Art therapy today is considered one of the softest but most effective methods used in the work of psychologists and teachers. Art therapy methods are universal and can be adapted to various tasks: from solving problems of social and psychological maladjustment of persons with special health conditions (HHI) to the development of human potential, the use by an adult or child of various forms of creative activity in order to express their mental state. Concept art therapy was introduced by the artist A. Hill in 1938 when describing his work with tuberculosis patients in sanatoriums. At the beginning of its development, art therapy reflected the psychoanalytic views of S. Freud and C. Jung, according to which the final product of the client’s artistic activity (drawing, sculpture) expresses his unconscious mental processes. Turning to psychoanalytic theory allowed foreign art therapists to substantiate the mechanisms of therapeutic expression, as well as the role of the client’s relationship with a specialist. M. Essex, K. Frostig and D. Hertz note that art therapy is the most suitable correction method for working with minors. The foundations for the creation of the first techniques of art therapeutic work with children in the West were laid by such authors as V. Lowenfeld and E. Kane. These authors consider the creative activity of a child in inextricable connection with the development of his cognitive and emotional spheres and see in it a rich potential for harmonizing his psyche. Domestic experience in the use of art therapy is reflected in the works of M.Yu. Alekseeva, L.D. Lebedeva, A.V. Grishina. M.Yu. Alekseeva considers various options for using art therapy by teachers. She cites the inclusion of elements of art therapy in a specific lesson as a developmental teaching tool. Works by L.D. Lebedeva are devoted to some issues of the use of art therapy in education. She provides a wide range of indications for art therapeutic work in the education system. A.V. Grishina proposed a program for developing the creative individuality of adolescents through art therapy in additional education institutions. The use of art therapy and art pedagogy methods in special education is considered in the works of E. A. Medvedeva, I. Yu. Levchenko, L.N. Komissarova and T.A. Dobrovolskaya. They tried to generalize the experience of using art as a means of comprehensive educational, developmental and correctional influence on children with developmental disorders. Art therapy - (Latin ars - art, Greek therapeia - treatment) is a method of psychological correction using artistic creativity. Main goals art therapy: expression of emotions and feelings associated with experiencing one’s problems; active search for new forms of interaction with the world; confirmation of one’s individuality, uniqueness and significance; increasing adaptability and flexibility in an ever-changing world. Let’s consider the existing forms of art therapy: - active – the client himself creates a creative product: drawings, sculptures, fairy tales, etc.; - passive - the client uses works of art created by other people: looks at paintings, reads books, listens to music; - mixed - the client uses existing works of art to create his own creative products. Art therapy is used: for psychological trauma, loss, post-traumatic stress disorder, which is relevant in the post-war period; crisis situations; internal and interpersonal conflicts; in the development of personal integrity; in working with children and adults with disabilities. Range of possibilities art therapy is very broad: - aimed at solving psychological problems; - almost every person can take part, regardless of their gender, age, social status; - helps to establish relationships between people, because with the help of art a person does notonly expresses himself, but also learns more about others; - allows you to get to know yourself and the world around you - in creativity a person embodies his emotions, feelings, hopes, fears, doubts and conflicts; all this happens on an unconscious level, and a person learns a lot of new things about himself; - develops creative abilities: during art therapy, a person can discover previously unknown talents in himself, realize his inner potential; - is a good way of social adaptation: this is of greatest importance has for persons with disabilities, because most often they are maladapted; - in art therapy, non-verbal communication is mainly used, this is very important for people who find it difficult to express their thoughts in words. There are two main approaches in art therapy: 1. Art has a healing effect in itself, artistic creativity makes it possible to express and re-experience internal conflicts, it is a means of enriching subjective experience, art therapy is considered as a means of developing the individual and his creative potential. The psychologist encourages clients to trust their own perceptions and explore their creations, both independently and with the help of others.2. Therapeutic goals come first, creative goals are secondary. Art therapy serves as a complement to other therapeutic methods. By expressing the content of his own inner world in visual form, a person gradually moves towards their awareness. The psychologist encourages free associations