What Is Art Therapy, And How Can It Help?

Understanding art therapy and how it can help with mental health

Art therapy generally refers to a therapist guiding a client through various forms of art to help them improve their mental health. Sculpture, collage, mosaics, and photography may be a few examples of the types of creative processes that can be used in art therapy. While nearly anyone and everyone can benefit from art therapy, it can be particularly helpful for those living with depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder. Art therapy can also be integrated into couple’s therapy. If you’d like to try art therapy, you may be able to find a local art therapist or connect with one online.

What is art therapy?

Art therapy typically utilizes your creativity to bring about positive changes in your mental or emotional state. Art therapy often involves creating art with the goal of making the creator feel better or helping them through difficult times. Sometimes, art therapy is combined with traditional talk therapy.

A counselor may lead an individual or group through an art activity while also providing talk therapy. The visual art aspect can help bring up discussion points that may have remained concealed if only talking was involved.

Creative expression can be a useful tool for many people to help them resolve internal issues and improve their mental health. Many people find that immersing themselves in a painting on canvas (or engaging in other forms of art) can leave them feeling relaxed and clear-headed.

Art therapy as a coping method for mental health

Art therapy can also be a useful coping method. It can be a healthy way for people to release their feelings and occupy their time and minds, rather than turning to other unhealthy coping methods. It can also be a great tool for people living with depression or other conditions because creating art and having a physical product to show for your time often provides a sense of accomplishment.

Techniques used by art therapists

Art therapy can be as diverse as art itself. Art therapy can take many forms, including visual arts such as painting, drawing, or sculpting. However, it is not necessarily limited to visual art. Creative outlets like poetry, dancing, and music can also be used during expressive arts therapy. Art can mean different things to different people. When it comes to art therapy, any creative outlet that makes the person feel better can generally be considered a form of therapy.

Different types of art therapy may resonate with different people, and it often comes down to personal choice. There are a few mediums that tend to resonate with most people, such as the following:

Sculpture

Using clay to create a product with one's own hands can be a gratifying experience. When used for therapeutic purposes, the therapist may instruct a patient to create a sculpture of a specific person or thing. Many emotions can come out due to the sculpting, potentially showing how one views oneself or other people in their life. Sculpture can give people a chance to physically build and mold representations of people and things in their lives that evoke certain emotions, whether positive or negative.

Collage

Not everyone may have the natural ability to create drawings or paintings that make them feel good about the product, and that is okay. However, there may be one medium in which almost anyone can excel: collage. Collaging usually involves mixing multimedia materials, such as magazine and newspaper cutouts, textiles, and anything else someone may feel inspired to add to the mix.

A collage can be a personal piece of work that represents one's inner feelings and interests. It does not usually take much natural ability to cut things out and glue them together. Still, it can take time and may indicate one's inner feelings and thoughts that they may not feel comfortable vocalizing in talk therapy. 

Photography

Photos can be a great way to document one's life. They may provide a visual record of one's daily activities, and for the viewer, provide a glimpse into a person’s inner thoughts and emotions. Therapeutically, photography can be great because it may allow the patient to learn a new, useful skill while also participating in a creative activity that can create a physical product.

From a therapist’s perspective, seeing what someone chooses to photograph can be very telling. Plus, discussing the photos one chose to take can be a great way to start a dialogue about why one chose to photograph the specific thing and the thoughts and emotions behind that choice.

Mosaics

Mosaics are generally a design put together from broken pieces of material, usually tile. The process of this type of art-making can be extremely time-consuming and laborious. The focus required can be therapeutic for many people, as the artist must fully dive into their work. The final product of mosaics can be very symbolic, as it generally creates something beautiful from broken pieces. This can make mosaics especially fitting for art therapy.

Degree and Education: Who can become an art therapist?

While anyone can independently reap the mental benefits of artistry, not everyone may work as an art therapist. Oftentimes, art therapy positions require continuing education beyond an undergraduate degree. In many cases, this is done by obtaining a master's degree in art therapy. There may be over 30 art therapy degree programs in the United States alone, though the degree titles can vary.

Degree program and education requirements to be an art therapist

The degree program requirements generally include various fundamentals necessary for the field, potentially including psychology, psychodiagnostics, therapy, and studio arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.) training. Additionally, art therapy students will normally need to complete a practicum or fieldwork before receiving their degree.

Board certification for art therapists

In addition to a degree, some institutions require art therapists also to be board-certified. In the United States, this generally falls to the American Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB). The American Art Therapy Credentials Board usually administers examinations to art therapists who have already completed their advanced degrees to ensure they possess the skills necessary to be successful, helpful art therapists. As you can see, becoming an art therapist is not necessarily an easy road. Therapists working in these positions typically have years of training and experience.

Who can benefit from art therapy?

Depression

Talking about depression can be hard, partially because when you are depressed, you may not want to talk to anyone. Visual art can be a great emotional outlet for people going through depression who do not want to discuss their feelings in traditional talk therapy. Art therapy can help people put their feelings into a visual form and make emotional vulnerability less intimidating. Having a visual aid to base a conversation on can shift therapy's focus to the art rather than explicitly discussing feelings.

Anxiety

Anxiety can be an all-consuming condition. Creating art can be a wonderful opportunity to take the mind away from whatever is causing the anxiety and fully focus on the art. This can distract the mind enough to soothe feelings of anxiety, even if only temporarily. Plus, whatever is causing the anxiety is likely to influence the art, so the person may discuss their anxieties by showing the visualization.

Substance use disorder recovery

Many people recovering from substance use disorder tend to benefit from a hobby to occupy the time that may now be opened up in their schedule. Art therapy programs can be doubly useful for people with substance use disorder because they can occupy their time while also providing therapeutic benefits.

Couples counseling

Relationships generally take work. Sometimes, it can be hard to voice your feelings to your partner or communicate what you are trying to say. Attending art therapy as a couple can be extremely beneficial for helping partners better understand one another. It can also be a wonderful way to boost communication and spend time together in a productive manner. 

Trying art therapy with an art therapist near you

If you are interested in art therapy, feel free to check out this art therapist locator from the American Art Therapy Association. The American Art Therapy Association is a not-for-profit organization that aims to develop the profession of art therapy. Art therapy is practiced in a wide range of settings, from practice to hospitals. Art therapy is generally rising in popularity worldwide, but it may still be difficult to find a provider that fits your needs. If this is the case, you can try a solo exercise in art therapy. You might start by choosing your preferred medium and fully committing to the project for at least 30 minutes.

Afterward, you might write in a journal about how the exercise made you feel. Though this may not be the same as working with a certified art therapist, it can still positively change your mindset.

Another option is to find an art therapist through an online therapy platform. Additional benefits of online art therapy can include getting professional help from the comfort of home and having the ability to easily switch therapists if you don’t connect with the first professional you match with.

This study explains that art therapy can be effectively delivered online, so if you’re interested in art therapy but cannot find one to meet with in person, please know that you can experience the same benefits remotely.