ART THERAPY FOR ABUSED CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Abstract

The situations that Thai children and youth have been abused have been continuously seen. This has been causing the direct impact on children and youth both of their bodies from minor injuries to serious injuries which may lead to the cause of death. There are also mental impacts. The immediate mental impacts are phobia reaction, anxiety, sadness which may cause the long-term mental impacts. Those impacts are self-worthlessness, losing confidence and trust, emotional control defect, anti-social or aggressive behavior as well as the impacts on people and societies around them. After they receive help to be under the responsibilities of relevant agencies both in government sector and private sector, these agencies know how to access to them and how to treat them in their mental situations in the children and youth who are the victims by using psychological therapy. The art therapy is composing of varieties of art activity particularly in painting; for example, drawing and coloring. The development of drawing that is suitable for the age of children and youth. Which is divided into 6 age ranges: 1) one and a half to 3 years old, 2) 3-6 years old, 3) 6-9 years old, 4) 9-12 years old, 5) 12-14 years old, and 6) 14-17 years old. These activities are a kind of therapy which are the ways of treatment in the fundamental of Psychoanalysis through the Projective Drawing Tests. According to communication through drawings, this one is easier than speaking. Therefore, this method is appropriate to be increased in options of help including tender accessibility and treatment in the conditions of mentally abusive children and youth. This also includes in creating gentle atmosphere affecting to mental happiness of the children and youth coming in and asking for help, and reducing in depression, loneliness, and paranoia about harassed experience which these incidents have severely impacted on the victims minds.