I first discovered art therapy 20 years ago, as a client in rehab. In very early recovery from addiction, I felt like my life was in ruins, and I had little hope for the future. The weekly art therapy sessions, however, felt like a lifeline. There was something extraordinarily empowering about creating things that were new, tangible, and even beautiful, in amongst all the mess. Art therapy also offered me a space in which I could reflect on where I found myself. Letting my feelings flow onto the page in front of me, and then sitting back and gazing upon what had appeared was like having a conversation with myself. Since there were no words involved, there could be no right or wrong. I could verbally share about my work as much or as little as I wanted, and I didn’t need to worry about pleasing anyone or persuading anyone of anything. Using art helped me work things out, experiment and wonder. It felt very precious, and it helped me come into relationship with myself.
I am now an art therapist working in various settings, including a treatment centre, several primary schools, a refugee hotel, and PBH. For me, a key element of art therapy’s effectiveness lies in its active and experiential nature. I also find it remarkable how uniquely each client engages with the materials. To illustrate the breadth and depth of art therapy I’ve included a couple of brief vignettes.
One describes work made by a child who had been exposed to significant domestic violence by a highly abusive parent who had recently been removed from the home. Unbidden, the child made a perfectly round clay ball one week, which they left to harden till the following session. They then quietly smashed it to pieces, carefully extracted the largest chunk and threw it away, before rearranging the remaining pieces into another solid ball, which they glue-gunned together incredibly carefully, ensuring there were no gaps, all the time treating this new form as if it was the most precious object in the world. Both the process and the final artefact were highly meaningful. The work was entirely child-led and spontaneous. Something was enacted and shared with the therapist for which there really are no words. Violence and healing, remodelling and survival were all right there.
Another unfolded in a group session for families living at a refugee hotel. Here a young mother with an infant chose to star in a photoshoot centred on her and her young child. She gave extremely careful thought to all elements of the shoot: outfits, poses, backgrounds, and the activities she wanted to capture. She wanted to share her pride in her beautiful child of course, but she was also underlining that she is more than surviving, against the odds. Gazing at the finished images also appeared to be very meaningful for her because it allowed her to reflect that just as a photograph is a moment in time, so her living situation was not permanent. The process of cocreation (in which this young mother directed, and the therapist was an assistant pressing the camera’s shutter button) also developed rapport and trust. Thanks to this shared activity, the often-overwhelming sense of hierarchy that can infect relationships within such institutions was significantly reduced.
I deeply believe in art therapy. The client does not need to be ‘good’ at art, just open to having a go. Using art within therapy suits many clients, especially perhaps those who struggle with talking therapy. Within the therapeutic relationship, art is often conceptualised as acting like a ‘third’ person in the room. This means the artefact can act as bridge between client and therapist, which can be particularly beneficial if the client struggles with eye contact. Artwork can also act as a safe container for the unspeakable, for example a piece of paper can accept and contain thoughts and feelings that the client may worry are too unacceptable to verbalise.
Art therapy also offers a wide range of other benefits. For example, the tactile and sensory aspects of certain art materials can be deeply regulating, while others may help clients to get in touch with younger parts of themselves. Unlike spoken words, which are transient, artwork can endure between sessions, providing a tangible record that can be revisited and reflected upon over time. Finally, clients can continue engaging in creative practices even after therapy has ended. Just as a client may internalize the therapist’s supportive voice, so they can also sustain an ongoing, personal relationship with art that they can carry into their future.
If it sounds like I am doing a hard sell of art therapy, I am…because I think it deserves it.
