Confectionary art therapy: Exploring the therapeutic benefits of baking

Main Article Content

Vanessa Tsao https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0079-9997

Keywords

Baking, Self-care, Art Therapy, Confectionary art therapy, Students, Making special

Abstract

This article focuses on the use of baking as a therapeutic medium in art therapy, specifically investigating its potential benefits for self-care among art therapy trainees. This study acknowledges the importance of self-care in mental health professions and thus explores how baking can provide a comprehensive sensory experience that facilitates emotional regulation, mindfulness, and self-efficacy. Through a qualitative study involving four participants, the article examines the therapeutic process of baking, from preparation to decoration, and discusses its implications for art therapy practice. The findings suggest that baking can serve as a self-care method, promoting personal growth and well-being. Furthermore, the study highlights the need for further exploration and application of baking in therapeutic settings, emphasising the importance of an art therapist's presence to enhance the experience.

Abstract 377 | PDF Downloads 181

References

Adaskina, A. A. (2021). Digital art therapeutic possibilities. Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 10(4), 107–116. https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2021100410
Ang, C. (2022). Edible art: Baking as a modality in art therapy and its therapeutic benefits. Pratt Institute.
Bamonti, P. M., Keelan, C. M., Larson, N., Mentrikoski, J. M., Randall, C. L., Sly, S. K., Travers, R. M., & McNeil, D. W. (2014). Promoting ethical behavior by cultivating a culture of self-care during graduate training: A call to action. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 8(4), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000056
Bandura, A. (2012). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (2. ed). Academic Press.
Barnett, J. E., Baker, E. K., Elman, N. S., & Schoener, G. R. (2007). In pursuit of wellness: The self-care imperative. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(6), 603–612. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.38.6.603
Barnett, J. E., & Cooper, N. (2009). Creating a culture of self-care. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 16(1), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2009.01138.x
Barnett, J. E., & Homany, G. (2022). The new self-care: It’s not all about you. Practice Innovations, 7(4), 313–326. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000190
Borsato, M. (2023a). “Edible aesthetics”: Blurring boundaries between pastry and art. Humanities, 12(5), 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/h12050126
Borsato, M. (2023b). “Edible aesthetics”: Blurring boundaries between pastry and art. Humanities, 12(5), 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/h12050126
Cho, J. M. (2022). Cookie decorating as art therapy: A decolonizing tool. Pratt Institute.
Clarke, L. (2013). Culinary postcards: An arts-based heuristic inquiry on the therapeutic experience of cooking. Concordia University.
Coholic, D., Hardy, A., Patricia, G., & Stephanie, M. (2021). Exploring the benefits of an arts-based mindfulness group intervention for teachers, university students, and women survivors of intimate partner violence. Diversity of Research in Health Journal, 4(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.28984/drhj.v4i2.323
Dissanayake, E. (1992). Art for life’s sake. Art Therapy, 9(4), 169–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.1992.10758958
Dissanayake, E. (1995). What is art for? (3rd ed.). University of Washington Press.
Dissanayake, E. (2017). Ethology, interpersonal neurobiology, and play. American Journal of Play, 9(2), 143–168.
Farmer, N., Touchton-Leonard, K., & Ross, A. (2018). Psychosocial benefits of cooking interventions: A systematic review. Health Education & Behavior, 45(2), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198117736352
Fischler, C. (1988). Food, self and identity. Social Science Information, 27(2), 275–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901888027002005
Fish, B. J. (2012). Response art: The art of the art therapist. Art Therapy, 29(3), 138–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2012.701594
Godfrey, C., Harrison, M. B., Lysaght, R., Lamb, M., Graham, I. D., & Oakley, P. (2011). Care of self- care by other - care of other: The meaning of self-care from research, practice, policy and industry perspectives. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 9(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1609.2010.00196.x
Gowda, D., Dubroff, R., Willieme, A., Swan-Sein, A., & Capello, C. (2018). Art as sanctuary: A four-year mixed-methods evaluation of a visual art course addressing uncertainty through reflection. Academic Medicine, 93(11S), S8–S13. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002379
Groes, S. (Ed.). (2016). Memory in the twenty-first century. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137520586
Grzejszczak, J. (2023). Czy babeczka może uleczyć duszę? Arteterapia pieczeniem jako alternatywna forma oddziaływań terapeutycznych w populacji adolescentów – doświadczenia Kliniki Psychiatrii Dzieci i Młodzieży w Łodzi. 2. https://doi.org/10.5114/psychs.2023.128631
Harriet Wadeson. (2003). Making art for professional processing. Art Therapy, 20(4), 208–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2003.10129606
Harter, S. L. (2007). Visual art making for therapist growth and self-care. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 20(2), 167–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720530601074721
Hass-Cohen, N., & Clyde Findlay, J. (with Cozolino, L., & Kaplan, F.). (2015). Art therapy and the neuroscience of relationships, creativity, and resiliency. W. W. Norton & Company.
Hermann, C. (2021). Bonsai as a group art therapy intervention among traumatized youth in KwaZulu-Natal. PsyCh Journal, 10(2), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.1002/pchj.440
Herz, R. (2016). The role of odor-evoked memory in psychological and physiological health. Brain Sciences, 6(3), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci6030022
Herz, R. S., & Schooler, J. W. (2002). A naturalistic study of autobiographical memories evoked by olfactory and visual cues: Testing the Proustian hypothesis. The American Journal of Psychology, 115(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.2307/1423672
