What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy can be described as a form of psychotherapy where expressions of art are seen as a primary form of communication.

  • You don’t need to have any experience or skill with art to benefit from art therapy.
  • It still involves talking, but doesn’t always have to.  Sometimes there aren’t the words, and art can be helpful for people to explore and express who they are and what they are thinking and feeling.
  • I provide a range of art materials in the therapy room which can be used at any point in time.  Some people like to use art materials each session, other people less often.
  • Occasionally I might suggest the use of an art material to explore a particular feeling or problem, but my clients always decide what they wish to make or not.
  • Art therapy isn’t an art lesson, and as a therapist, I am not there to judge you or tell you what to do.
  • Art can sometimes feel pretty scary, particularly if you have not explored art materials for some time, but that is OK, and it is often really helpful to explore the feelings it brings up.
  • Any art work you make belongs to you.  If you want to take it home you can, if you want to throw it in the bin at any time, you can!
  • Art therapy is confidential, any images you make are treated with the same confidence as anything you say in sessions.