Üsküdar University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy Lecturer. See. Isa Kör talked about the relationship between art therapy and occupational therapy and the benefits they provide on the occasion of “October 27 World Occupational Therapy Day”. Kör emphasized that art therapy reduces the risk of developing dementia in older individuals, and pointed out that tools such as puppets and paints also provide positive effects.
Stating that occupational therapists can apply to art therapy when they need it, experts say that by this means, occupational therapists aim to increase participation in the activity, increase the differences in one's life, improve health and reduce the effects of negative experiences.
World Occupational Therapists Day is celebrated on October 27 every year under the leadership of WFOT (World Federation of Occupational Therapists).
“As activities decrease, one's roles are lost.
Kör stated that the work areas of occupational therapy cover all of the activities of people in their daily life, and said, “We can define occupational therapy as the active participation of the individual in self-care, work, leisure time and play. In addition, activity can be defined as anything that people engage in, such as taking care of themselves, enjoying life, contributing to social and economic environments. used the phrases.
Underlining that individuals have a role in their lives, Kör said that roles can differ in every age and in every environment, and said:
“With the deterioration of health, a decrease in the participation of the person in activities can be seen. A decrease in activity participation can lead to the loss of roles in one's life. While the loss of roles leads to changes in the person's expectations in life, devastations related to the deterioration of health depending on the loss of activity can be seen in the person. The individual may encounter situations such as feeling worthless, living dependent on someone, not being able to perform daily activities, and living dependent on a bed.
The first target is people with mental illness.
Kör said that occupational therapists can apply to art therapy to reduce the effect of negative experiences on the person, to increase participation in activities, to increase the differences in one's life, to establish routines, to promote health improvement, and to ensure well-being.
Kör, who bases art therapy on the idea that expressing one's feelings and thoughts is non-verbal, therapeutic and enriching life in the artistic creation process, says, “The target of art therapy is people with psychological disorders at first. The population of this therapy has subsequently expanded to individuals with difficulties in daily life such as children, adolescents, the elderly, autism spectrum disorder, history of abuse, loss or natural disaster.” he said.
Noting that art therapy supports people who struggle with stress or self-awareness and have pressure that causes personal difficulties, Blind continued:
“Today, art therapy can be treated not only as a therapeutic approach, but also as a developmental practice in which individuals or groups discover their potential and solve some social problems. At this point, the joint work of art therapy and occupational therapy in supporting individuals with special needs draws attention.”
Puppet is an important tool in therapy
Stating that puppets are one of the tools used in art therapy, Kör said, “Puppet is a metaphorical expression in art therapy. Interacting with children who have difficulty in using verbal language in occupational therapist interviews in ways such as drawing, clay molding and making it easy is a fun option not only for the therapist but also for the child. In addition, the use of puppetry instead of speaking directly may help the child to have less hostile and threatening thoughts without speaking.” used the phrases.
Paints can have a positive effect
Kör stated that materials such as pencils, crayons, collage materials, stamps, brushes, clay and watery, oily and pastel paints can be used in art works and said, “The harmony that is tried to be created inside depending on the use of materials can be expressed as the expression of the person. There are also studies on the positive effect of dyes on long-term memory after traumatic events. It has been observed that especially fluid paints encourage relaxation and meditative experiences in the individual.” he said.
They work especially in the field of pediatrics.
Emphasizing that when considering art therapy and occupational therapy together, it should not be forgotten that they focus on different points, Kör said, “The occupational therapist can determine in advance the points that the individual may avoid, not want to touch, put in his mouth and pose a danger to himself during the art work. In which field the individual has a lack of skill, he may prefer to apply different artistic works. Occupational therapists are working especially in the field of pediatrics in our country.” said.
Kör said that disadvantaged groups such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, specific learning disability, down syndrome and cerebral palsy observed in children are very common.
Kör said that since the occupational therapist will handle each individual according to his/her own interests and personal characteristics, different practices can be applied to two different individuals with learning difficulties in their artistic work. In addition to evaluating each group within itself, they adopt a personalized approach by targeting an individual approach. In group work, it is possible to see improvements in the social skills of individuals who interact with artistic works.” he said.
Lowers the risk of dementia
Stating that art therapy may be needed to strengthen cognitive skills such as memory and attention and increase physical mobility in blind, geriatric individuals, he said, “Art requires using various skills such as abstract thinking, judgment and memory. The effect of art is remarkable in observing a lower risk of developing dementia in older individuals. Using cognition through the arts can translate into independent functions in the older population who benefit from most rehabilitation services.” made its assessment.
Occupational therapists focus on the individual's well-being
"While occupational therapists can use art as a tool, they do not progress by only including art therapy in their meetings," Kör continued as follows:
“Music, painting, clay, dance studies may be in the interviews, but they do not focus on the development of individuals on the mentioned fields and the way they express themselves through artistic works. It supports the life of the individual by identifying activities according to the person's lost abilities, aiming to improve the person's skills, restore them and prevent losses.
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