Ho, A. H. Y., Tan-Ho, G., Ngo, T. A., Ong, G., Chong, P. H., Dignadice, D., & Potash, J. (2021). A novel mindful-compassion art-based therapy for reducing burnout and promoting resilience among healthcare workers: Findings from a waitlist randomized control trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 744443. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.744443
Hogan, S. (2016). Art therapy theories. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315738055
Hogan, S., & Coulter, A. M. (2014). The introductory guide to art therapy. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315849188
Huss, E., Sarid, O., & Cwikel, J. (2010). Using art as a self-regulating tool in a war situation: A model for social workers. Health & Social Work, 35(3), 201–209. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/35.3.201
Kagin, S. L., & Lusebrink, V. B. (1978). The expressive therapies continuum. Art Psychotherapy, 5(4), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-9092(78)90031-5
Keng, S.-L., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6), 1041–1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006
Kim, J-H, Kwisoon, C., & Lee, K. (2020). Effects of food art therapy on the self-esteem, self-expression, and social skills of persons with mental illness in community rehabilitation facilities. Healthcare, 8(4), 428. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8040428
Klein, M., Regev, D., & Snir, S. (2020). Using the clay slip game in art therapy: A sensory intervention. International Journal of Art Therapy, 25(2), 64–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/17454832.2020.1713833
Kopytin, A. (2004). Photography and art therapy: An easy partnership. Inscape, 9(2), 49–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/02647140408405677
Learmonth, M. (2009). The evolution of theory, the theory of evolution: Towards new rationales for art therapy. International Journal of Art Therapy, 14(1), 2–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/17454830903006075
Lusebrink, V. B., Mārtinsone, K., & Dzilna-Šilova, I. (2013). The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC): Interdisciplinary bases of the ETC. International Journal of Art Therapy, 18(2), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/17454832.2012.713370
Miller, A. E. (2022). Self-care as a competency benchmark: Creating a culture of shared responsibility. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 16(4), 333–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000386
Milligan, K., Irwin, A., Wolfe-Miscio, M., Hamilton, L., Mintz, L., Cox, M., Gage, M., Woon, S., & Phillips, M. (2016). Mindfulness enhances use of secondary control strategies in high school students at risk for mental health challenges. Mindfulness, 7(1), 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0466-8
Monti, D. A. (2004). Mindfulness-based art therapy: Results from a two-year study. Psychiatric Times, 21(8).
Moon, C. H. (Ed.). (2010). Materials & media in art therapy: Critical understandings of diverse artistic vocabularies. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203858073
Moon, J. H. (2021). The material usage experience of art therapists in the United States and South Korea: Material and cultures. Notre Dame de Namur University (master’s thesis).
Newsome, S., Waldo, M., & Gruszka, C. (2012). Mindfulness group work: Preventing stress and increasing self-compassion among helping professionals in training. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 37(4), 297–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2012.690832
Pénzes, I., Van Hooren, S., Dokter, D., Smeijsters, H., & Hutschemaekers, G. (2014). Material interaction in art therapy assessment. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 41(5), 484–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2014.08.003
Poon, Y. Y. (2017). The art materials in the therapeutic relationship: An art-based heuristic inquiry. Concordia University (master’s thesis).
Posluns, K., & Gall, T. L. (2020). Dear mental health practitioners, take care of yourselves: A literature review on self-care. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 42(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-019-09382-w
Reid, C. A., Green, J. D., Buchmaier, S., McSween, D. K., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2023). Food-evoked nostalgia. Cognition and Emotion, 37(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2022.2142525
Rupert, P. A., & Dorociak, K. E. (2019). Self-care, stress, and well-being among practicing psychologists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 50(5), 343–350. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000251
SANATA. (2020). Art therapy. South African National Arts Therapies Association. Retrieved 19 March 2024, from https://sanata.org/art-therapy/
Schwan, K. J., Fallon, B., & Milne, B. (2018). “The one thing that actually helps”: Art creation as a self-care and health-promoting practice amongst youth experiencing homelessness. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 355–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.08.002
Shapiro, S. L., Carlson, L. E., Astin, J. A., & Freedman, B. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(3), 373–386. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20237
Thong, S. A. (2007). Redefining the tools of art therapy. Art Therapy, 24(2), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2007.10129583
Troisi, J. D., & Gabriel, S. (2011). Chicken soup really is good for the soul: “Comfort food” fulfills the need to belong. Psychological Science, 22(6), 747–753. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611407931
Troisi, J. D., & Wright, J. W. C. (2017). Comfort food: Nourishing our collective stomachs and our collective minds. Teaching of Psychology, 44(1), 78–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628316679972
Verbeek, C., & Van Campen, C. (2013). Inhaling memories: Smell and taste memories in art, science, and practice. The Senses and Society, 8(2), 133–148. https://doi.org/10.2752/174589313X13589681980696
Weiser, J. (2015). Establishing the framework for using photos in art therapy (and other therapies) practices. Arteterapia. Papeles de Arteterapia y Educación Artística Para La Inclusión Social, 9, 159–190. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_ARTE.2014.v9.47490

Similar Articles

1-10 of 31

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.