In a nutshell, art therapy uses the creative process to help improve and enhance a person's mental and emotional well-being. It isn’t always easy to verbalize and communicate what’s going on inside, and the use of art therapy is a powerful way to encourage self-expression by focusing on those thoughts and feelings that are sometimes hard to express.
It’s not just for kids
A misconception about art therapy is that it’s used primarily to help children cope with traumatic events or painful memories, which is true, but art therapy is often used to help reduce stress, increase self-esteem, manage depression and anxiety, help with addiction recovery, and treat relationship and family issues in both adolescents and adults. It can be used to treat a wide range of mental health disorders and can really benefit anyone.
Art therapy uses a variety of techniques
The great thing about art therapy is that there are many different creative outlets that therapists can explore with you, to help encourage self-expression. Common outlets include drawing, painting, sculpting and photography, all which can be used to help individuals communicate emotions and memories that may be difficult to express otherwise. Using any of these creative outlets can also provide you with a sense of freedom and comfort that is sometimes difficult to achieve through conventional therapy.
You don’t have to be Picasso for art therapy to work
While art therapy may involve creativity and artistic techniques, the main objective is to sort through and express your feelings. Your collage, sculpture, painting, drawing or photograph may not end up looking like a masterpiece (you need not be an artist!) - it's really about the act of creativity and the process of reflection that makes art therapy a powerful therapeutic tool.
It’s not just for kids
A misconception about art therapy is that it’s used primarily to help children cope with traumatic events or painful memories, which is true, but art therapy is often used to help reduce stress, increase self-esteem, manage depression and anxiety, help with addiction recovery, and treat relationship and family issues in both adolescents and adults. It can be used to treat a wide range of mental health disorders and can really benefit anyone.
Art therapy uses a variety of techniques
The great thing about art therapy is that there are many different creative outlets that therapists can explore with you, to help encourage self-expression. Common outlets include drawing, painting, sculpting and photography, all which can be used to help individuals communicate emotions and memories that may be difficult to express otherwise. Using any of these creative outlets can also provide you with a sense of freedom and comfort that is sometimes difficult to achieve through conventional therapy.
You don’t have to be Picasso for art therapy to work
While art therapy may involve creativity and artistic techniques, the main objective is to sort through and express your feelings. Your collage, sculpture, painting, drawing or photograph may not end up looking like a masterpiece (you need not be an artist!) - it's really about the act of creativity and the process of reflection that makes art therapy a powerful therapeutic tool.