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    Ritu Dua (she/her)

    Languages: English, Hindi
    Availability: Online
    Experience in Years: 1 - 2 Years

    M.F.A. in Art Therapy
    Art Therapist

    First Consultations: OPEN

    Details

What is art therapy?

“The task of therapy is not to eliminate suffering but to give a voice to it, to find a form in which it can be expressed. Expression is itself transformation; this is the message that art brings. The therapist then would be an artist of the soul, working with sufferers to enable them to find the proper container for their pain, the form in which it would be embodied.” – Stephen K. Levine

Art therapy is a form of expressive arts therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Art therapy for mental health utilises art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behaviour and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem (AATA, 2013)

Art therapy includes creation of art with the help of a variety of art materials such as paints, crayons, markers, clay etc. and reflecting on the processes and final outcomes. An art therapist is specially trained to assess which material to suggest based on the issues the client is facing, their frame of mind during the session and various other factors.

Traditional art forms such as doodling or scribbling, painting, drawing, collage, photography, sculpture, are some among the variety of visual art expressions used during an art therapy session and the art therapist guides the client through any difficulties that may arise in the creative process.

What are some of the myths about art therapy?

Reality: This is a commonly held misconception! People often think they need to create “accurate and beautiful” art. On the contrary, the art therapist guides you through using visual material to express your feelings, get things off your chest and look at your situations and problems solved in new ways.

Reality: It is for anybody and everybody. Any age group can benefit from art therapy.

Reality: Absolutely not! Art therapists are qualified professionals trained in both art and therapy. They possess knowledge about psychological theories, human development, clinical practice, spiritual, multicultural art practices, and the healing nature of art.

Reality: Emotions like fear and sadness are physiological phenomena and trigger the body’s sympathetic nervous system, putting a person into “fight or flight” mode. Drawing or sculpting about what’s bothering you can release tension-producing emotions and activate your parasympathetic “rest and digest” system. A lot of our experiences can not necessarily be captured in words and some people can’t verbalize at all due to their age or conditions like autism or brain injuries. Art offers a viable alternative. An art therapist designs special art interventions for each client and provides a whole lot of choice of art materials to enable them to externalize their emotions.

So, yes art therapy does work.

Reality: Not really, because people are individuals and Art Therapists cannot diagnose a mental illness just by looking at a piece of artwork. They do make clinical assessments, but by considering all the artworks and how they have evolved over the course of the therapy sessions.

What does an art therapist do?

Art therapists are qualified professionals trained in both art and therapy. They possess knowledge about psychological theories, human development, clinical practice, spiritual, multicultural art practices, and the healing nature of art. They are trained to recognise non-verbal symbols and metaphors that a client expresses through their creative process and the artwork that they create. Art therapists work with children, adolescents, adults, older adults, groups, families, veterans, and people with chronic health conditions. An art therapist also provides consultations to allied professionals.

Art has the potential to transform lives, and often, in profound ways. When words do not work, we turn to images and symbols to tell our stories. And when we do so, we can find a path to healing, recovery, and transformation. An art therapist engages the client in simple but soothing art activities such as drawing, painting, or clay-sculpting and facilitates them with the means of expressing what lies hidden in their sub-conscious mind.

What happens during an art therapy session?

A client usually goes through four important stages during art therapy sessions. 

It includes –

  • Check-in 
  • Assessing the client
  • Gathering information about the client from them, like the precipitating factors that brought them to the session.
  • Educating the client about art therapy and setting therapeutic goals.

The first stage can also include an art making activity. 

Art making is the next stage which focuses on three elements –

  • Giving the client freedom to choose art material( unstructured or structured)
  • Deciding on the theme (open or specific)
  • The process (directive or non-directive)

Each client is unique and so is every art therapy session. Each directive or prompt is carefully and intentionally designed and presented as per the client’s history, needs and therapeutic goals.

Some observations that the art therapist might make include –

  • The client’s choice of material vis a vis the artwork they create
  • The client’s body language/facial expressions
  • Whether the client is enthusiastic or hesitant to create art
  • Whether the client is organised or chaotic 

During the creative process, there can be a lot of talking or absolute silence depending upon the situation.

It includes reflection/ verbal processing i.e., exploring the client’s feelings and thoughts that surfaced throughout the art making process and the final art that they have created. The art therapist then asks open ended questions to help the client understand their association with the artwork. Sometimes instead of looking for hidden meaning, art therapist chooses a direct line of questioning to reaffirm with the client the observation made during the process of artmaking. It helps the client to gain perspective, to explore what’s going on in the art and what’s going inside of them.

In most cases, positive changes are observed in the client after a few sessions, and this is when the art therapist and the client meet their therapeutic goals together. This collaborative achievement of their goals is the outcome of art therapy. After the session ends the art therapist notifies the client how and where the artwork will be stored.

Finally, the art therapist helps the client to create a closure to the session and the client smoothly transitions from the art therapy session to their routine life. The art therapist creates some rituals like reviewing the session, talking about the next session or even some breathing exercises to give the session a proper closure.

What are the benefits of art therapy?

Art therapy can help people

  • Increase awareness of self and others

  • Increase self-expression, self-esteem, and boost resilience

  • Cope with symptoms, stress, and traumatic experiences

  • Enhance cognitive abilities 

  • Strengthen social skills

  • Enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art

It can be used for counselling in psychotherapy, healing, and rehabilitation. Some conditions and situations where art therapy is beneficial

  • Art therapy for anxiety and depression

  • Stress, eating disorders

  • Age-related issues, dementia, and other such mental and emotional problems

  • Substance abuse and addictions 

  • Family and relationship issues; domestic violence and abuse

  • Social and emotional difficulties related to disability, illness, trauma, and loss

  • Physical, cognitive, and neurological problems

  • Psychosocial difficulties related to medical illness

Art therapy thus aims to aid clients who are feeling worn down by their emotions to find balance, reduce stress and visually express through art what they cannot possibly say otherwise. 

In fact, anyone who feels overwhelmed or pressured by the hectic world we live in should try art therapy. 

In A Nutshell

An individual does not have to be naturally artistic to utilize art therapy. Art therapy provides one with activities to better understand oneself and how they relate to others and the world. It can be a creative way to help an individual find meaning and heal from daily stress, traumatic events, and conditions affecting their mental and physical well-being.

If you are looking to explore a multimodal approach to therapy, the Center for Mental Health offers Art therapy for children, adults, and individuals impacted by mental health issues. 

Center for Mental Health offers art therapy, as an independent therapy service for one-on-one sessions as well as group art therapy.