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Hasini Pericharla

Mrs. Ginger McClendon

Prosper Career Independent Study Program

17 February 2024

EOL #4

For my final project in the Prosper Career Independent Study Program (PCIS), I plan to

host an organization that helps elementary aged students with mental health disorders using art

therapy techniques. In order to learn more about art therapy techniques, I read a book called

Handbook of Art Therapy by Cathy A. Malchiodi. This book helped me understand the meaning

of children’s drawings and different types of drawing techniques.

One of the main things I learned is to recognize patterns in drawings to understand what

they mean. Depressed people who have little energy usually draw images with very little detail,

static images, and not much color. On the other hand, people with ADHD or people experiencing

mania draw images with bright colors, high activity in images, a lot of scribbles, and very

expansive. (Malchiodi 28) This is just one of the many methodologies and signs to look out for

in children’s drawings. Recognizing patterns can help identify how someone is feeling, and help

interpret their mental condition.

Another thing I learned is different types of art and how they can help people. One

interesting art technique I learned is the Egg or Cave drawing. In this, the therapist draws an oval

and tells the child to imagine that it is an egg or cave opening. The child is encouraged to draw

anything, and it stimulates imagination and motivates art expression. Based on what the child
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draws, one can also interpret the child’s thoughts. This is just one of the many techniques that

can be used in art therapy.

To conclude, I learned a lot of different art therapy techniques and how to interpret them.

This will help me in my final project because I can include aspects of art therapy in my

organization to help assist children with mental health problems and disorders.
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Works Cited

Malchiodi, Cathy. “Handbook of Expressive Arts Therapy.” Guilford Press,

www.guilford.com/books/Handbook-of-Expressive-Arts-Therapy/Cathy-Malchiodi/9781

462550524. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.