Question by !kAyLa! 🙂: Are there any careers that combine graphic design with psychology or social working?
I’m going to college in the fall and I’m interested in graphic design/animation and being a social worker. I have always loved visual arts and everyone tells me I should go to art school and do something with art, but I really feel like I won’t truly be happy unless I’m in a career where I’m helping people and making a difference, so do you know any jobs that combines that with art?

Best answer:

Answer by ??jana?
You could go into Art Therapy. They used to use it a lot, especially initial therapy and with children-autism, and those less communicative, etc-as to what and how people draw. It is amazingly revealing.

For instance-Ask a child to draw themselves alone and then with their family. How large they are, and where they are in a picture (if they have fingers or not, the facial expression, colors used, position compared to the others) will tell you a lot about their self-image and family (hierarchy). That’s just the first example I thought of-http://psychology.about.com/od/psychotherapy/f/art-therapy.htm You really need to look it up and read more on the subject- I find it fascinating, myself.

Art therapy emerged as a mental health profession in the 1940s. It is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their “feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem, among other goals. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being. Art therapy practice requires knowledge of and skills in usage of visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms) and the creative process, coupled with application of theories and techniques of human development, psychology, and counseling.”
http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/aata-educational-programs.html

Psychology is also used in advertising, point of sale, marketing, package design-very complex. I was a graphic designer for awhile and there are natural instincts that help one fit in the field, and not as “helpful” regarding humanity..but could be used together. It sounds like you might be happy in a career of Art Therapy-You could even get good enough to have your own consultant business-or be your own boss. Go s high in the field as you’d like to go-and help a lot of people.

I’m sure there are others, but those are the ones I’m most familiar with and therefore easy to recommend Good Luck!

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