“Art is a tool that can variously help to inspire, console, redeem, guide, comfort, expand and reawaken us.”
- Alain de Botton
Often physical and emotional pain goes beyond words, and there is no way to adequately describe the difficult feelings we sometimes experience. The expression of art guided by an art therapist can give a voice to better understand challenging thoughts and emotions in therapy.
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a form of therapy that integrates psychotherapy and art making. It is considered a mental health profession where clients, facilitated by an art therapist, use art media and the creative process to explore and talk about feelings.
What are the benefits of Art Therapy?
Art therapy can be a non-confrontational way to discuss difficult feelings. It provides a creative avenue for new knowledge to emerge, and creates a therapeutic space where a person can externalize their inner feelings. Art therapy aids in the release of often unconscious, repressed emotions and conflicts. It aims to explore meaning that emerges through the metaphor, and opens up opportunity for insight and understanding to be discovered.
What if I don’t know how to draw very well?
Creativity exists within all of us in different ways. As your therapist, I will help guide you to use imagery as a language to better understand your feelings as a way to achieve your individual goals in treatment from a non-judgmental perspective. No previous experience with making art is necessary.