What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a mental health profession that combines talk therapy modalities with art making, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, collage etc… It is based on the research backed belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression can help people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behaviors, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insights. The effectiveness of art therapy in helping people process trauma and related symptoms is well supported by research.
Sometimes putting difficult emotions and traumatic experiences into words is not possible.
Art therapy can help access these and other parts of life for exploration, regulation and stability when working through trauma.
Who Should Participate in Art Therapy?
Almost any person (child, adolescent, or adult) who is seeking, or would benefit from therapeutic services could participate in art therapy. You don’t need to have any previous artistic experience to be successful in art therapy!
Art therapy can be especially helpful when talk therapy alone has not helped you meet all of your goals or is not something you want to try. Some people might find that their needs could equally be met by either talk therapy or art therapy but feel interested in working with creative expression. Bilingual individuals who feel that their English skills might limit them in talk therapy can benefit from art therapy when they are unable to or not wanting to work with a therapist who speaks their first language.
What is an Art Therapy Session Like?
A session can look a variety of ways depending on your needs, therapeutic goals, and experience with art making.
Some clients may prefer talking about what is coming up for them with the art therapist first, then using art with direction and guidance from the art therapist to expand on that experience. Other clients come in with their own ideas about what art they want to create and the art therapist supports their process and then collaboratively helps them to better understand their art in the context of their treatment. Often an art therapist may ask a client to use art materials to represent aspects of themselves or sensations present in their body as a place to start. These are overview examples but every session looks different and hundreds of ways of working in an art therapy framework exist. You may want to create art in every session, or only a few sessions.
What Art Materials Are Used in Art Therapy Sessions?
Art therapy can involve almost any type of art or construction material you can imagine depending on the setting!
In my office I provide clients with many basic art materials including: everything you need for painting, drawing and collage, beading and yarn arts, polymer clay. I also have boxes, jars and other containers, as well as found objects like metal and plastic shapes, small upcycled items, pieces of wood and a variety of other things. Some clients bring in special art materials from home like personal photos, sentimental items, things they find in nature, or art materials I don’t have. As long as what you bring is safe to use in the office I am always excited to follow your creative instincts!
What Else Is There to Know?
Art therapy can bring difficult things to the surface.
Just like with talk therapy and other therapy modalities, some art therapy clients feel that their symptoms get worse before they get better. Keeping open communication with the therapist about what is coming up is key.
Art therapy is not magic.
Creating art in session cannot allow an art therapist to read your mind, bring up content of “repressed memories,” or provide an instant cure to mental health symptoms and concerns. Instead it is a collaborative process that takes a willingness of a client to engage with the art and art therapist over time.
You may have judgments about your artistic skills and abilities.
Self-jugements around your ability to create a finished artwork can bring up discomfort. No matter a person’s exposure to art materials or practice making art, art therapy can be highly beneficial.
Some art materials can cause messes.
Some art materials have the potential to stain clothing. In very rare cases art materials can cause allergic reactions. It is necessary for you to communicate concerns about any of these topics.
People often, understandably miss-associate art therapy with other things.
Many other forms of art work and art activities have similar labels to art therapy. These can include: “art therapy coloring books,” artwork done for stress relief or mindfulness, and other forms of arts and crafts intended to be for self-care, done individually or with other mental health professionals. All of these are excellent things to engage with and can provide improvements in quality of life; however they are different than art therapy. Art therapy can only exist within a therapeutic relationship between a client and a Master’s level trained art therapist.