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Creating ChangesArt Therapy for everyone. According to the American Art Therapy Association (AATA 2006) “Art Therapy is an established mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals at all ages”. Working as an Art Therapist in Singapore I am able to treat clients from different cultures, ages, and religions. Clients who are referred for Art Therapy are not necessarily ill or labeled in any way. They can have a normal life,a normal family and a very good income, but they may suffer from anxiety, loneliness and may feel they have lost the meaning of life. There are many ways to deal with emotional problems. Some give a faster solution than others. Art Therapy enables the therapist to put an emphasis on the process of healing and dealing with clients' problems. The Art Therapy room and the relations with the therapist will become a safe place where a client can express him or herself without words and without judgment. The expression “A picture is worth a thousand words" refers to the idea that complex stories can be described with just a single still image, or that an image may be more influential than a substantial amount of text“ (F.R. Barnard 1921). The following case study demonstrates the potential of Art Therapy. 
Fig. No. 1: “The Bridge” Alex (40) was referred to me by his psychiatrist whom heconsulted with regards to his anxiety and depression. Alex was relocated to Singapore for a year. He described his situation as: "overwhelmed by anxiety and depression". The psychiatrist suggested to use drugs to reduce the anxiety level and the emotional stress and at the same time he thought that Alex would benefit from Art Therapy in order to process and understand his current emotional situation. In our first few sessions Alex needed direction from me to get him started. “The Bridge” was his first drawing, which represented his situation at that time. On the table Alex was offered a verity of materials but he chose to draw with his own blue pen. 
Fig. No 2: “The Barrier” “The Barrier” isanother drawing Alex made, helping him to organize his inner self and to break down his obstacles in a clear visual manner. Looking and talking about his drawing helped him todevelop his awareness and to deal with his frightening, confusing and upsetting feelings. (Buchalter-Katz S. 1989). 
Fig. No.3 : “The Mask” “The Mask” was a break through drawing that was made by Alex after a few sessions. Alex chose oil pastels and started reaching out to the world. He said that he felt safe and confident in the space and in our relationship. In this drawing he verbalized his perception of his image as seen from the outside (facing the world) and from his inner side, showing how he really felt about himself. 
Fig No 4.: “Hope” At the last session Alex drew a picture and named it “Hope”. He used acrylics and paid attention to the colors. He felt that he could look at things from a different perspective. The artwork became an evidence for the healing process he went through. He admitted that it was the first time since he was a child that he expressed his emotions in a drawing and used colors.. Alex said the process encouraged him to look forward to the future. Alex was able to stop the drug treatment. Alex continued his work in Singapore and returned to his home country as planned. I was informed by email that he is back at work and happy with his family. Art Therapist Sivan Weinstein (MA Art Therapy, BA HMS) offers Art Therapy session for children and adults at Body with Soul. www.art-therapy.sg BibliographyAATA,(2006) American Art therapy Association. www.arttherapy.org/ Buchalter-Katz S.(1989) “Barrier” Drawing for Depressed Patient in: Advances in Art Therapy. Edited by; Harrient Wadeson, Jean Durkin & Dorine Perach. A Wiley- interscience. Publication. 1989. Barnard Fred R (1921) Trade Journal Printers' Ink “ Case C. and Dalley T. (1992) “ The handbook of art therapy” Brunner-Routledge. New York |
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