What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses creativity and art materials to help people explore their thoughts, feelings and past experiences, as an alternative to, or in addition to, using words.
How can Art Therapy help?
Art Therapy can help people overcome a wide range of challenges such as anxiety, depression, OCD, panic attacks and stress. It can be helpful for people who have experienced trauma or are facing bereavement or loss, life transitions and relationship difficulties.
Sometimes expressing things through imagery is easier than using words. Symbolism and metaphor can be a bridge to communication. Art making and creating images can also help us to see things more clearly or allow our perspective to shift. It can help us process painful experiences in a way that feels safer than talking.
Through making art in a safe space alongside a trusted therapist, people often begin to explore themselves more deeply and gain greater self understanding. This in turn helps strengthen self esteem and confidence.
What happens in an Art Therapy session?
Art therapy sessions take place in a private space with you and the therapist present. There will be a range of art materials available such as paint, paper, pastels, pens, clay, collage, fabric, yarn etc. It is entirely up to you which of these you use and how. Sometimes you may want to make art straightaway, other times you may wish to just talk.
The therapist will support you to make art and may also make art alongside you, depending on what feels right for you. You may wish to talk while you’re making or you may prefer to make in silence, both are fine. There are no rules and no two sessions will be the same.
Usually sessions involve making art and talking and thinking together with your therapist. You may become aware of thoughts and feelings during the art making that you want to reflect on with your therapist. Looking at your art together can also bring to light sensations, feelings and thoughts which you were previously unaware of and which you may wish to share and discuss.
Who is Art Therapy for?
Art therapy is for anyone willing to use art making to explore things. You absolutely do not need to be ‘good’ at art, nor do you need to have any particular skill or ability. You don’t need to be an artist, artistic or creative to do art therapy.
In art therapy the focus is on the process of making and what comes about through using the materials, rather than the look of the finished product.
As art therapy involves using imagery to process and communicate it can be helpful for those who struggle to express themselves verbally or who have not got on well with forms of purely talking therapy. Art therapy also involves engaging the body and senses which can help people access deeply held psychological material beyond our cognitive awareness.
