Art therapy can be a helpful form of therapy for you to tap into your best creative self. Art therapy is often helpful for people needing an alternative form of communication to process through their thoughts and emotions to create effective change. You may have recently told yourself, "There is so much happening and a lot to get out, but I don't know how!?" The creative art processes in art therapy sessions encourages our brains to understand things differently while creating a tangible representation of what we are thinking and feeling.
What is Art Therapy?
The American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy as an integrative mental health and human service profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.
Art therapy is a form of mental health therapy that utilizes various creative art making techniques to help people process through challenges. Art therapy is facilitated by a professional art therapist to effectively achieve personal and relational treatment goals as well as address community concerns. Art therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.
Who are Art Therapists?
Art therapists are master-level clinicians who work with people of all ages from different walks of life across a broad spectrum of practice. Guided by ethical standards and scope of practice, their education and supervised training prepares them for culturally proficient work with diverse populations in a variety of settings. Honoring individuals’ values and beliefs, art therapists work with people who are challenged with medical and mental health problems, as well as individuals seeking emotional, creative, and spiritual growth.
How do I decide if Art Therapy is for me?
Art therapy can be helpful for you if you are needing an alternative form of communication to process through your challenges. Art therapy can help individuals process through anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and other mental health stressors. At Intersection Therapy, we have art therapists who are trained as traditional talk therapists as well and incorporate both. We do not push art therapy on individuals and rather, make a collaborative evaluation to determine what is best for you to achieve your goals!
Art therapy can be helpful for individuals of all ages and you do not need to be a professional artist. Many art therapists focus on the process of the art making as a way to notice more than just body language. Art can truly inform you and your art therapist about the subconscious experiences that you have been holding on to. Whether you have had some art therapy experience previously or this is your first time, we ask that you keep an open mind. Call us today to learn more and see if one of our art therapists could help you on your healing journey!
