Treating Adolescent Client Using Writing Therapy

Expressive Arts Intervention

The ideal client for expressive arts is an adolescent male between 14 and 18. The intervention will be conducted individually to boost the client’s confidence when interacting with the therapist. The expressive arts intervention to use is writing therapy, which involves writing emotions and thoughts in a journal (Lindsey et al., 2018). The area of focus is trauma because there are underlying traumatic incidences that adolescents might have undergone in their lives that they are unaware of. We can use writing therapy to have the client note their emotions and thoughts. From these thoughts and emotions, we can uncover underlying trauma and develop treatment strategies to address the trauma (Lindsey et al., 2018).

To offer expressive arts intervention for an adolescent client, one should have a master’s degree in counseling and have undergone professional training in expressive arts from the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA). The IEATA offers educational resources offering information on different expressive arts interventions that can be used for adolescents. One can gain professional credentials for Registered Expressive Arts Therapists (REAT). Members of the organization have opportunities to network and interact with others to learn more about expressive arts. Support is available through discussion boards and research on expressive arts.

The ideal client being an adolescent relates well with the vision for positive change in child and adolescent counseling. Using the expressive arts intervention for adolescents encourages the use of creativity to express their innermost thoughts and emotions comfortably. Creativity allows the client to be themselves and communicate in a language they understand. The adolescent client can be comfortable writing what they feel when alone without fear of others. Learning to express one’s thoughts and emotions through writing is the first step toward becoming open during counseling and when interacting with others. Expressing the thoughts and emotions harbored deep inside encourages the client to be open and not be ashamed of their innermost thoughts and emotions. The counseling session can benefit the client because they will be comfortable talking to the therapist in writing.