Digital Art Therapeutic Possibilities

The discussion about the advisability of using digital technologies in the process of art therapy has been going on for several decades, but now it has become even more relevant in connection with the covid 19 pandemic and the need to provide remote psychological assistance to different groups of the population. The purpose of the article is to review foreign studies that reflect different ways of including digital technologies in art therapy work, an overview of specific examples of successful work using digital technologies (phototherapy, animation therapy, digital art, virtual reality tools). Doubts of specialists in the benefits of digital technologies are associated, first of all, with a change in the very nature of artistic creation, the loss of its sensory basis, loss of contact with artistic materials, as well as the risks of losing social connections outside the network. Among the arguments for the inclusion of digital technologies in the practice of art therapy prevail technical (the convenience of creating and storing digital works). There are also psychological (the ability to go through new experiences) and social (the ability to work with young people in their usual format, the availability of remote work and quick access to media space). The arguments of the authors are presented in a summary table. The main problematic points are identified. In order for digital technologies to become a natural part of art therapy work, training programs for specialists are necessary, as well as the development of special applications, since existing ones often do not take into account the specifics of art therapy.

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