What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy, also called art psychotherapy combines visual art and psychotherapy in a creative and self-reflective way using the art in order to gain a deeper understanding of oneself and others. Many thoughts and feelings can be contained in a single image. Images can also hold multiple meanings.
By respectfully asking careful questions an Art Therapist is able to help the client to describe the image and express the feelings contained in it. Art helps to express these feelings that can often be difficult to share with words alone.
Art therapy can increase coping skills, enhance cognitive function, resolve inner conflicts, develop, and maintain a peaceful state of mind and integrate life experiences that have been previously cut off from awareness or personal acceptance.
What is an Art Therapist?
An Art Therapist is someone who, after completing an undergraduate university degree has gone on and graduated from a two-year accredited art therapy training school. An art therapist has specialized training in psychology, psychotherapy and art.
An Art Therapist is also required to be member, in good standing, of their provincial or national association and a member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.
How will Art Therapy benefit me?
Creating art has many intrinsic benefits. Many times we have feelings that can not be expressed adequately in words. Creative art and play can provide a means of expression for that which has no words, or is not yet understood. With the help of a sensitive and caring art therapist art can act as a bridge to beginning to understand and describe those feelings in words and to better integrate the meaning of those feelings in our lives.
Art can provide relaxation, a coping tool, a safe form to express undesirable or uncomfortable feelings.
Art therapy can:
· Increased verbal and nonverbal communication skills through art making.
· Extend emotional vocabulary through art making.
· Addresses the core issues that drive behaviour.
· Increase tolerance for frustration through creative problem solving.
· Enhance self-esteem and emotional self-awareness through developing self-mastery of emotion through the art making process.
· Support the ability to make choices.
· Decrease depression, anxiety, emotional and behavioural problems.
· Increase socially acceptable behaviour and ways of expressing emotions.
· Increase academic performance and investment in learning.
Do I need to be an artist or good at art?
For most people their drawing or technical ability will only be as good as the last time they drew and this could be when they were very young. Presenting your art to a therapist can result in a feeling of vulnerability and many clients feel as if “it’s not good enough”. You can trust that your creation will be honoured with respect.
Art therapy focuses on the process and the experience of creating. Art Therapy isn’t concerned with making pictures that are nice to look at or artistically “correct”. The purpose of creating art in session is for expression, sharing your unique story, or exploring a personally meaningful life experience, image, or symbol. Any form of artistic expression is considered meaningful and can be useful in therapy. No art experience is necessary.
What are the limitations?
Art therapy treatment has the advantage of including a non-verbal approach and many people feel it is a less threatening. Treatment plans are also highly individualized to meet the specific needs of the client.
Not every approach is right for every client. I will check in often with my clients, especially near the end of session to reflect on what has been useful. Be honest with yourself and your therapist about what is or isn’t working for you. This is the quickest way to find the best treatment option.
What’s so special about Art Therapists?
Can’t anyone do art activities to help others?
An Art Therapist is specially trained in both art and psychotherapy. In itself art-making can be experienced on a range of enjoyable to frustrating. An art therapist is trained to pair art directives with the individual needs of the client in order to draw out awareness and increase self esteem, coping skills, appropriate emotional expression or work towards whatever the goals of therapy may be.
The role of the art therapist is to facilitate an environment where the client can navigate their own course of self-motivated intrapersonal learning, thus strengthening their internal locus of control and motivation, in addition to addressing the needs presented by the client. The art therapist does not offer interpretation, per se, but guides the client through asking questions related to the art object or dialogue, that lead the client to realizing and integrating aspects of the self formerly unknown, unseen or forgotten. There are many different ways to facilitate this process based on what psycho-therapeutic orientation the therapist is trained in. Many therapist develop an integrated approach and are versed in many different ways to process the art and the client’s experience.
