Olwyn's Thesis

Thesis Title: "Is there potential for the principles of Art Therapy to be taught in Irish schools and could it be used as a first point of call for “at risk” secondary school students, instead of students being forced to seek outside assistance?"

Olwyn received a 1:1 grade on her thesis from the National College of Art and Design.

A copy of her work can be viewed on request. The Introduction and Bibliography can be viewed below.

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Thesis Introduction:

Introduction: Is there potential for the principles of Art Therapy to be taught in Irish schools and could it be used as a first point of call for “at risk” secondary school students, instead of students being forced to seek outside assistance? This essay aims to broadly investigate this potential approach to assisting students mental health. It will look at whether is could be beneficial, practical and feasible. To do this, given the wide topic of mental health issues, this essay will take a particular focus on adolescents struggling with anxiety as is the most common current issues facing Irish students (A problem of which other mental health issues often grow from). To approach this topic, this essay will attempt to fulfill its aims by first addressing what anxiety is and the increasingly growing and startling proportions of Irish students experiencing it. It will briefly discuss why this could be the case. The essay will outline what the current mental health supports are like in Irish secondary schools and what potential there is for change. The essay will then identity what Art Therapy is and why it could be a particularly beneficial therapy if made available for adolescents in secondary schools. Moving on from this, an explanation is given as to why increasing a holistic approach to wellbeing in schools (including art therapy) will benefit all, including students' ability to learn more effectively in class and therefore the teacher's time and energy in class also. To support these claims made on the benefits of Art Therapy with teenagers, the second chapter will explore and discuss two case studies, one of which is not Irish and one which is Irish. These case studies could act as a “road map” for Irish schools in the development of such a programme.

The main theoretical and primary sources I consulted were psychology books regarding mental health, Art Therapy representational bodies, Art therapy hands books, online resources detailing the current layout of the Irish education system, articles detailing the observed merits of Art therapy and case studies. I consulted medical representatives such as American Academy of Pediatrics. Finally, I conducted an interview with Art Therapists Bex Shelford who hugely influenced the direction of my research.

Bibliography:

Bibliography: American Academy of Pediatrics (2017). Children's hospitals admissions for suicidal thoughts, actions double during past decade. [online] American Academy of Pediatrics. Available at: https://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/05/04/PASSuicide050417 [Accessed 15 Nov. 2019].

Anxiety and Depression Association of America (2018). Home | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. [online] Adaa.org. Available at: https://adaa.org/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2019].

Art Therapy Blog (2019). What is Art Therapy? | What Does an Art Therapist Do?. [online] Art Therapy. Available at: http://www.arttherapyblog.com/what-is-art-therapy/#.XiT4gW5FxPY [Accessed 23 Dec. 2019].

Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists (2020). Art Therapy Overview. [online] Available at: http://www.iacat.ie/art-therapy [Accessed 1 Dec. 2019].

Cuddihy, T. (2019). Government reveals plans for 300 hours of mental health classes in Irish secondary schools | JOE.ie. [online] JOE.ie. Available at: https://www.joe.ie/news/government-reveals-plans-for-mental-health-classes-in-irish-se condary-schools-572136 [Accessed 4 Dec. 2019].

Fado, E. (2019). Art Therapy Exercises for Anxiety – Fighting for a Future. [online] Fighting for a Future. Available at: https://youwillbearwitness.com/2019/06/19/art-therapy-exercises-for-anxiety/ [Accessed 12 Nov. 2019].

Fado, E, 2019, Mind body connection exercise, digital image of drawing, youwillbearwitness, accessed 09/12/2019, https://youwillbearwitness.com/2019/06/19/art-therapy-exercises-for-anxiety/

Fado, E, 2019, 1 Minute Brain Brain Dump, digital image of drawing, Youwillbearwitness, accessed 09/12/2019, https://youwillbearwitness.com/2019/06/19/art-therapy-exercises-for-anxiety/

Keating, M. (2007). A place to hide and heal. [online] Amp.theguardian.com. Available at: https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2007/nov/13/schools.uk3?fbclid=IwAR1B8ueZP o0_HP7b3Z7Wd1WYP3K4WvuXwPJfUUscuoqDcKwI_qwGAjULNEQ [Accessed 1 Nov. 2019].

Malchiodi, C.A (2002), The Handbook of Art Therapy, England, The Guilford Press. McCarthy, C. (2019). Anxiety in Teens is Rising: What's Going On?. [online] HealthyChildren.org. Available at: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pa ges/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx [Accessed 17 Nov. 2019]

Mental Health Ireland (2019). The SchoolSetting. [online] Mental Health Ireland. Available at: https://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/studentuni/ [Accessed 7 Dec. 2019]

25 Molloy, L. (2020). We need a co-ordinated approach to mental health in schools. [online] The Irish Times. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/we-need-a-co-ordinated-approach-to-mental-health-i n-schools-1.3777938 [Accessed 13 Nov. 2019].

National Institute of Mental Health (2017). NIMH » Any Anxiety Disorder. [online] Nimh.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml#part_155096 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].

Open Access Government (2019). Anxiety among millennials is on the rise. [online] Open Access Government. Available at: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/anxiety-among-millennials/57268/ [Accessed 11 Nov. 2019].

The Art Therapy Project (2019). Check Out Our Client Artwork. [online] The Art Therapy Project. Available at: https://www.thearttherapyproject.org/client-artwork [Accessed 20 Dec. 2019].