Perception Formation and Attitude Towards Art as Therapy

Art therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals, as well as community concerns. Art therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change. Perception formation and attitude were indexed on Gestalt’s theory. The study sought to elicit more traditional interventions which concerns are not explicit in orthodox forms of offering counselling therapy by therapists to lecturers in the University of Education, Winneba. The study employed qualitative research methods to elicit information from 8 senior counsellors from the University of Education, Winneba. A multiple case study was adopted to provide sets of contexts used to explore research questions. Discussions in the study provide a rich source of information that counsellors in academia and lecturers can use as anti-stressors. The study demonstrates that Ghanaian society acknowledges the existence of various art forms that is fine art, dance, photography, music, drama, film and other visual and performing arts and their usefulness in offering psychological support. It is recommended that counsellors in academic settings inculcate the practice of using the various art forms as therapy during their counselling sessions and art therapy must be introduced into counselling education and training in Ghana.

Keywords: Art therapy, cognitive, expressive, Gestalt, therapeutic