Promoting Well-Being and Gerotranscendence in an Art Therapy Program for Older Adults

This article describes a community art therapy program that was designed to promote health and well-being in old age. Observations of diverse participant interactions in the nondirective therapy studio over the course of 6 years revealed the benefits of art making and how it may influence well-being during the process of advancing age. Program goals that evolved over time were to (a) foster artistic identity, (b) activate a sense of purpose and motivation, (c) use art as a bridge to connect with others, and (d) support movement toward the attainment of gerotranscendence. The theory of gerotranscendence serves as a particularly appropriate theoretical framework to understand aging and art therapy with older adults.