What is Art Therapy?
Therapy can be experienced in many different ways. Art therapy is a mode of expressive therapy that masterfully blends creative processes with psychological counseling techniques to promote healing, emotional well-being, and personal growth. Art therapy requires no artistic ability, just art-making, inducing a unique way to help individuals express emotions and thoughts that may have otherwise been difficult to verbalize.
Art therapy aims to use the creative process as a pathway to address emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior, and reduce stress. Through engagement in artistic expression, individuals can delve into their inner worlds, working through difficult emotions and encouraging better mental health and well-being.
How Does Art Therapy Work?
Art therapy involves delving into creative processes through various mediums and materials to encourage the expression of inner thoughts, feelings, and experiences. The key concepts behind this process include self-expression, non-verbal communication, and catharsis. There are many ways to engage in the act of creating – whether through collaging, painting, sculpting, drawing, building, or other forms. Creating via the lens of art therapy offers an opportunity to explore emotions and personal stories. For many, art therapy is about the process of creating and the meaning behind their creations, rather than the final product. It is a safe outlet that offers a fresh and unique perspective, where difficult emotions and experiences not easily vocalized are able to surface.
Within a session, the art therapist guides clients through the therapeutic process in an open, safe, and nonjudgemental manner. The art therapist's role is crucial, and it can look like the therapist directing clients to create art that focuses on the root of their issues or create representations of thoughts, feelings, experiences, and more. Art-making can be through structured projects or more open-ended, ranging from proven directives to writing poetry or scribble drawings. This offers space for clients to explore their emotions through art they like and tend to gravitate towards. The therapist does not interpret the artwork directly but encourages the client to reflect on their creations, helping them gain insights into their feelings, behaviors, and thinking patterns.
Most sessions are tailored to suit the client’s needs and comfort levels, offering more collaboration, personalization, and flexibility than some other traditional therapeutic practices.
Typical Art Therapy Session Structure
Typically, beginning an art therapy session will involve discussions between the therapist and client regarding areas of focus or concern. Once a focus is established, materials can be invited into the space, and the client is encouraged to engage actively in creative activities. As the client immerses themselves in the process, they may enter a state of flow where their thoughts and emotions naturally surface, allowing for deeper self-expression and insight to unfold organically. This flow facilitates a seamless connection between the inner world and the artwork, promoting emotional release and discovery. Once the art-making process is complete, the client and therapist discuss the artwork and its process and reflect on thoughts and emotions that arose during artmaking and when examining the art itself. However, art therapy looks different for everyone and is structured widely based on an individual’s goals.
Common Artistic Mediums
Truthfully, almost anything can be used in an art therapy space to serve a client in the creative process. Having accessibility to a range of mediums offers different ways to explore personal expression. Mediums used in the session can be found objects such as leaves and sticks or more common materials such as:
Paint: it encourages the use of colors and brush strokes to convey emotions
Drawing utensils: utilizing tools such as pencils, markers, or charcoal to create images or patterns
Sculpting materials: shaping materials like clay or plaster into forms that reflect inner thoughts or feelings
Though each medium alone can offer an individual a unique form of expression, mediums can also be used in tangent with one another, with some preferring one or some materials over the other depending on preference, comfort, emotional state, and more.
Other common art styles, mediums, and materials you can expect to see in art therapy are:
Art journaling
Collaging
Coloring
Crayons
Book making
Doodling
Fabrics, yarns, or threads
Finger painting
Free Drawing
Guided imagery
Graphic art
Ink pens
Mandalas
Mask making
Photography
Printing ink
Poetry writing
Sand trays
Sketching
Scissors and glue
Watercolor
Wire for sculpting
These materials and techniques are adaptable and can be used with clients of all ages, making art therapy accessible and flexible.
Benefits of Art Therapy
The use of art therapy has been shown to provide various mental health benefits. Art therapy can be used to address a wide range of mental health disorders and psychological distress, such as family or relationship problems. More often than that, art therapy is utilized alongside other therapeutic modalities and psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavior therapy, adlerian therapy, group therapy, and more.
