When words are not enough

Art therapy allows us to explore ourselves more deeply. Internal imagery takes concrete form through pictures, objects, and movement. The art therapist's job is to help clients safely express their inner world and foster growth and healing. Art therapy can be utilized as a primary form of treatment, or as an adjunctive therapy for clients who have difficulty with verbal expression. No artistic ability is needed to participate in art therapy.

Facing our inner world. It can be difficult to articulate painful experiences and memories. Art therapy provides a safe environment where painful emotions can be explored. One reason artistic expression feels safe is because we communicate non-verbally or through sensory experience, a skill we mastered in infancy. Artistic expression can be pleasurable even for someone who hasn't picked up a brush since grade school.

Getting unstuck. Stressful and traumatic events can cause overwhelming sensations, imagery and emotions to become fragmented and stuck in the body. Externalizing these images through art helps us study and understand the unpleasant sensations. This understanding can provide considerable relief.

Building self-image. We create pleasing imagery, and we create ugly or perplexing imagery. Art therapy helps us safely face the negative parts of ourselves by depicting them on paper (or wood or in clay...). These images can be reworked and mastered and act as a metaphor for our lives. Art is forgiving. By facing and overcoming frustration through art, we develop creativity, self-soothing skills, and a stronger self-image.

Please contact me for more information about art therapy and my practice.