What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy involves making pictures, models, mosaics and other three dimensional work to express and explore inner conflicts, feelings and emotional difficulties. They are skilled in helping people to use art as a way to express themselves and to connect with who they are. Art therapy is very different to being taught art or using art as a hobby.
Producing artwork can be a valuable alternative to communicating verbally as images and models can represent experiences that are difficult to put into words. Art therapy allows you to express deep feelings.
How can working with an Art Therapist help?
Many people find that they can relate to the art therapist more easily through their artwork as it provides a focus for discussion, analysis and self-discovery. Art Therapists can work with people individually or in groups. They are skilled in helping you to manage the emotions and feelings that arise when producing and thinking about your artwork. This can help people to become more aware of their feelings and the reasons behind them.
Art Therapists can use a variety of different methods according to the person they are working with and where the therapy takes place. Art therapy is used to help with past or current experiences. The aim being to encourage insight and change, equipping people with skills to cope more successfully outside of therapy.
Will everything I share and discuss with an Art Therapist be confidential?
Everything you share is confidential. Information is shared further only if there is a risk to you or someone else.
Personal Experience
I have never been particularly artistic. I wasn’t sure what to expect when my care coordinator suggested I might find art therapy helpful. She said it could help me express things for which I had no words. The smell of paint and the art studio reminded me of school! The therapist had lots of different mediums I could use. Pencils, crayons, a variety of paints, magazines for making collages, and modelling clay.
When I had my first session I was very recently out of hospital after a stay of three months. I was still experiencing distressing voices and felt very low. The therapist gave me a huge piece of paper and suggested I should just go with how I felt. I chose the black acrylic paint, and swirled it all around the paper. The textures I was creating with the thick paint were very soothing. I created jagged edges and smooth mounds with the paint. I ended up with a completely black piece of paper. But it felt like a really meaningful expression of my feelings at that time.
Therapy continued weekly for several months and ended up with quite a big portfolio of art works. Looking back over those pieces I was able to see how I had moved on with my feelings over time. Even though I no longer have art therapy I still occasionally look at the pieces I made. I am remember the progress I have made in my life. I reflect on the meaning they have to me.
Last reviewed: February 2025