The Two Main Branches of Art TherapyArt therapy began as a natural extension of Freud's revolutionary psychoanalytic theories at the turn of the last century. Psychiatrists discovered that visual arts could be used as an assessment tool, and by the 1940s, art was being used not only for assessment purposes, but also in therapeutic applications (Junge, 2010). Two main branches evolved from these early years: art as therapy and art psychotherapy. With Freud and others at the forefront of modern psychological thought, it is not surprising that theories of psychoanalysis have entered art therapy. Margret Naumberg, considered by many to be the creator of art therapy, incorporated her concepts of artistic creation and symbolism into Freudian psychoanalysis (Junge, 2010). Artistic psychotherapy assumes “that imagery [is] an outward projection of the patient's inner intrapsychic processes” and relies on “symbolic communication between patient and therapist” (Junge, 2010, p. 38) . Naumberg's analytical approach, however, differed from Freud's. It allowed the patient to make their own interpretations rather than relying on the all-powerful therapist to provide insight (Junge, 2010). The goals of art psychotherapy include: making the unconscious conscious, transference through artistic creation to the artwork itself, and client-based interpretation. Artistic directives in an art psychotherapy approach are understood in terms of spontaneous expression that provides access to unconscious material (Case & Dalley, 2006). The triangular relationship between art, client and therapist is considered more important than the final artistic product. Case and Dalley (2006) describe an art-psychotherapy directive in which a child client is asked to paint a series of...... middle of paper ....... Modern art history -therapy in the United States. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Kaplan, F. F. (2000). Art, science and art therapy: repainting the picture. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley. Kramer, E. (1972). Art as therapy with children. New York, NY: Schocken Books. Lusebrink, VB, (2004) Art therapy and the brain: An attempt to understand the underlying processes of artistic expression in therapy, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 21: 3, 125. -135 Mcdiarmid, MD, Bagner, DM, (2005). Parent-child interaction therapy for children with disruptive behavior and developmental disabilities. Child Education and Treatment, 28(2), 130.Shiflett, C. and Tang, H. (2011). Integrating the expressive arts into theory-based interventions in counseling practice. In Degges-White S., Davis NL (ed.). New York, New York: Springer Pub.