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Late 19th - Early 20th Centuries: Intellectual and Sociological Development
During this time, intellectual and sociological developments occurred in the U.S. which allowed art therapy to blossom. These included the child study movement, which focused on observation, more progressive education practices, more humane treatment of mental patients, and the theories of Sigmund Freud. -
1915: Margaret Naumberg
Influenced by Freud and other psychoanalyists of the time, Naumberg believed that children should be encouraged to express themselves through creative means. She included this thought in the school that she founded - the Walden School - in New York City. Specifically, Naumberg believed that art therapy is based off of the individual's most fundamental thoughts and feelings, which are derived from an unconscious that expresses through images, not words. -
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1970s - 1980s: Formative Years
During this time, art therapy grew as a profession. Jobs popped up in mental health centers and substance abuse programs. -
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1970s: Division Between Art Therapists
A theoretical division amond art therapists had come about by the 1970s. There were those who practiced "art as therapy" and those who practiced "art psychotherapy." The former believed that the process of creating art possessed an innate healing power. The latter used art within the framwork of verbal therapy. -
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1990s - Present
Recently there has been a resurgance of the popularity of art therapy. Art therapists now work with a number of organizations to work with patients. Such institutions include cancer centers, prisons, trauma relief programs, centers for children with both physical and mental disabilities, and elderly homes.