Likovna terapija u radu s djecom s mentalnim poteškoćama (Povijesni pregled i osnovne činjenice)
Art Therapy in Work with Children with Mental Difficulties (Historical survey and basic facts)

Summary/Abstract: Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that applies the creative art process as a means of expression and communication. As a human need, creativity appeared with the first signs of human consciousness, and as such it is suitable for therapeutic purposes. For almost a whole century now visual art creativity has been a subject of interest in the field of psycho-diagnostics and clinical psychiatric examinations. At first, art creativity was introduced into psychiatric institutions as a form of relaxation, and as a way of easing psychic tension, anxiety or irritability, while in the later period art creativity was given a more important therapeutic role. The theoretical basis of art therapy is psycho-dynamics, and it is founded on the phenomena such as transfer, substantiality, transitional objects, games. Depending on the needs of the user, art therapy may be carried out individually or in a group. The art therapy process, like other psychotherapies, requires the education, high-level skills, maturity and experience of the therapist. There is a need for (art) therapists, and there is also a potential in the young people whose desire for education and advancement is not to be doubted. Considering the positive experiences of the countries where art therapy is already being practiced, it would be good to make use of this potential and the desire, and to make it possible for future experts to get educated in this field through gradate or postgraduate studies.

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