What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy, or Art Psychotherapy, is a form of psychotherapy in which the client is invited to use art materials as a means of expression and communication.
Engaging with creative materials in art therapy can help you safely explore your experiences, emotions and thoughts. With the help of the art therapist, it offers a way of finding meaning and words to make sense of experiences which may be distressing, confusing, problematic, or just difficult to talk about.
You do not need to be an artist, or even creative, to benefit from art therapy. What is needed, is a willingness to engage with art materials in the therapy session.
Art therapy is not an art lesson or a recreational activity. It can be enjoyable, but the focus is on the client’s therapeutic journey.
Some sessions, a client may choose to use only materials to express themselves, in others, they may prefer just to talk.
The use of art materials is flexible, and every client uses them differently.
Art therapists work with children, young people, adults and the elderly. They work with individuals, groups, couples or other relationship configurations, such as parent-child or families.
Clients may have a wide range of difficulties, disabilities or diagnoses.
These include emotional, behavioural or mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities, issues concerning identity, life-limiting conditions, neurological conditions and physical illnesses.
Art therapy has its roots in psychoanalytical and attachment theory. But art therapists have developed a broad range of client-centred and integrative approaches spanning counselling, therapy and psychology techniques, such as mindfulness, psycho-education, EMDR and research around neuro-science.
Importantly, art therapy practice has evolved to reflect the cultural and social diversity of the people who engage in it.
To find out more about art therapy, visit the British Association of Art Therapists website: