Art Therapy: A Way to Improve Our Health

For more than 50 years, art therapy has been in existence in the United States and Europe. What about in Asia? Although there has been an emergence of a movement to practice art therapy in Asia, art therapy is not yet fully established and recognized. For example, in Japan, there is currently no graduate schools which offer a master’s degree in art therapy, while graduate schools in the United States have extensive art therapy programs. (In New York City, there are 3 graduate schools which have art therapy departments.)

In this presentation, meanings of art therapy, especially its effectiveness, will be discussed; along with the visual presentations of art works by art therapy clients. The relationship between art therapy and the Chinese view of health will be also discussed.

Author Bio

Makiko Young, MA, MPS-ATR-LCAT-BC, is a NY state licensed art therapist (and soon to be board certified) and a director of creative arts therapies program at Housing Works’s E9th st Adult Day Health Care Program in NYC. Housing Works offers diverse services and care for people who are living w/ HIV and AIDS with history of mental illness, substance use, homelessness, etc. Ms. Harada holds MA in health education from Teachers College, Columbia University and MPS in art therapy from Pratt Institute.

Ms. Young was recently featured by Newsweek Japan as one of the 100 Japanese Women: Shakers and Movers in the world. She met with Princess Stephanie of Monaco and explained the benefits of art therapy.