Art Therapy, Training PDI to Express Feelings through Pictures

AMBON (7 November 2019) - The implementation of the partnership activity for the Social Rehabilitation Center for People with Intellectual Disabilities (BRSPDI) "Nipotowe" in Palu with the Maluku Provincial Social Service has entered its fifth day. Even though the activity was quite busy, the service recipients were still eager to participate in the activities held at SLB Leleani Ambon City.

In this activity, service recipients receive play therapy that trains cooperation, leadership, and solidarity. The officers also give enthusiasm to motivate service recipients not to give up in facing every problem.

Another activity that is carried out is Art Therapy, which is to express the feelings of the recipient of the service during the activity by putting it in the form of pictures. According to the American Art Therapy Association, "Art therapy is based on the ideas that creative process of art making is healing and life enhancing and is a form of nonverbal communication of thoughts and feelings". In essence, the disadvantages that people with intellectual disabilities usually have, namely having difficulty speaking in public, will be resolved by disclosing them through pictures. Drawing becomes a form of expressing thoughts and feelings with non-verbal communication through the media of images. They are more interested in things that are creative and fun. With various short reasons, they are able to explain the meaning of the images they make.

"I drew the scenery because my heart was happy sis," said Defi, one of the service recipients.

Communication skills of persons with disabilities can be trained gradually. In essence, they must first adjust to what they are interested in. That way a sense of comfort will arouse their courage to be able to express what they are feeling.

Before ending the activity on the fifth day, the officers reviewed the materials that had been delivered. These activities are very important for persons with intellectual disabilities. Usually people with intellectual disabilities forget about what they have learned beforehand, therefore social workers always review the activities they have done before.

Continue giving rewards to service recipients who have been able to complete their duties properly. This aims to encourage the service recipients to do their best continously.