What is Art Therapy?

Art Therapy is an approach where a therapist works therapeutically with children and adults using art mediums. Through the arts the client creatively and metaphorically expresses conscious and unconscious thoughts feelings and behaviours.

It is a way for children adolescents and adults to uncover and work with unresolved issues and emotional pain.

When we experience something we do so sensorially [sight; hearing; touch; smell; taste; and through intuitive sensations]. A positive experience leaves us with happy thoughts and feelings and remind us of other similar happy experiences. A negative experience, however, can leave us with thoughts feelings and behaviours which affect how we perceive ourselves, relate to others and how we see the world, particularly if the memories are painful childhood ones. Some experiences can be so overwhelming that in being unable to make sense of what has happened we are left traumatised.
With great difficulty we attempt to verbalise our experience, unable to find the right words to describe the depths of our sadness, grief, anger, loneliness; fear; hopelessness [to name but a few]. Children find it very difficult to let us know what they are thinking and feeling. They therefore show us in their behaviours, leading to misunderstanding, confusion, frustration, anxiety and a sense of helplessness at home and at school.

Art mediums including- painting; drawing; music and musical instruments; clay-work; sandtray work; masks; visualisation; role-play; story-telling; puppetry enable a person to express themselves without words.

Art therapy can be used as an adjunct to a talking therapy if the client chooses or as the sole therapeutic approach, which is the case in working with children.

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