Maristela Ferreira
Art Therapy instructor for the postgraduate programs in Foundations of Integrative Health and Well-being and in Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care at the Albert Einstein Institute for Education and Research. Founder of Saúde Criativa, a therapeutic studio operating at the Gertel Clinic in São Paulo.
Art therapy in healthcare is a mind-body practice that utilizes the creative process—through the materiality of art—as a natural resource for emotional management.
About Maristela Ferreira
Art Therapy in Health is a Mind-Body practice that uses the Creative Process in the materiality of Art as a natural resource for benefits such as: emotional regulation during stages of development and suffering, relaxation, mindfulness, development of Creative Intelligence, and well-being – feeling good in your being as a form of Expression, Communication, Creativity, and Self-care.
The curiosity about why Art is beneficial has always guided the path of study. Graduated in Social Communication – Advertising and Propaganda from FAAP in 2003, where she felt the need to use Creativity therapeutically without realizing where this path would lead. She completed a Postgraduate degree in Art Therapy based on Jungian Psychotherapy at Famosp, where her work in art began, from managing artistic materials in the Atelier, to teaching, and eventually becoming a Therapist. It was in the Postgraduate program in Integrative Health and Well-being at the Albert Einstein Institute of Education and Research, where she also now integrates the teaching staff, that the union of Art and Health happened.
Training in the Neuropsychology of Art, Body-Oriented Therapy, Positive Psychology, and Narrative Medicine (Unifesp). Professional development: Foundations of Self-Care and Self-Compassion for Healthcare Professionals (Albert Einstein Institute for Education and Research) and The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind-Body Medicine (Harvard University).
Creator of *Saúde Criativa* (Creative Health), a therapeutic studio where she sees clients at the Gertel Clinic in São Paulo.
In the book "O Novo Ser Humano: Mais Saude Mental na Era Digital!", Maristela writes the chapter "Art Therapy and Artificial Intelligence: How to Deal with the Challenges of the New Digital World?". She proposes a reflection on the integration of art, health, and technology as ways to face the transformations of contemporary society. She also shares her personal and professional journey, from her childhood interest in art to her work in art therapy and integrative health, highlighting significant experiences that reinforced her belief in the therapeutic power of artistic expression for human and emotional development. In addressing the impacts of the pandemic and the changes brought about by the digital age, the text highlights creativity as an essential tool for emotional balance, resilience, and self-care.
Maristela emphasizes the importance of integrating mind, body, and creative intelligence to deal with the challenges of the modern world, showing how art can contribute to mental health and a more conscious and human relationship with artificial intelligence and new technologies.
Chapter Theme
EMOTIONAL DECOMPRESSION IN ART THERAPY: A POSSIBLE PATH TO HAPPINESS
In this chapter, the author invites us to reflect deeply: Is it possible to experience happiness even amidst life's uncertainties?
Maristela Ferreira invites the reader to consider this question through a real-life experience, drawing on evidence from Positive Psychology and Art Therapy. By presenting emotional decompression as a process of internal reorganization, the author demonstrates that creativity, imagination, presence, and artistic expression are resources capable of bolstering well-being, enhancing resilience, and restoring human vitality.
With a sensitive approach grounded in the work of renowned researchers, the text reveals that happiness lies not in the absence of suffering, but in the capacity to create meaning, cultivate connections, and develop emotional resources for living with greater balance and authenticity.
An inspiring invitation to breathe, create, and rediscover the transformative potential of art in building a more fulfilling and conscious life.