What is Art Therapy?

“Art therapy is a mental health profession ...based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.”

-from the American Art Therapy Association (AATA)

Art therapists use art tasks to support the therapy path with visual exploration of ideas, solutions, and reminders to help you toward your therapy goals. Or, the art task itself may be the therapy, where trying new art materials and learning new techniques builds your confidence. We can make art to solve problems, or heal from tragedy and trauma. We can make art to learn who we are, to feel stronger inside and more able to connect with others.

I believe that making art is a human right, and that an artist is inside all of us. But you don’t need to think of yourself as an “artist” or to have any art experience: Art therapy encourages the natural creativity that is in all of us. At the very least you will gain, if you want it, a healing and empowering new sense of yourself as a resourceful, creative person.

"Art Therapy for the whole family..."