Ep.4/ The Basics of Art Therapy
The Basics of Art Therapy
by: Jenni Ford LCPC, ATR-BC, LMHC
Has it every just been hard to get the right words out about how you are feeling? What if you had a whole different language to express that feeling? That’s where art therapy can really help and support folks looking for a different type of mental health service.
Using art to express our feelings has been around since the dawn of humans. We painted hunting trips, family, and changes in our lives on cave walls. Humans have been using art to communicate feelings forever but Art Therapy as a mental health practice has been in use since the 1940s.
Art Therapy is used to foster self-awareness, emotional resilience, gain insight, lower distress, and engage in change. It’s a different type of therapy than just verbal processing alone. Art therapist use movement (kinesthetic), visual (perceptual), sensory, and symbolism to give opportunities for insight and change.
In most states, and this is true for Illinois, art therapists are trained in studio art and mental health. Art Therapist are trained to be counselors/social workers in addition to being art therapists. So, if you see an art therapist you are most likely getting a trained counselor who is also trained in visual art. Art therapist still use the same frameworks that other therapists do, such as attachment and developmental theories we just combine them with an art process as well.
When I share that I am an art therapist folks often say “Oh I can’t draw a straight line so I can’t do that”. Art therapy is not about the creating of a perfect product. Its often much more about the process and the insight you gain from your art. No straight lines required. I end up doing a lot of reparative work for folks who had an art teacher who was critical of them. Art therapy is about non judgment and improvement of self-esteem. I love stick figures, collage of ripped up magazines, and art with found objects like recycled milk jugs.
If you are looking to find an art therapist in your area you can search on Art Therapy Credentials Board
(ATCB https://www.atcb.org/find-a-credentialed-art-therapist/) or American Art Therapy Association (AATA https://arttherapy.org/art-therapist-locator/). If you are looking for a credentialed art therapist you want to look for the credential ATR (Art Therapist Registered). If they are an ATR-BC they have sat for the board certification test and have a deeper knowledge base.
If you want to try out adding art into your practice of reflection you can try drawing a 1 min sketch each day about how you felt during that day and writing some sentences reflection on what impacted your mood. Making a collage or mindful drawing of patterns also is a great way to get started with art.
Art therapy is for everyone and I hope that I have given you some information about how art therapy can be helpful. I have worked with children as young as 5 and folks in hospice who are at end of life. I am in practice at Bricolage Wellness ( https://www.bricolagewellness.com/) and we have two art therapists on staff. I see clients ages 10+ and work with LGBTQIA+ populations, eating disorders, and mood disorders.
