Creative Arts Therapy

In the simplest terms, art therapy is akin to verbal psychotherapy but it offers more creative options for expression. In all therapy, the needs of the patient should be the driving factor of what happens in treatment and what the therapist offers. An art therapist has the opportunity for art making in their back pocket along with other guiding principles and tools to offer up as needed.

The use of art in therapy is truly limitless but there are two ways that are illustrative of how art in therapy may look. The first is more process oriented where the patient will play or doodle with an art medium while talking in therapy. This can help the patient feel more at ease and less focused on what they are saying in order to feel freed up and less self-conscious. This can be particularly helpful to people that feel socially anxious or have a strong fear of judgment.

The second is when a therapist and a patient have discovered a meaningful theme that they want to go deeper within. The patient will use art materials to explore that theme and make images and symbols related to that theme in an attempt to understand it better. With a theme that is particularly painful or related to traumatic materials, using art materials in their exploration can help them touch things that otherwise might feel too radioactive or uncontained. There’s also something healing in itself about externalizing something internal and getting it out into the world, able to be seen and witnessed by others. 

One common misconception is that art therapy is primarily for children or adolescents. Art making absolutely lends itself so well in work with younger patients, who may find playful and non-verbal mediums natural in how they express themselves. However, adults, even those without art making experience, can deepen their self understanding and catharsis through art in therapy.