How Art Therapy Works

An art therapist’s goal is to engage a person’s mind and body beyond verbal articulation alone. Through the act of creation, a person can explore kinesthetic, sensory, perceptual, and symbolic opportunities to express themselves, helping give voice to an experience — empowering an individual to transform their perception of whatever challenges they’re struggling with. In practice, art therapy can be administered in combination with talk therapy or as a stand-alone form of therapy.

Who Benefits From Art Therapy?

A person does not need artistic ability or a special creative talent to engage in, and benefit from, art therapy. In fact, people of all ages — children, teenagers, and adults — can take advantage of this treatment method. Researchfindsthat both the presence of art, and art therapy, can have a positive impact on improving a person’s mental health. In fact, onestudyexamined 27 reports on this subject to determine the effectiveness of art therapy, finding that the following clinical populations experience significant positive impact:

Overall, clients who have experienced emotional trauma, physical violence,domestic abuse,anxiety,depression, and other psychological challenges find positive psychological benefits in expressing themselves through art therapy.

Common Misconceptions About Art Therapy

“Art therapy” is sometimes misunderstood simply due to a lack of understanding about the profession. You can see this anywhere — from advertisements for art for therapeutic purposes to professional art therapy training that provides participants with a certificate upon completion. In these instances, and in plenty of others, the use of the term “art therapy” is applied incorrectly, as it suggests that art therapy is not a profession that requires proper credentials.

What to Look for When Seeking an Art Therapist

You can expect weekly art therapy sessions to last between 30 to 60 minutes. And while the length and number of sessions can vary, one constant is that you do not need to be an artist to benefit from art therapy, and the type of art you create doesn’t matter all that much either. Trying out many different types of artistic expression is encouraged throughout your art therapy journey. The key is to find a reputable art therapist who can help you leverage various creative techniques to help express, examine, and better understand yourself through non-verbal action.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

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