Unmasking the Truth: Demystifying Clinical Art Therapy & Its Benefits by Courtney Medina NCC,LPC,ATR

Envision a world where creativity and healing converge, and where paintbrushes and sculpting tools transform into instruments of emotional transformation. Welcome to the realm of clinical art therapy, a beautiful blend of artistic expression and psychological support.

What is Clinical Art Therapy?

Often misunderstood, art therapy goes far beyond your typical arts and crafts, offering a profound and evidence-based approach to mental health. Beyond the glitter and glue lies a serious therapeutic intervention that reaches deep into the human mind, offering solace, self-discovery, and resilience. Throughout this post, we will unmask some of the common misconceptions, illuminating the powerful impact of art therapy.

The practice of clinical art therapy has been growing in recognition and legitimacy since its official establishment in the early 1940’s. Art therapy combines creative expression with psychotherapy. Working in tandem, therapeutic art making promotes healing, personal growth, and emotional well-being. The distinct difference between art and traditional psychotherapy is the non-verbal and experiential nature of engaging in the creative process. Creating art offers clients an alternative means of communicating and expressing, which is particularly beneficial for those who struggle to articulate their emotions verbally first. With the increased understanding of art therapy’s unique abilities in promoting healing, art therapy is becoming widely included in various healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, schools, and community centers.

Through the art-making process, clients are supported in exploring their emotions, resolving conflicts, and making decisions. Art therapists leverage different mediums and modalities to guide clients through this process. Utilizing a variety of intentional artistic techniques such as drawing, sculpting, painting, or collaging, trained art therapists provide a safe, nonjudgmental space for client exploration. Some examples of art therapy prompts may include sculpting a symbol to represent the client’s family, drawing/painting a representation of a specific emotion or event or telling a story through collage. While art making, the client can expect the art therapist to observe the process or sometimes make art alongside the client, depending on the intervention.

The Art Therapy Process

Once the client feels the artwork is completed, the art therapist will encourage the client to discuss the experience. Typically, these questions center around the client’s personal process, decision-making, emotional or physical reactions to the process or artwork.

Misconceptions about Art Therapy

Let’s unmask the first misconception: You do not need to be artistic or “good at art” to benefit or participate in this therapeutic intervention. The goal isn’t to assess or judge the aesthetics of the artwork, but rather to understand what the piece or process reveals or evokes in the individual.

Art therapy has continued to gain steady credibility due to a growing body of research that highlights its effectiveness in promoting personal healing and an overall sense of wellness. Studies have showcased the positive impact of art therapy on various mental health conditions and populations, including those suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction, ranging from children and inmates to terminally ill patients. The “magic” lies in the creative process involved in art making. This process has been shown to reduce stress, increase self-awareness and introspection, enhance self-esteem, and foster personal growth and resilience. By externalizing inner thoughts and emotions into a visual representation, clients can feel a sense of power over their emotions as well as gain insight into their own experiences, beliefs, and perspectives. This process can lead to a greater sense of personal identity and self-understanding.

The Transformative Power of Art Therapy

By externalizing one’s inner world onto a canvas, sculpture, or other artistic medium, clients can distance themselves from their emotions, gaining a different perspective and fostering a sense of empowerment and control. In nurturing these aspects of self, we see that clients are better able to process emotional reactions, breakthrough and resolve conflicts, and learn adaptive calming strategies.

The Role of an Art Therapist

You might be thinking, “Well, can’t I do that on my own? Why do I need a professional?” Engaging in art making independently, leisurely, can be used as an effective calming and coping strategy! However, the presence of an art therapist is one of the most important aspects of the therapeutic process and therapeutic relationship. Art therapists have extensive training and knowledge of human development, psychological theories, counseling techniques, and the use of art as a tool for healing. Their expertise allows them to provide a structured and supportive environment that is tailored to the individual’s unique needs. Art therapists assist clients in processing and their artwork and associated emotions alongside it. As mentioned, this often comes in the form of discussions around the artwork, and the process of making it; helping clients explore its symbolism, meaning, and significance. This reflective process can lead to a deeper understanding of oneself, fostering personal growth and healing.

