ART-THERAPEUTIC TECHNOLOGIES IN FOSTERING STUDENTS’ EMOTIONAL BALANCE

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical substantiation of the potential of art-therapeutic technologies for fostering students’ emotional balance and systematizes approaches to their use in the educational process in higher education institutions as part of the professional training of future specialists. The methodological framework is based on the system approach, the competence-based approach, the activity-based approach, and the resource-based approach. The study employs theoretical analysis and synthesis of scholarly sources, comparative-logical analysis of approaches, as well as generalization, systematization, and the development of a typology of art-therapeutic technologies for the higher education context. As a result, the author’s conceptualization of students’ emotional balance is substantiated. Approaches to fostering emotional balance in the higher education environment are systematized, including: (1) organizational and pedagogical foundations of digital learning and individualized support; (2) resource-oriented practices of self-regulation and work with coping strategies; and (3) psychologically oriented technologies, within which the role of art-therapeutic forms in distance and hybrid formats is outlined. In educational applications, art-therapeutic technologies are presented as pedagogically structured practices that integrate creative activity with support for self-regulation and personal resources, provided that a clear terminological and methodological framework is maintained, requirements of psychological safety and inclusivity are met, and educational art-based methods are clearly differentiated from clinical care. The practical component of the article is represented by the author’s exercises, which form a coherent trajectory of supporting emotional balance: from initial structuring of resources and tension, through symbolic processing of experience and the identification of supports and concrete steps for self-support, to reflective consolidation of changes through media creativity and supportive feedback. Prospects for further research include clarifying the role of the instructor and the level of readiness to implement psychologically oriented practices. In particular, further work may involve empirical testing of the association between instructors’ preparedness and student outcomes, as well as examining the quality of feedback organization and adherence to psychological safety requirements.