What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy where art materials and a person’s unique ability to express himself or herself through creativity are the focus of treatment.

A combined approach of traditional “talk” therapy and art materials are used to aid in developing, exploring and expressing thoughts, feelings and experiences related to treatment issues.

Art therapy can be especially effective for children because they can create representations of how they feel when they may not be developmentally capable of formulating and verbalizing emotions about their stressors.

The art therapist often uses a variety of art materials -- like paper, canvas, paints, oil pastels, colored pencils, clay, beads, stones, feathers, wood, sticks and leather, plus more -- to facilitate experiences for the patient that work at the core of psychological issues.

Art therapy does not require any artistic skills. There is no right or wrong way to create art and the end result is not critiqued based on ability. When the art experience is complete, the patient and therapist share their insights and feelings about what was created and why.

Research shows that creating art that represents our thoughts and feelings and talking about the creative process is an effective method of healing. People of all ages experiencing behavioral, emotional and medical problems can benefit from art therapy by increasing self-awareness, decreasing stress, resolving life-changing events, improving coping skills and expressing difficult feelings.