ART THERAPY

You may be having a serious case of the feels these days—from sadness and anxiety to feeling disconnected, lonely, and bored. And no wonder! While we are not certified art therapists, we are still able to guide you through a few art therapy activities to help identify and manage your emotions.

Art therapy uses art to heal people of all ages, and can improve the emotional, mental, and physical state of most people.

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Types of Art Therapy

Collage

Collage is a great option for clients who might be more self-conscious about their artistic abilities. Using scraps of paper and magazines takes off the pressure to draw something on their own, while still offering a creative outlet. You also might be able to gather some clinical information based on images they use.

Sculpting

Some guests might be more nonverbal or kinetic communicators. It might be difficult for them to sit still, make eye contact, and talk for a whole session. An effective way to encourage kinetic communicators to talk is by keeping their hands active—like making a sculpture together.

Mask-Making

Guests can’t see their own faces in a session with you, but creating a mask gives them a chance to look at their face head-on. Guests will make two masks. The first should show how they feel they present themselves to the world. The second should show how they actually feel inside. The remainder of the session is spent talking about the differences between the two, if any.

Doodling

Some people have a natural inclination towards doodling. You can embrace this instinct in therapy. In this class, guests are given your large photos of different faces, and markers to draw over those faces. Afterwards, guests describe the alterations they made, and why. Did they make a happy-looking person look angry? Why?

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The Benefits of Art Therapy

Art therapy activities tend to focus on visual arts—like drawing, painting, and sculpting. But creativity isn’t limited to just the visual arts. Some clients may be uncomfortable with drawing or painting if they don’t feel skilled in those areas. Expressive art therapy incorporates other forms of creativity—like poetry, music, dance, and even drama—into treatment as well.

Expressive arts therapy may incorporate writing, drama, dance, movement, painting, and/or music. People utilizing expressive arts therapy are encouraged by a qualified therapist to explore their responses, reactions, and insights through pictures, sounds, explorations, and encounters with art processes. A person is not required to have artistic ability to use or benefit from expressive arts therapy.