Art Psychotherapy
Art therapy is a tool therapists use to help people interpret, express, and resolve their emotions and thoughts. People work with an art therapist to explore their emotions, understand conflicts or feelings that are causing them distress, and use art to help them find resolutions to those issues.
The underlying concepts are that in expressive arts therapies, people can understand and respond to their emotions and thoughts with a valuable new perspective, and that artistic expression is good for mental health. In order to process complex experiences, emotions and thoughts, a more intuitive, symbolic and instinctive therapeutic language is available to us through art-making. The art work is not judged or analysed by the therapist. Together, the person and therapist utilise it as a means of expression and reflection so that the inherent wisdom within can be acknowledged and used to make positive changes.
During a session, an art therapist works with people to understand what is causing them distress. Then the therapist guides the person to create art that addresses the cause of their issue. During a session, art therapists:
Explain that people don’t have to think of themselves as creative or artistic to benefit
.
Help the person choose and use a medium, such as drawing, sculpture, collage or painting
.
Guide the person through expressing themselves through art, usually by asking questions
.
Discuss the results, both the work of art and what the person felt
.
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