Problems We Address • 215creator to be in charge, instead of being at the mercy of internal pain, which requires too
much of the self to be spent in defense at the expense of living.
Is Art Therapy Dangerous for Some People?
This question is often asked by other professionals who worry that art therapy may put their
patients at risk. The fear is that people whose controls or reality testing are already weak
might be overstimulated by the materials or overwhelmed by what emerges and go “over the
edge” mentally or behaviorally. This anxiety is shared by some art therapists, who issue such
warnings as: “Never use red paint with psychotic patients” or “Avoid clay with children who
have conduct disorders.”
Certainly, if profoundly retarded children put art materials in their mouths, then it is
best to finger paint with chocolate pudding or to model with edible dough. Or, if patients
are agitated and potentially violent, it is common sense not to provide dangerous tools like
scissors. And of course one must set limits on destructive uses of materials, like throw-
ing clay at other people or pouring paint on the floor. Nevertheless, art therapy is espe-
cially useful in treating individuals of all ages who have difficulty managing their anger
(Liebmann, 2008).
Yet it has been my experience over the last 45 years, in my own work—and that of the
many therapists I have supervised in the use of art with a wide range of patients—that there
is no one for whom art therapy is necessarily hazardous, although it is naturally more help-
ful to some than to others. I believe that whatever dangers may exist are due not to problems
inherent in art, but to inadequately prepared clinicians.
That is why art therapists in training are required to have many hours of closely super-
vised experience, in order to be able to utilize themselves and their modality safely as well as
creatively. In my experience, when patients are given a choice of materials and themes, even
those who are acutely disturbed tend to select media and ideas they can handle. There may
be more of a risk when the art therapist decides what is best for a patient or group and that
assignment turns out to be unmanageable.
Figure 9.14 “Therapy” by Elaine.