Art Therapy is believed to be able to work perfectly for young children, especially for children with social disorders, which will be demonstrated in the presentation. Through a composition of carefully designed curriculum incorporating fundamental elements in Art Therapy, a group of children participants were able to evolve from a directive approach (Theme-based, teacher-oriented) to a non-directive approach (child-centred, participants-oriented) through a duration of 10 sessions in art exploration. The art products, including the exploration of different media, were recorded according to the different themes introduced in each session. The line of development thus was shown through the passage of time of which the concepts of self awareness and self-growth were grasped and the children were able to mature as both an individual and as a participant in a group in Art Therapy perspective.

The study carries significance to serve as a set of guidelines to current childcare workers and teachers in using art and Art Therapy approaches for young children, particularly in incorporating the fundamental elements of Art Therapy as Early Childhood Intervention for young children.

Overall, this topic represents a new and growing area for research as Art Therapy cannot be seen empirically and significantly improving Clinical Depression. An attitude of contempt against research should be eradicated and more research and funding should be invested in making a standardized use of measurement tools and setting up a standardized treatment time as Clinical Practice Guidelines for the profession to thrive.

Authors:
Cheng King Hin, Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Catherine Cheng is a lecturer teaching in the Education University of Hong Kong, her research interest is Art therapy and children

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

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