Art Therapy

Sometimes Words Aren’t Enough…

Creative Arts Therapy incorporates a range of mediums into the therapeutic process to help facilitate healing. Less about skill and more about exploration, creative exercises often lead clients to new insights when words fall short. In addition to visual arts, other mediums like music, dance, and drama may be used in the therapy space.

What Is Art Therapy?

Art Therapy combines traditional psychotherapy concepts with expressive arts exercises and materials, acknowledging the ways in which the creative process helps regulate emotions and deepens insight. As clients further understand the story and meaning behind what they created, they can reach a new awareness and find new ways to overcome challenges.

Is Art Therapy Effective?

Art Therapy stems from traditional psychotherapy frameworks, dating back to the psychoanalytic movement of the 1940s. Its founder, Margaret Naumburg, viewed the creative process as a means of uncovering repressed and unconscious thoughts and emotions. From this, she developed the belief that when combined with the verbal and cognitive aspects of talk therapy, symbolic expression can lead to significant transformation and healing.

Art Therapy interventions have been shown to lower stress and anxiety, thereby making this an effective approach for treating a wide range of issues. In particular, individuals struggling with the effects of trauma and PTSD or those who are diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum can benefit from the nonverbal, non-threatening qualities of Art Therapy. Similarly, children who lack the language and skills to communicate can use art to express themselves.

Research continues to support the use of creative arts in the therapy space, and it is required for therapists to be licensed as Licensed Creative Arts Therapists (LCAT) in order to practice Art Therapy in the state of New York.

How Does Art Therapy Work?

Memories and trauma are stored in an area of the brain that goes beyond verbal language. By accessing these nonverbal parts, Art Therapy opens up new pathways to self-understanding and self-compassion. Depending on which medium a client wants to use, drawing, painting, or sculpture may be incorporated into the session to promote exploration and expression.

What To Expect At Our Practice

From our perspective, the function of Art Therapy is twofold. On the one hand, Art Therapy provides catharsis through calming the nervous system and promoting relaxation. On the other hand, art can be used to deepen the therapeutic process when other methods—like behavioral therapy and somatic, body-based approaches—are incorporated.

At ARTS Rx, the therapeutic process is tailored to meet each client’s needs and can take many forms. And we work with children, teens, and adults in Art Therapy, including but not limited to those who have experienced trauma or are neurodiverse.

While we are a Creative Arts Therapy practice, we use a multimodal approach that incorporates evidence-based interventions and a range of expressive approaches to reinforce the healing process. In addition to Art Therapy, we may incorporate aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)—including distress tolerance skills—and grounding techniques like mindfulness and progressive muscle relaxation.

Our team is made up of Licensed Creative Arts Therapists who have decades of training and experience in the field. As Registered, Board Certified Art Therapists, we are committed to fostering emotional expression through the creative process.

We also believe in coordinating care for our clients and, therefore, keep in contact with other treatment providers, including psychiatrists, primary care physicians, case managers, and anyone else involved in our clients’ treatment. Our goal is to facilitate a safe, holistic therapeutic experience where clients can feel seen, heard, and understood.

Enhance The Healing Process

Art Therapy is one of the many creative approaches available through our practice. To learn more about how we can help or schedule an appointment with one of our licensed, Board-certified Registered Art Therapists, please contact us.