Art Therapy: An Effective Counselling Modality in Schools

Offering ongoing individual counselling for students in schools can have lasting benefits for both staff and students by helping deal with difficult behavioural and well-being issues, and art therapy is a particularly effective counselling modality because young people are able to relate to their feelings and motivations indirectly, and from a safe distance, through art pieces.

Art Therapy was employed within schools to attend to the needs of students at risk. These schools noticed the severity of behavioural issues decrease. Students with issues felt less need to act out; they expressed difficult feelings in art therapy reducing their need to express them inappropriately.

Teachers also felt better because they knew their most challenging student issues were consistently being attended to by a counselling professional. Art therapy, operating as an integrated part of schools to address 3%-5% of students, can positively influence the school community and noticeably lift morale.

Initial Aims of the Program

To assist young people at risk of developing behaviours that may make them vulnerable to disengagement from school, family or community or who are displaying behaviours which require support and intervention. (Effective Schools are Engaging Schools student engagement policy, 2009).

• To address the needs of emotionally disturbed students whose behaviour has been affecting the teaching and learning of themselves and others, and help them achieve the most out of their education.
• To build protective factors and minimise stress through creating positive relationships and promoting school belonging. (Key protective factors that foster resilience as identified by The Victorian Suicide Prevention Taskforce in 1997).
• To build self-awareness and skills for managing emotional issues in order to bring about lasting changes for students, who might otherwise be unable to overcome ‘factors that could impede their successful transition to a fulfilling adult life.’ (SFYS Literature Review, 2001)

Click here to read the full article by Robin Shipard, published in the Autumn Edition of ‘Counselling Australia’ (page 20).