7 Common Questions About Art Therapy: Get the Answers
1) What is art therapy?
Put simply, art therapy is using some kind of art-making for the purpose of improving mental and emotional well-being. Sometimes art therapy means making art within the context of individual, couples, or family therapy. Other times art therapy happens in groups within treatment programs, schools, and community organizations. For more information about uses and benefits, read more here.
2) Do I have to be good at art?
Nope! First off, art therapy is NOT about technical skill. You don’t have to worry about how realistic your art looks because its purpose is to express something, not to look cool. Secondly, people who never thought of themselves as creative can have incredibly powerful experiences in art therapy.
3) What if I hate drawing?
No worries - it’s not everyone’s favorite. A blank page can be very daunting. Fortunately, drawing is only one of many mediums you might try in art therapy. If you feel more comfortable choosing collage images or working with modeling clay, then you might start there.
4) What types of art materials will I be using?
This will depend on your art therapist and the things you are working on. With my clients, I might introduce any of the following processes and materials:
Painting (watercolor, acrylic, ink)
Drawing (pencil, marker, paint pen, charcoal, pastel)
3D sculpting (clay, papier-mâché, wire, wood scrap)
Other processes (block printing, laminating, stencil-making, yarn wrapping, wax resist, mask-making, assemblage)
Repurposed materials (collage, altered books, tins, boxes, crayon wax, playing cards, miniatures)
Natural materials (rocks, sticks, seed pods, leaves)
5) Is art therapy for children?
Kids take naturally to art therapy because they are used to making art in their everyday lives, and they often find that they can express feelings and depict experiences through art that they don’t have words for. That said, art therapy is equally beneficial for adolescents and adults.
6) If I try it as an adult, is it going to feel like I’m back in elementary school?
For some adults, the last time they seriously attempted an art activity was back in elementary school, so the idea of doing a collage or painting in therapy sounds like it would be childish. Rest assured, there are ways to work with art in therapy that are sophisticated and insight-oriented. The great thing about images and art materials is that they create natural symbolism and metaphors for life experiences, which can then become key themes in self-awareness and personal growth.
7) Is there evidence that art therapy is effective?
If you’re into research, here are a few examples of the many studies that support the effectiveness of art therapy:
Art therapy offered bedside in hospitals was found to reduce patient reports of pain and anxiety and improve mood (Shella, 2017). More here.
Brief group art therapy with war veterans was found to significantly improve scores on drawing assessments for emotional content, self-image, and cognition (Kopytin & Lebedev, 2013). More here.
Art therapy was found to lower stress levels and situational anxiety of employees, as measured by reduced cortisol levels (Visnola et al., 2010). More here.
Art therapy was found to raise self-esteem scores in female juvenile offenders (Hartz & Thick, 2005). More here.
As with many areas of research, there have also been studies whose outcomes did not point to significant efficacy. For more details about art therapy research studies, click here.