of clients and their attempts to independently discover the meaning of their own works. Let's consider the most common types of art therapy: Music therapy Bibliotherapy Drama therapy Game therapy Isotherapy Mascotherapy Collage Sand therapy Color therapy Fairytale therapy Photo therapy Clay therapy Let's look at each type in more detail. Music therapy is a system of psychological correction of a person's physical and mental health using musical and acoustic influences. Music produces various therapeutic effects. It can be used to influence a person's well-being. There are group and individual music therapy. The session is carried out both in a sitting and lying position. Psychological contact before the session is important. The goals, objectives, and possibilities of the activity are explained to the person. Sometimes live music performance is used. Bibliotherapy is a special corrective effect on the client by reading selected literature in order to normalize or optimize his mental state. It is aimed at shaping the reader's personality. Books are powerful tools that can influence people’s thinking, their character, shape their behavior, and help in solving problems. Drama therapy – theatrical performances on various topics have a beneficial effect on all cognitive mental processes: memory, will, imagination, feelings, attention, thinking . Drama classes help develop logic, control your body and not be ashamed of it, free yourself from internal pressures, and realize unfulfilled dreams through play. Most often used in the correction of interpersonal interactions: me and friends, me and parents, strong and weak, enemy and friend. Game therapy is a method of psychotherapeutic influence on children and adults using games. The use of games and toys allows a person to examine, touch, listen, feel and remember what has bothered them for many years and caused problems. The play therapy method can be used both in group and individual work. It provides the opportunity to work with: post-traumatic stress syndrome, early childhood trauma. Play therapy helps solve not only personal, but also, as a consequence, professional difficulties. Isotherapy is a therapy with visual creativity, primarily drawing. It allows internal conflicts to come out; helps to understand one’s own feelings and experiences; helps to increase self-esteem; helps in the development of creativeabilities. Most often, isotherapy is used: for psychological correction of clients with neurotic, psychosomatic disorders; with difficulties in communication and social adaptation; in case of intra-family conflicts. The use of isotherapy in correctional work with children allows us to obtain positive results: favorable conditions are created for the development of communication in withdrawn children; effective emotional response is ensured in socially acceptable forms - in children with aggressive manifestations; it influences the child’s awareness of his experiences; the development of voluntariness and the ability to self-regulation; self-confidence due to social recognition of the value of the product created by the child. In isotherapy, the following techniques can be used when working with children: Drawing on wet paper. A drawing is applied on a pre-moistened piece of paper using watercolors. It is advisable to use the maximum possible color palette. You need to observe how the colors mix with each other, feel your feelings that arise in the process of observation. Next, the patterns formed on a sheet of paper are given the name Monotype. An image is created on glass using thick paints and then printed onto a sheet of paper. At the end there is a discussion of the results obtained. Paint blowing technique. Water-soluble paint with a high percentage of water content is applied to a sheet of paper using a tube and the resulting design is inflated. It is important to use the maximum possible color palette when performing the exercise. At the end of the task, the client makes an attempt to recognize the resulting image, to fantasize. Mascotherapy is a well-known method of psychological work based on the translation of a person’s deep complexes and problems into the inanimate matter of a mask. The face is a projection of our psychological state and mood, our body, as well as our past and present. Getting rid of habitual, stereotypical roles with the help of mask therapy creates the opportunity to free yourself from unnecessary things and change your life. Collage is a technical technique in the fine arts that consists of gluing onto whatman paper objects and materials that differ from the base in color and texture. The materials used are newspapers, glossy magazines, natural materials, and various objects. Using tape, glue, scissors and paper, a three-dimensional composition is created. You can cut out figures from newspapers and magazines and make a story out of them. It is also possible to use candy wrappers, wrapping and toilet paper, cardboard boxes, etc. to create a composition. Collaging makes it possible to reveal the potential capabilities of a person, assumes a greater degree of freedom, is a painless method of working with an individual, relies on positive emotional experiences associated with the creative process, allows you to determine the current