CHILDREN AS A SUBJECT IN THE EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL DIALOG. THE ASPECT OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTURBANCE. CHILDREN THEATRE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WRITING FOR YOUTH

The main purpose of the art therapy is "designing of the path of self-development"[1]. The purpose is frequently called the emancipation's purpose, which relies on regaining self-identity. The artist-patient creates the possibility of self-directing in society and self-directing in his/her world of internal experiences and thoughts. The art therapy allows him/her to find expression and speak his/her mind. It allows to appear different aspects of "self", to make an internal dialog with him/herself and an external dialog with the audience. Thus the art therapy increases of artists-patient's conscious of him/herself and his/her conscious of the world. The internal and external dialog allows the artist to find a subjectivity way of verbal communication. He/she is able to explain his/her own world, to talk about him/herself as about a binary subject - an author and object of the story.
Which is way the art therapy leans on the dialog cures - first of all - a psychological disturbance - it is not a physical therapy but psychological therapy relying on rationalization or stimulation of the process of personality and identity's forming, on building of the subjectivity. So the main assumption of the art therapy is strengthening of self-acceptance and the integration "self" with surroundings. Treating the art therapy as a factor of personality and identity strengthen makes possible to use the art therapy in working not only with handicapped but also with individuals suffering from a psychological disturbance.
I am interested in using the art therapy in the work with children and youth in order to assist of the process of self-defining and explicating of the surroundings. I am especially interested in using therapy through theatre and literary to teach children the way of searching the definition of themselves and understanding the relation between them and the surroundings.
I would like to focus on a special form of therapy - through children theater for children and children writing for children (which one is unknown in Poland).

Barbara Broszkiewicz and Jerzy Jarek in their book titled Workshops of theatrical education - children theatre divide the children theatre into four categories: plays and funs based of actors' technique, preparing the spectacle, teaching of actors' technique and children theatre for children. The last one seems to be privileged by them because of its double subjectivity position of a child who is as actor as an audience. The position makes possible for children to identify with both sides of proscenium - with stage reality and protagonists and with audience and their own reality. The theatre inspires of imaginations of the young artists and the young audience. So the plots should be the part of children's life and it should offer the new way of resolving children's' problems to them. It seems the way of practicable of children theatre for children can be used in the children/youth writing for children/youth. In both forms of therapy children or youth take part the dialog as a subject who get a possibility to find an expression.
In order to tell a few words about the idea of children theater for children and children writing for children as a way of subjectiviting of children, I would like to present two kraków's examples of using children theater for children and Australian example of using children writing for children.