Art Psychotherapy

Art psychotherapy is a form of therapy that uses art materials and art-making as the primary mode of expression and communication for those conversations. Psychotherapy involves conversations with a listener who is trained to help you make sense of, and try to change, aspects of your life that feel difficult or are causing you problems. Within this context, the art is not used as a diagnostic tool, but rather as a medium to address emotional issues which may be confusing or distressing.

Art psychotherapy is accessible and approachable. Many children and young people have a natural facility with communication through the art-making process and find creative expression a pleasurable and rewarding experience. Individuals do not have to be "good at art" to benefit from art psychotherapy. Many clients that I work with find that expressing themselves in the unfamiliar act of art-making allows them to explore and discover elements of their interior worlds that might otherwise be difficult to access. As well, individuals who have more experience in the visual arts have found enormous benefit from applying their talents in a therapeutic context.