"Art Therapy: What it is and What it is Not" Article by Judith Rubin, 1982

Since I have many experiences as an art educator and have been immersed in art educational studies in graduate school the past two years, I've been wondering how art education and art therapy are related... or not related. A lot of my art teaching practices and intentions lend themselves to therapeutic situations. I guess I'm really curious to know how the process of art-making differs in education vs therapy. In this article Rubin states, that the primary distinctions are invisible and inside the head of the worker and, eventually, of the patient. This still doesn't completely answer my inquiry. I know that having a strong grasp on the therapy aspects including development, psychodynamics, and interpersonal relations are means of distinction but in the article she also says you need to know about yourself. I found this interesting. And after pondering it, it makes sense. You need to know how you work (feel, behave, etc) before you can learn to see how others work. This is never really brought up in educational practices.

I know this article is just an introduction to the field and didn't answer my curiosities just yet. But for those who have never had these curiosities- now they do.

I'm ready for more....