Healing ills with art
People recovering from mental illness helped by art therapy will be showcasing their works - akshita nanda

From troubled children to schizophrenia sufferer more Singaporeans are being shown how to use art to create their own paths to health.

Artwork created by the mentally ill under the guidance of an award-winning artist will ring in the New Year at the Singapore Art Museum even as preparations are underway for the first art therapy conference here.

Art therapy, which helps people recover from or deal with illnesses and psychological problems through the creative arts is a recognised mode of patient care in the West.

Over the past few years, it has been recommended by more doctors and psychiatrists here and institutions such as the Singapore Association for Mental Health and KK Women's and Children's Hospital are using it to help their patients cope emotionally.

"Through art therapy, we truly see a change for the better in patients," says Ms Jane Goh, who has rim in-house art programmes over the past 6 1/2  years for beneficiaries of the association.

The therapist helps about 1,200 people a year express themselves through drawing, painting and sculpture, and helps many to sell these works at exhibitions at libraries and shopping centres. "It's about helping patients feel competent and confident in society," she says.

To that end, this year, she organised external art lessons for nine elderly residents of Pelangi Village, a social welfare complex for the destitute. All have various mental health problems such as schizophrenia.

They studied with Cultural Medallion winning artist Chng Seek Tin, who taught them techniques such as print making. The artwork they created will be shown at the Singapore Art Museum from Dec 29 to Jan 1. Six works by their teacher will also be on display.

"The work they created was quite interesting," says Ms Chng.

Ms Goh says the external art lessons have increased the patients' attention span and self-confidence. They are also more willing to verbalise their thoughts.

Creating art can help people who have trouble communicating, says Dr John Wong, senior consultant at the National University Hospital's (NUH) department of psychological medicine. He often recommends art therapy for troubled teens and abused children who cannot express
what they have been through.

"Children don't have the vocabulary to tell you what they are thinking and feel ing but they can express themselves through clay models and painting," explains art therapist Joanna Tan. It is the same for many adults, she says. Her clients range from ages five to 84.

When she first started out in 2005, she saw barely three clients a week. This has grown to 10 at private sessions and another 30 at group sessions.

There is a growing demand for art therapy in Singapore, as Ms Elizabeth Coss, programme leader for the arts therapy master's course at the Lasalle College of the Arts, can attest.

"I see more students getting hired now," she says. Employers include NUH and the Rainbow Centre which runs programmes for children with special needs.

Later next month, Lasalle will be hosting an international conference for about 200 medical practitioners and art therapists around the region to compare notes on the benefits of the creative arts in therapy.

"The idea is to raise the profile of art therapy here and in the region. The most important thing we want to communicate is that the creative arts are a very powerful and effective way to help people in need," says Ms Coss.

It seems artists such as Ms Chng would agree. Visually impaired herself, she often gives art lessons to students with disabilities. She has seen definite improvement in the mentally ill students she taught this year.

"Art is good for their mental health. It's good for anyone's mental health," she says with a laugh.