About Art Therapy
Art therapy combines art making, creativity, and psychotherapy to support emotional well being, self expression, and personal growth.
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Simply put, it is therapy that gives you more ways to express and understand yourself than talking alone.
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The art becomes part of the therapeutic process and can help you explore feelings, practice coping skills, build confidence, regulate emotions, and work toward your individual goals.
Why Use Art in Therapy?
Sometimes it is hard to find the right words for what we are thinking or feeling. Art gives us another way to communicate, explore, and make sense of our experiences.
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Creating can also be therapeutic in itself. The process can help us slow down, focus, make choices, problem solve, release emotions, and become more aware of what is happening internally.
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Your artwork can also give us something to explore together. A color you chose, an image that keeps appearing, how you felt while creating, or even something you found frustrating can all become meaningful parts of the therapeutic process.
What Can Art Therapy Help With?
Art therapy can be adapted to different ages, needs, abilities, and goals.
May help support:
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Emotional expression and communication
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Emotional regulation
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Anxiety and stress
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Coping skills
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Confidence and self esteem
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Attention and executive functioning
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Social and interpersonal skills
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Identity and self exploration
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Processing difficult experiences
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Grief, loss, and life transitions
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Personal growth and self awareness
My approach is individualized, so two people coming to therapy for the same reason may have very different experiences.
What Does an Art Therapy Session Look Like?
There is no single formula for an art therapy session.
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We may start with a creative prompt, explore a particular material, work toward a therapeutic goal, or allow the art making to develop more naturally based on what is coming up for you that day.
Sessions can include drawing, painting, collage, clay, sculpture, mixed media, and other creative materials. We may talk while creating, reflect on the artwork afterward, or sometimes simply focus on the experience of making.
As the art therapist, my role is not to judge your artwork or tell you what it means. I am there to support the process, ask questions, introduce therapeutic and creative tools, and help you make your own connections between the art, your experiences, and your goals.
Individual + Group Art Therapy
Art therapy can happen individually or as part of a group.
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Individual art therapy allows the experience to be tailored specifically to your goals, interests, needs, and preferred ways of creating.
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Group art therapy combines the therapeutic benefits of creativity with opportunities for connection, shared experiences, communication, and support from others.
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More Than Making Art
Art therapy is not simply doing an art activity that feels relaxing. While creating can absolutely be calming and enjoyable, art therapy involves a trained art therapist, a therapeutic relationship, and intentional goals.
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The materials, creative process, conversations, and reflections can all become tools for understanding yourself, expressing what you are experiencing, developing new skills, and creating meaningful change.
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Curious About Art Therapy?
You do not need to know exactly what you want to work on or what you want to create before getting started.
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An introductory consultation gives us a chance to connect, talk about what you are looking for, answer any questions, and see whether art therapy may be a good fit. We may also try a brief creative activity so you can get a feel for what the process is actually like.