Creative Problem Solving in Art Therapy

Abstract

Since its inception, the practice of art therapy has been shown to promote resilience in children. Recent neuroscientific research has better explained how and why art therapy strengthens the adaptive responses to adversity. Observations of clinical practice link early concepts of art therapy to expanding advances in neuroscience in a framework for the mechanisms that interdependently support creative problem solving and resilience. Creative problem solving is both a protective factor and an adaptive response in the pursuit of resilience. As a conduit for accessing and mitigating conflicted memories and affect, visual expression can organize cognitions and memories. The attuned relationship with the art therapist aids in the mirroring and repair of disruptions in attachment, and the rewards gained from engagement in art-making lead to both pleasure and mastery. Taken together, these mechanisms support creative problem solving: a theoretical construct of art therapy’s promotion of resilience.

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