May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so for mental health awareness month we will be featuring the art of mental health practitioners. Psychotherapist, counselors, or any other mental health practitioners who are also artists.

Mental health practitioners Mental health practitioners assess and help people who are struggling with their mental health.  The reason to attend therapy varies and is an individual choice. At times it can be to deal with psychological issues such as problems with anxiety, depression, or a traumatic event. On other occasions it is in response to unexpected changes in one's life such as a divorce, relationships problems, work transition, or death in the family. Working with a therapist can help provide insight, support, and new strategies for all types of life challenges. Therapy is right for anyone who is interested in getting the most out of their life by taking responsibility, creating greater self-awareness, and working towards change in their lives. Therapy provides long-lasting benefits and support, giving you the tools you need to avoid triggers, re-direct damaging patterns, and overcoming whatever challenges you face.

 

Sublimation is a the channeling and transformation of a negative urge or feeling into a productive or acceptable behavior. It is a psychological term introduced by Sigmund Freud as a defense mechanism.  This is the ego’s way of reducing anxiety that may be created by urges or feelings that are undesirable and unhealthy. The process of sublimation channels these negative impulses into behaviors that are positive, healthy, and socially acceptable.

 

The creative process can be a way to sublimate.

Art therapy is a therapeutic modality, which utilizes art materials (markers, paints, clay, collage, etc.) to allow for the expression and exploration of feelings. According to Margaret Naumberg (art therapy pioneer) “The techniques of art therapy are based on the knowledge that every individual, whether trained or untrained in art, has a latent capacity to project his inner conflicts into visual form. As patients picture such inner experiences, they frequently become more verbally articulate (p.1, 1996).”

It would be appropriate to deduce that mental health practitioners who are artists utilize the creative process as a way to sublimate their feelings of their daily work.