What is Arts Psychotherapy?
Arts Psychotherapy explores life challenges through creative processes rather than through talking. Because art therapy works through art, it is a perfect method for dealing with things that are hard to talk about, or that we don’t have the words for. It can be used to develop insights from creative expressions, and can be emotionally deeper and more meaningful than talking therapies. It can include drawing, painting, songwriting, poetry, music, dance, sculpture, collage, multimedia construction - any creative activity.
Arts Psychotherapy doesn’t involve artistic skill at all. It’s all about the process of creation and learning about that process as a way to understand ourselves.
What does a session look like?
My sessions generally start with a conversation about what’s going on for you. Then, depending on what we talk about, I will choose a creative activity for you to engage in. This process generates new awareness about the issue - you may notice subtle details in what you create that reflects the nature of some issue in your life. My process then involves choosing different creative activities and developing new metaphors to expand on the insights that are made, and ultimately to develop an innate motivation to overcome challenges.
When I work with children this process is usually different - it involves games, play, and narrative and storytelling which are specially chosen for them to generate new insights, develop new skills, and gain new perspectives.