A psychologist and a senior teacher of the Personality Psychology department – Olga Guryanova explained that career guidance is an essential practice to help teenagers with career choice. Furthermore, a high-demand job is not necessarily a profession that a child would enjoy. Therefore, an individual approach is required.
In her practice, Olga Guryanova uses art therapy training programmes, such as visual art therapy, drama therapy, bibliotherapy, and even therapeutic photography. For instance, visual art therapy includes making works of art (drawings, sculptures, collages) and bibliotherapy involves the process of reading and writing as therapy mechanisms.
Generally, art therapy training programmes allow expressing ideas and opinions when it is hard to put your feelings into words.
Art therapy training programmes are very diagnostic because they help to reveal your internal conflicts, psychological traumas, and subconscious emotions. (Olga Guryanova)
She has developed the art therapy training programme for teenagers of 14-18 years old who struggle with a career decision-making process. The psychologist organizes career guidance workshops where she practices the aforementioned training programmes with teenagers. Only 15 children can sign up for one workshop and the duration is usually 1.5-3 hours.
I create a highly comfortable atmosphere where everyone can express their feelings and ideas. As a result, teenagers can create art objects working alone, in pairs or in groups. Discussions between students are initiated by me at the beginning and at the end of each workshop. (Olga Guryanova)
Apart from these art therapy training programmes, Olga Guryanova uses some other psychological methods such as the method of drawing life journey (I.L. Solomina). Children draw their life journey and then reflect on it.
As a conclusion of the career guidance’s workshops teenagers design career plans with alternative career choices.
