What is Art Therapy
Art therapy combines the creative process of art media with psychotherapy, to help participants explore and express their human experiences. Using colour, shape, line, and imagery art therapy helps folks engage with and express thoughts and feelings that may be difficult to articulate with words alone.
Art in Therapy vs. Art as Therapy
Art Making
Art making is a universal experience that people practice for reasons such as relaxation, expression, exploration, communication and more.
Art as Therapy
Art as Therapy acknowledges the positive impact that can arise simply from immersing ourselves in the creative process of art making.
Art in Therapy
While they share many of the same benefits, Art in Therapy (i.e. Art Therapy), is an evidence based therapeutic modality that involves the support and guidance of a professionally trained art and psychotherapist.
Art Therapists
Art therapists in helping you process emotions and insights that arise during the art making process. Additionally, art therapists will guide you to engage in art directives that help you explore and process the specific challenges you are facing in your life.
Goals of Art Therapy
The goal of art therapy is to enhance the therapeutic process by supporting folks to connect with their internal experiences (i.e. emotions, thoughts, sensations, memories etc.) in a non-verbal and creative way.
In essence, Art Therapy allows individuals to externalize and become a witness to their internal experiences. Through the combined process of art making, discussion and reflection, and relationship building, Art Therapy helps individuals with problem-solving, developing insights and self-awareness, improving self-esteem, moving through difficulties, coping with stress, and enhancing interpersonal skills.
Benefits of Art Therapy
There are many benefits to participating in counselling art therapy. Art therapy offers individuals a non-verbal way to engage with and express internal experiences (e.g. thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories etc.) that for various reasons (e.g. trauma, language, age, cognitive issues, physical health conditions etc.) my be difficult to communicate using words. There are significant benefits that can come through art-making, discussion, and reflection of artwork, including but not limited to: increased self-awareness and self-expression, connection to self and others, acceptance and agency; gaining personal insights, new ways to manage stress, discovering problem-solving skills, changing unwanted behaviours, enhancing interpersonal skills and more.
Who is Art Therapy For?
Art therapy benefits many people including individuals, couples, families and groups from diverse backgrounds and age groups, across many community and health care settings. Significant research exists demonstrating the efficacy of art therapy in the following areas:
Addictions or substance use
Neurodiversity (e.g. ADHD, ASD. etc.)
Coping with physical health conditions
Depression, anxiety and mental health
Grief and bereavement
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
Trauma or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
What Does An Art Therapy Session Look Like ?
At Nightingale, art therapy blends and integrates with “regular” talk therapy. For most clients, a relationship with an art therapist will begin like any other therapeutic relationship, focusing on getting to know you, building trust, respect and rapport between the counsellor and the client, and coming to an understanding about what your goals for coming to therapy are.
As your conversations evolve, art therapists have extra tools to help you along the way. For example, an art therapy session may start out like a typical talk therapy session, checking in and beginning to explore certain emotions or experiences that you are currently dealing with. At some point an art therapist may invite you to spend a few minutes using line, shape, colour or symbol to explore these words, ideas, thoughts or emotions through a new medium – art materials! This can look as simple as scribbling on a page with a marker, doodling with a pencil, playing around with splotches of colour, tearing images out of a magazine to create a collage and more.
As some clients deepen into art therapy with a professional counsellor and art therapist, there are more opportunities for evocative creative practices that arise. Like with any modality, when using art therapy, your therapist will offer choice, guidance and support, and they will work with you to discover a pace that feels good.
How does art therapy support trauma recovery?
Do I Need to Have Technical Abilities or Training?
Many people wonder if they need to have previous training, skill or experience in art in order to engage in art therapy, and the answer is no! The focus of art therapy is on the process of creating rather than the finished art product. No art experience is needed for you to engage in art therapy. It is perfectly normal to feel nervous about trying art therapy and your therapist will be there to offer support and guidance as you sit with and move through these feelings. All you need is a willingness to experiment and explore!
How Does Art Therapy Work?
Art making of any sort – from scribbling on up — is an invitation and an opportunity to go beyond language. But why does that matter? What we know from theory and practice is that the way we articulate thing — think them, say them, draw them, feel them — influences the thing itself! This is a complicated way of saying a simple thing, which is that if you change the way you deal with a problem, or any sticky thing, you have a better chance of changing the thing. So if thinking gets tricky, it helps to talk! And if talking gets tricky, it helps to have more tools. And art works so well as one of those tools that take us beyond language.