About Art Therapy
Art Therapy is a type of psychotherapy where the therapist partners with the client and together they use art and creative modalities to support client goals. The therapist provides a safe place and guidance for the exploration of disordered emotions.
With the art therapist’s guidance, the client organizes art materials into images to bring order to disordered emotions. When the client works with these images, the whole body, mind, and spirit may be involved. The artwork acts as a conduit from the internal world to the world outside, and the way the client creates the art work is reflected in his/her actions in the outside world. Changes in how the client makes the art can show up as changes in how the client lives in the world. Bold art can mean bold action. The art object can also act as a container or frame for overwhelming emotions so that disturbing memories can be left in the safekeeping of the therapist, in the containing frame of the artwork. Painful emotions are safely viewed from a distance in the art, gradually integrated and processed. Experiences can be accessed in a controlled way. The client practices risk taking and creative problem solving in a safe environment.
Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses art materials, such as paints, chalk and markers. Art therapy combines traditional psychotherapeutic theories and techniques with an understanding of the psychological aspects of the creative process, especially the affective properties of the different art materials.
As a mental health profession, art therapy is employed in many clinical settings with diverse populations. Art therapy can be found in non-clinical settings as well, such as in art studios and in workshops that focus on creativity development. Art therapists work with children, adolescents, and adults and provide services to individuals, couples, families, groups, and communities.
According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapy is based on the belief that the creative process of art is both healing and life-enhancing. Art therapists use the creative process and the issues that come up during art therapy to help their clients increase insight and judgment, cope better with stress, work through traumatic experiences, increase cognitive abilities, have better relationships with family and friends, and to just be able to enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of the creative experience.
The term art therapist is reserved for those who are professionals trained in both art and therapy and hold a master’s degree in art therapy or a related field. offered in BS and BA degrees.