What is Art Therapy

the American art therapy association defines art therapy as

“an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.

Art therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.”

who can practice art therapy:

Art therapists are master-level clinicians who work with people of all ages across a broad spectrum of practice. Guided by ethical standards and scope of practice, their education and supervised training prepares them for culturally proficient work with diverse populations in a variety of settings. Honoring individuals’ values and beliefs, art therapists work with people who are challenged with medical and mental health problems, as well as individuals seeking emotional, creative, and spiritual growth.

how art therapy works:

Through integrative methods, art therapy engages the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone. Kinesthetic, sensory, perceptual, and symbolic opportunities invite alternative modes of receptive and expressive communication, which can circumvent the limitations of language. Visual and symbolic expression gives voice to experience and empowers individual, communal, and societal transformation.

how art therapy differs from art class:

In art therapy, there is no wrong way to create. It’s not about making a ‘pretty picture,’ though sometimes the images are breath-taking. Conversely, images that are hard to look at are sometimes the most powerful and cathartic. The experience is about the healing nature of the creative process, and what the client takes away from it, not about the image itself. The art therapy experience, therefore, is not about art technique. One does not need to be a talented or trained artist to benefit from art therapy. The art therapy process accesses parts of the brain that our conscious-talk-therapy mind may miss, and the insight that emerges often transcends that which would come through spoken language.