Art therapy can also have physical health benefits. Engaging in creative processes not only helps individuals express challenging emotions but can also be helpful for fine motor skills development, coordination, and sensory awareness. For example, when combined with practices such as physical therapy, art therapy can enhance the healing process by encouraging movement, boosting motivation, and promoting relaxation.
Art therapy can help individuals enhance various essential skills, including improving their approach to conflict resolution and strengthening social skills. It also aids in managing stress and building the ability to self-regulate emotions more effectively. Additionally, art therapy fosters a deeper understanding of oneself, promoting personal growth and emotional awareness.
Emotional Expression and Coping Skills
Facilitation of emotional expression is one of art therapy's primary goals and benefits. Art therapy offers a non-verbal outlet while also helping to build coping skills, as creating can offer a sense of control and empowerment during distress.
Reducing Anxiety, Depression, and Stress
Studies have demonstrated that art therapy can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Creative activities can activate the brain's reward system, promoting relaxation and positive emotions.
Conditions Treated by Art Therapy
Anxiety, Depression, PTSD
Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and variations of these health conditions are commonly treated mental health disorders for art therapists. Art therapy can help to alleviate stress and anxiety, as well as aid with other conditions such as neurodivergence, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.
The relationship between trauma and creativity can become a powerful tool for processing intense thoughts and feelings in a safe, controlled, and contained environment. The process of art-making helps to reduce things such as flashbacks, nightmares, and other trauma-related symptoms.
Other Health Conditions
Art therapy can also address the needs of individuals battling cancer, dementia, brain injuries, and more. It provides a way for patients to process their emotions, communicate with caregivers, and improve their quality of life.
Who Can Benefit from Art Therapy?
Children
Adults and emerging adults
Elderly
Individuals facing trauma
People with chronic illness
People with hidden disabilities
Individuals with mental health disorders
People recovering from physical injuries
Individuals battling grief, loss, and bereavement
Individuals experiencing stress
People with developmental or learning disabilities
Caregivers and healthcare workers
How to Get Started with Art Therapy
Getting started with art therapy involves a little research because it is crucial to find a certified art therapist who has been trained professionally within the field, holds a master's degree, and has completed supervised clinical work for art therapy or similar modalities. When searching, you'll want to look for titles such as ATR-P, ATR, and ATR-BC, following their name or alongside other licensing credentials. However, it is okay to work with a professional who is still under supervision. Ask your potential art therapist about their current supervisor, as this can provide additional insight into their training and background.
Though art therapy is still growing, art therapists are available in many states and cities. Check your local therapy listings and popular therapist listing sites. Check with credentialing agencies like the Art Therapy Credentialing Board (ATCB) to find a local art therapist near you.
Is Art Therapy Evidence-Based?
Research supports the use of art therapy for common mental health conditions. Art therapy is still new, so the findings are mixed for some of the more distressing things individuals encounter. What studies do show is that art therapy has effectiveness in reducing trauma symptoms, improving overall quality of life, and alleviating psychological symptoms like stress, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, art therapy has been found to enhance self-esteem, particularly among older adults and cancer patients.
Is Art Therapy Suitable for Everyone?
Art therapy can serve individuals in many ways. However, sometimes it may not be the best fit, and that's okay. Those uncomfortable with creative expression or certain materials may find traditional talk therapies more effective. Additional expressive therapies – music therapy, dance therapy, drama therapy – can offer similar benefits for people seeking creative outlets for addressing mental health and improving well-being.
Art therapy offers a unique and transformative approach to an individual's healing journal. Someone who is trained and holds credentials as an art therapist, is likely still familiar with more traditional talk therapies. Take the time to consider the entire background of a potential therapist match for you when considering whether or not to engage in art therapy. Whether your goal is to improve your mental health, cope with illness or stress, or explore self-expression, art therapy provides a safe and creative pathway for growth.