What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapists are trained artists and psychotherapists and are required to be state registered to practice. Art Therapy and Art Psychotherapy are interchangeable terms and involve the same extensive training to Masters level.
Art Therapy can help to increase self-awareness and understanding of our difficulties, not only through talking and reflecting with the therapist, but through paying attention to non-verbal expression, i.e. the visual image/object and use of tactile and visual materials.
An image can hold many layers of non-verbal meaning and communication, which can at times offer a more meaningful description of our feelings than words do.
The process of making art in art therapy can help to increase awareness of deeper feelings that may be harder to understand and access in everyday life. For the purpose of integrating, letting go and moving forward, making a visual image or object to refer to and look at together, offers a different way of exploring our inner life. Alongside working with the therapist there is a visual ‘cushion’ from which we can explore ambiguity or intensity ,to support the unification of what might feel difficult to think about.
You do not have to be good at art to benefit from art therapy. Everyone has used art materials as a child and we can all still tap into this playful mode of expression if encouraged not to think too much about being ‘artistically accurate’. It can be relaxing, playful and enjoyable. Art therapy can be useful if verbal communication is difficult, or indeed if there is an overuse or reliance on words. Just talking about images or metaphors we might imagine when describing whats going on or how we feel, is a way to use our innate creativity to support our thinking and inner process.
Art Therapists work alongside you to support and encourage you to be curious about the meaning in your artwork. and process of making it. They do not judge or analyse your art work . As Art therapists are artists themselves, they guide you in the art making process, in a gentle and contained way.
