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Art Therapy History.



Art Therapy History.

For centuries, people have used artistic expression as a means of communicating stories, ideas and recording important events. As art became an important feature of culture and history, it was widely accepted and celebrated that art and emotional exFor centuries, people have used artistic expression as a means of communicating stories, ideas and recording important events. As art became an important feature of culture and history, it was widely accepted and celebrated that art and expression are synonymous.

Art therapy, as a profession, began in the mid-20th century. British artist Adrian Hill first coined the term ‘art therapy’ in 1942. When Hill was ill in hospital with TB, he found drawing and painting to be therapeutic. He helped other patients use art as well, and this was the start of art therapy work. He wrote about this in his book, Art Versus Illness, in 1945.

Artist Edward Adamson, the ‘father of art therapy’ in Britain, joined Adrian Hill after World War II, to extend Hill’s work into the field of mental health.

Formal training for art therapists began in the 1960s, and art therapists were allowed to be registered in March 1997 under the Professions Supplementary to Medicine (CPSM), now known as the Health and Care Professions Council.

If you would like to learn more about the background and origins of the profession the book Becoming A Profession: The History of Art Therapy in Britain 1940-82 by Diane Waller provides a comprehensive historical account.