psychological state of a person, identify the current content of his self-awareness, his personal experiences . This method is effective in working with students in practical classes on special psychocorrection and promotes group unity, development of creative abilities, and relieving emotional stress. Sand therapy is an opportunity to communicate with the world and oneself through sand; a way to relieve internal tension, embody it on an unconscious-symbolic level, which increases self-confidence and opens up new paths of development. The basis of sand therapy is the creation of a free and protected space in which the client - a child or an adult - can express and explore his world, turning his experiences and experiences, often incomprehensible or disturbing, into visible and tangible images. A sand painting can be understood as a three-dimensional representation of some aspect of a mental state; an unconscious problem plays out in a sandbox, like a drama, the conflict is transferred from the inner world to the outer world and becomes visible. Color therapy is a treatment with color. Even in ancient times, people noticed that color has a powerful effectper person. The special coloring applied to the warrior’s body and his armor instilled fear in the enemy; the colors chosen for the clothes of kings and priests spoke of their power and evoked delight, worship or sacred awe. In ancient Egypt they knew about the power and influence of color and even built colored halls in some temples. They studied the use of color and taught healing. It has been proven that the organs and systems of the body are sensitive to certain colors, which stimulate or inhibit their action. Knowing this, you can use different colors for medicinal purposes. Color can change the functions of some systems in the human body. For example: orange-red changes the heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and generally has a stimulating effect; dark blue color, on the contrary, brings calmness. According to psychologists, the language of flowers is universal, it operates regardless of religion and nationality. Fairytale therapy is a way of transmitting to an individual (usually a child) the necessary moral norms and rules, the oldest way of socialization and transfer of experience. This information is contained in folk tales and legends, epics, and parables. In the process of listening, inventing and discussing fairy tales, the child develops the imagination and creativity necessary for effective existence. He learns the basic mechanisms of search and decision-making. By listening and perceiving fairy tales, a person integrates them into his life scenario and shapes it. This process is especially vivid in children; many children ask to read the same fairy tale to them many times. Working with a fairy tale is aimed directly at helping the client. The psychotherapist creates conditions in which the client, working with a fairy tale (reading, inventing, acting out, continuing), finds solutions to his life difficulties and problems. Phototherapy is a set of psychotechniques associated with the therapeutic and corrective use of photography, its use to solve psychological problems, and also development and harmonization of personality. Phototherapy techniques: photographs created by the person himself; photographs of the client taken by other people, where the client deliberately poses, or photographs taken spontaneously; self-portraits - any photographs of oneself; family albums. Phototherapy can involve both working with ready-made photographs and creating original author’s photographs. The main content of phototherapy is the creation and/or perception of photographic images by the client, supplemented by their discussion and various types of creative activities (drawing, collaging, installing finished photographs in space, making figures from photographs and then playing with them, etc.) Clay therapy. Working with clay allows you to gently respond, process and understand traumatic experiences. It is especially important for those people who find it difficult to “speak out”, who find it difficult to talk about their feelings and experiences, in situations of uncertainty - after all, “fashioning” reduces or removes resistance and makes it possible to “see” a solution. Thanks to modeling, a person can learn to control himself; has no contraindications and age restrictions; gives a person the opportunity to feel like a creator, this is one of the best means when working with emotions (fear, aggression, resentment). To summarize, we note that art therapy involves visual, auditory, tactile analyzers, which in turn has a beneficial effect on the physical and mental well-being of a person. Art therapy has a tonic, strengthening, calming, stimulating, relaxing effect on a person’s mental and emotional state. Art therapy uses a set of corrective exercises that affect general physical development, emotional development, speech (verbal) development, which generally has a positive effect on social development. Art therapy develops fine motor skills, creativity and imagination, and creates an emotionally positive mood in children and adults. Non-traditional forms of work give children a lot of positive emotions, which helps them overcome timidity and fear..