using “alternative” types of therapeutic and medicinal treatments, most people have a fairly ambiguous and unclear idea of what exactly arts therapies are. When I mention my involvement with dance therapy sessions, people sometimes ask if we “dance about our feelings” or “just run and dance around and let out emotions.” These responses have elements of truth in them, but they do not touch on the full power or breadth of the spectrum of functions covered by dance/movement therapy or arts therapies.

The Web site of the National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations (NCCATA) does a great job in giving a simple, brief overview of exactly what arts therapies are – and what they do. The organization comprises the professional organizations of the six main types of creative arts therapies: art therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, poetry therapy and psychodrama.

Each of these arts therapies uses different creative processes to achieve a variety of goals, including
• improving communication and expression
• increasing physical, emotional, cognitive and/or social functioning.

Another misconception that I encounter is that arts therapies are really only appropriate for certain populations, such as people with disabilities or those in psychiatric hospitals. In reality, however – as the NCCATA points out on its fact sheet – anyone can benefit from arts therapies, particularly people with
• mental health needs
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• chronic illness
• head injuries
• substance abuse problem
• physical disabilities
• developmental disabilities.

While they are still considered unconventional, it is possible arts therapies to play an important role in people’s everyday lives – perhaps even yours.