What is Art Therapy?

Art Therapy can be healing and life-enhancing and uses the creative process you adopt in the making of art. Through creating art and talking about it throughout the process, you can increase self-awareness, cope with symptoms of stress, traumatic experiences and also enhance cognitive abilities to enjoy life-affirming pleasures of artistic creativity.

In this series of blog posts, we are going to be looking further into some of the more popular holistic therapies available.  We aim to get a better understanding of what each therapy is, what it involves and what it does. But what is Art Therapy?  Today we explore the treatment in more detail.

What is art therapy?

Art Therapy is a Holistic treatment but is also a form of psychotherapy that uses media art as its main focus for expression and communication.  We do not use the therapy as a diagnostic tool but instead it helps address emotional issues which can be confusing and distressing to a person.

The therapy can be used for children, young people, adults and the elderly whether they have a range of difficulties, disabilities or diagnoses. These can include emotional, behavioural or mental problems, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting conditions, neurological conditions and physical illnesses.

Art Therapy can be a process within groups or individually depending on the client’s needs. The therapy combines traditional psychotherapeutic theories and techniques with an understanding of the psychological aspects of the creative process. The therapy can use a mixture of materials.  Chalk, paint and markers are all idea o produce art.  Professionals will then work with you to dive into the underlying messages communicated through the art.

The therapy is generally used as a treatment whether it’s to improve one’s emotional state or mental well-being. You can also use Art Therapy to relieve stress or tension, or as a mode of self-discovery.

Disclaimer: It’s always advisable to contact a medical professional before undergoing any form of alternative medical treatment. Have you tried Art Therapy?  What did you think?  Join in the conversation on Facebook.

Holistic Gold provides insurance for holistic & complementary therapists. See more information on our art therapy insurance.