Art Therapy vs. Arts & Crafts

At a glance, art therapy may appear to be glorified arts and crafts. That could not be further from the truth. While there are similarities, and in some cases even opportunities where “arts & crafts” type interventions are used within the therapeutic framework of art therapy, there are several key differences. Let us briefly touch on some.

First and foremost, intention and goal setting. In arts and crafts, the focus is often on creating an aesthetically pleasing outcome, the goal simply being to create something that is enjoyable. Art therapy’s primary purpose is to support clients in exploring and addressing emotional, psychological, and behavioral challenges towards specific therapeutic goals, with less emphasis on the outcome of the artwork or task. Or as they say in the realm of clinical art therapy, “process over product”.

To some arts and crafts or leisurely engaging in art making might seem juvenile. However, this misconception is not true when it comes to clinical art therapy. While children have been shown to make great progress when utilizing an art therapy approach, it can be equally as effective for adults. Just as children oftentimes struggle to understand or verbally communicate what they are going through, that phenomenon does not go away with age and wisdom.

While we may have more language as adults, life’s unpredictability can surprise us with challenges we haven’t faced before. Art making fosters problem-solving, exploring alternative perspectives, and finding innovative solutions. These creative skills have practical applications in various domains of life and relationships. Something important to note too is that artistic expression is inherent to human nature, and has been used for communication, storytelling, and reflection since paintings in caves!

As mentioned earlier, another large differentiation between engaging leisurely in art-making and clinical art therapy is the presence of a professional art therapist. While this is important not only to provide a safe and supportive environment for processing experiences and emotions, but the therapeutic relationship also formed between professional, and client allows for trust and safety to be built within that environment.

Professionalism in Art Therapy

Art therapists are trained with the same foundational knowledge as other traditional talk therapists, especially as it relates to the importance of trust and safety to facilitate honest communication and a willingness to explore deeper parts of the self. While art making on your own can have relaxing and confidence boosting effects, therapeutic art interventions and techniques are carefully curated by the art therapist that align with the client’s therapeutic goals and needs. The guidance of the art therapist ensures that the sessions remain focused, purposeful, and conducive to therapeutic growth.

The Future of Art Therapy

As the demand for holistic and integrative approaches to mental health continues to rise, art therapy has emerged as a powerful tool that complements both traditional talk therapy and medication-based treatments. Its ability to engage clients of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and challenges further contribute to its expanding popularity and recognition within the mental health field.

For more information about art therapy or becoming an art therapist check out the American Art Therapy Association and the Art Therapy Credentials Board.

Courtney Medina, NCC, LPC, ATR | Lukin Center, Bergen County Moms — Courtney Medina, NCC, LPC, ATR | Lukin Center

Courtney Medina is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Registered Art Therapist at Lukin Center Psychotherapy who specializes in working with children and adolescents. With a background in trauma-informed care, Courtney has expertise working with individuals who experience behavioral challenges, mood disorders, attachment issues, and grief. Courtney strives to create a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment to promote healing. Courtney takes a client-centered approach to therapy, focusing on each individual’s inner strengths and resiliency by incorporating techniques from a variety of evidenced-based modalities including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and creative arts therapy. As an art therapist, Courtney believes utilizing creative arts in therapy is a powerful tool for healing and self-discovery. She incorporates it into treatment, in addition to traditional talk therapy, to help clients express themselves, process their emotions, and increase self-esteem while facilitating a sense of fun throughout the therapeutic process. Courtney has worked with individuals in outpatient, partial-care, and residential/inpatient settings providing individual, group and family therapy. Courtney has witnessed the restorative effect that therapy has had on a variety of populations, including survivors/witnesses to domestic violence, individuals experiencing homelessness, immigration, foster care/adoption process, as well as parents of children with behavioral issues. After receiving her B.A. of Fine Arts and minor in Psychology at Monmouth University, Courtney continued her education at Caldwell University, where she received her M.A. in Mental Health Counseling with a Specialization in Art Therapy.