This review explored art therapy as a way of working with an issue, anger. Anger is not a popular issue to discuss at the beginning of art therapy intervention because it has often been repressed since childhood, much more so than other emotions like depression, fear, shame, and low self-esteem. However, once anger is recognized and revealed as an issue that must be worked on, the goals of art therapy can be tailored to deal with it effectively, and the emotion can be evaluated subjectively via an art therapy assessment that is conducted before and after the treatment. In art therapy, it is equally important to explore and express both positive and negative emotions. It is possible for people in art therapy to learn new and positive behaviors, such as assertiveness, instead of being destructive with their angry feelings. What makes art therapy different from other approaches is that it provides nonverbal methods of communication for people who have difficulty articulating angry feelings in words. The process of creating artwork helps people to calm down and reflect more about their inner self. In this study, the goals and a short-term plan of art therapy in conjunction with CBT were explored, and the benefits of the art therapy were discussed.
Keywords:anger, art therapy, art materials, CBT