What Is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a powerful form of psychotherapy that uses the creative process of making art to support emotional, psychological, and physical healing. It is not about being “good” at art—it’s about using colors, shapes, textures, and images as a language for what words often cannot express.
Many of us—children and adults alike—struggle to put our thoughts and feelings into words. Trauma, grief, anxiety, or even everyday stress can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves or overwhelmed by emotions we can’t quite name. Art therapy offers a different way in: a safe, nonverbal path to explore what’s inside.
Why Art?
Art bypasses the parts of our brain responsible for verbal language and connects us directly to our subconscious mind. When we draw, paint, sculpt, or collage, we’re accessing deeper layers of memory, emotion, and body-based wisdom.
Often, the thoughts and feelings we’re least aware of—the ones stored out of reach of our conscious minds—are the very ones influencing how we feel and act. Through art, we can gently bring these to light.
Art therapy allows:
Young children—who may not yet have the words for complex emotions—to express and process their inner worlds.
Teens and adults—who may feel stuck or overwhelmed—to explore feelings in a way that feels safe and contained.
Healing Mind and Body
Engaging with art materials—holding a brush, kneading clay, making marks on paper—invites the body into the healing process. This tactile engagement helps soothe the nervous system, reduce stress, and reconnect us with a sense of agency and creativity.
Research shows that making art lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), calms the mind, and activates parts of the brain associated with pleasure and reward. For people carrying emotional pain or trauma in their bodies, the physical act of creating can be profoundly restorative.
How Art Therapy Can Help
Through guided sessions with a trained art therapist, you can:
- Gain insight into patterns of thought and behavior
- Process experiences that feel too overwhelming to talk about
- Build emotional resilience and self-compassion
- Explore new ways of coping and self-expression
- Reconnect with your innate creativity and playfulness
You Don’t Have to Be an Artist
Art therapy isn’t about making “good” art—it’s about making your art. It’s about using images, colors, and textures to say what words can’t. The process itself is the therapy.
Whether you’re a parent seeking support for a child, or an adult wanting to reconnect with yourself, art therapy can offer a safe and transformative space to begin.