Can expressive arts therapy be incorporated into other methods of therapy?
The expressive arts philosophy and way of working integrate well with many approaches. However, simply using expressive art activities such as having a client move or draw does not constitute expressive arts therapy. What is the history of Expressive Arts Therapy at Appalachian? Expressive Arts Therapy at Appalachian State University began in 1985 when the Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling at Appalachian offered a course called Therapy and the Expressive Arts. Faculty presenters included counselors, arts therapists, therapists who were artists and artists who used dreams and the creative process for personal and professional growth. They modeled the course on the concepts of an interdisciplinary approach and a creative, therapeutic community of faculty and students. In 1997, faculty members who had been collaborating in that course began to meet monthly, thereby establishing a formal interdisciplinary group known as the Appalachian Expressive Arts Collective.
