I watched an interesting Horizon programme last week called, “Why did I go mad?” It looks at some current thinking on psychosis and includes art-making as a way to express and process disturbing sights and sounds. It’s available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer for the rest of May 2017:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08pltgy
Does “madness” exist? Is it a “chemical imbalance” or a non-medical “problem in living”? Or neither?
“I have wanted to become an art therapist since the age of sixteen. After now turning twenty-one and nearing the end of my fine art degree, I was caught worrying for my future due to being afraid of starting the next step. I was afraid of not having the knowledge to support my application for the degree course I needed to get into. It has been extremely hard gaining access to information and training for art therapy where I live which left me feeling at a dead end. I was introduced to these courses by a friend, and I am so glad I was! These courses have given me a major insight into art therapy and what is expected of myself and potential clients, I now cannot wait to train as an art therapist. They were informative, easy following, as well as professional, and I truly recommend them to anyone considering art therapy as their next career goal. After completing these courses I am excited and ready to build up my portfolio and get applying for the degree course that will get me into this amazing career.”
“I have worked in establishing and promoting the fair trade fashion industry over the past 30 years and have seen slavery, child labour, the aftermath of war, and abuse of all kinds. I’ve also seen first-hand the healing power of people making art, doing crafts, and being creative. I wanted to learn more about this and chose OCAT’s courses because of the well-known faculty members and that I could go through the material whenever it suited me. I really enjoyed the courses and well-structured modules. I especially valued the videos of practitioners and clients talking about their experiences of art therapy. Clearly a lot of time and effort went into making these courses and for me they were worth every penny.”
