What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is an approach to therapy that uses the combined power of art making and a therapeutic relationship to meet goals for physical, mental, relational, and spiritual well-being.

When I explain art therapy, I like to break it up into two main categories.

Externalizing

Art takes what exists only in our minds and brings it into the physical world. As children, we experience the world first through images and sensations before we learn how to use language. Using words can become a filter, losing parts of our internal experiences in the process of communication. However, when we bring our internal experienced into the physical world through images, it can feel validating, enlightening, and relieving. Art is a way of expressing what is beyond words, and illuminating what is happening in our beautiful unconscious.

The Power of Materials

Part of training to become an art therapist involves education on the way different art materials and processes influence the mind. Art therapists can plan specific art therapy interventions that use the materials themselves to help regulate emotions, encourage connection to emotions, decrease dissociation, increase cognitive functioning, decrease stress and anxiety, and much more.

When both of these things are put together, it can create an incredibly unique and effective experience in therapy!

If you’re a nerd like me and are interested in a deeper dive of the functions of art therapy, keep reading! 

Otherwise, feel free to reach out!

Art engages the unconscious and preverbal experiences

Part of what makes art therapy so effective is the way it connects with our unconcious like nothing else does.

When we first enter the world as children, we take things in through sensations and images. Our understanding of our environment comes in the form of symbols such as mother, food, tree, etc. This happens before we begin to put language to those symbols.

As we go through life and advance in language we can begin to learn how to use language as a filter. While this is essential to communication and navigation through relationships, many of us get further and further from our personal symbols and preverbal experiences as we get older. While we may become less aware, that does not mean these things do not impact us any less.

Art therapy can connect an individual to preverbal internal experiences (Wadeson, 2010) allowing for things to be addressed, processed, and resolved. Accessing preverbal imagery and sensations through art can also lead to release of energy, reclaiming of autonomy, and addressing attachment wounds and trauma (King & Strang, 2025).

Something I notice especially freeing in clients who journal is what Harriet Wadeson refers to as the “spatial matrix”(Wadeson, 2010, p. 13).  When internal experiences are put into words through talking or journaling, their internal world must be altered to fit into the sequential nature of language. While this can be therapeutic in its own way, many find freeing the space that imagery holds for many concepts to exist simultaneously without the restriction of sequence or language structure.

The simple act of creating art requires an individual to take an internal image or concept and bring it into the physical world without the filter of words or language. This can assist in revealing and decreasing defenses that we don’t even know we have.

This is where we see the development and application of art-based assessments, often administered to reveal internal or unconscious dynamics in the safety of a therapeutic relationship for the improved care of an individual.

Art therapy impacts everyday life

Art also has the ability to translate tangible, external experiences, into repeatable and neurologically impactful internal experiences. What this means is that certain art making processes require an individual to practice or learn certain skills like creativity, focus, problem solving, and emotional regulation which can then all be internalized and applied in other settings. 

For example, someone may struggle with perfectionism and be terrified of failure. While they may want to work on this, they may have ‘high-stakes’ responsibilities and carry a strong sense of duty. For this individual, they may initially translate that perfectionism to art making, fearing starting or even judging themselves harshly for what they create. Over time, the art therapist may help them become comfortable with difficult materials or processes where they are required to ‘fail’, therefore helping them learn how to cope with imperfection in a ‘low-stakes’ environment.

In this scenario, art therapy is not initially calming, but exposes them to a feared experience in a setting that is safe. Eventually, that person may become more comfortable with risk-taking, experimenting artistically, and end up finding art to be a space of relaxation, creativity, and freedom for them. 

Additionally, the therapist will be engaging the client in discussion about their experience making the art and process past experiences that led to the development of this perfectionism.

In other cases, the client may decide they want to use art to increase feelings of calm and coping with a stressful situation they may be experiencing in their life. When designed effectively, evidence shows that art making processes can have direct positive implications on physical health and wellbeing. This is most notably achieved through some art’s ability to activate our parasympathetic nervous system (Martin et al. 2018).

This is characterized by feelings of relaxation and peace. Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system can be impeded in individuals with chronic pain, PTSD, or chronic stress which can manifest in part as sleep disturbances and increased inflammation. This increases risk of depression and anxiety (Won et al. 2016).

Specific art processes’ ability to activate your parasympathetic nervous system can therefore physiologically decrease physical pain, inflammation, and depression and anxiety risk.

On the second level, materials or processes engaging an individual’s perception of shapes and color can be used to challenge or explore boundaries, structural awareness, and order (Hinz, 2020). Intentional engagement with emotions can be explored through the affective pole, which often is achieved through more fluid or difficult-to-control materials (Hinz, 2020).

An art making process that engages complex thought, such as one with several steps, symbolism, or metaphor, may be considered the third level (Hinz, 2020). Engaging individuals on this level may assist with the integration of complex emotions, meaning making, and containment (Hinz, 2020).

The final level, creative, is identified as the vehicle for moving among levels. Engaging in creativity within art making can then be translated to experiences outside of therapy, encouraging improvement in creative problem solving, emotional connection and regulation, critical thinking, and body awareness (King & Strang 2025).

To summarize, different materials combined with the structure of the directive work together to meet specific and targeted therapeutic goals. As mentioned earlier, some art therapy directives intend to momentarily increase stress as a step in a longer process. Other processes are specifically designed to increase feelings of relaxation or calm. This is most successfully achieved through a trained art therapist, as slightly altering material, brush size, canvas size, time frame, etc. can all easily alter the experience of the individual from one of relaxation to stress.

Art therapy enhances the therapeutic process

Harriet Wadeson, in Art Psychotherapy (2010) presents several factors of art therapy. One she refers to as “objectification”(Wadeson, 2010, p. 11). Due to the tangible and physical nature of the art object, a feeling or internal experience can be objectified, reflected upon, and analyzed as separate from the self, making it feel more approachable. This is related to her concept of  “permanence” (Wadeson, 2010, p. 12), which refers to the advantage of art objects to not be easily changed by memory, distraction, or time the way that thoughts or conversation can. Furthermore, the image can be referenced accurately long after the artwork is created, serving as a symbol for and evidence of the hard work someone has done in therapy.

One theoretical framework used by art therapists to determine appropriate material usage is the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) developed by Kagan and Lusebrink (1978). This approach emphasizes the neurological correlates and implications of various materials.

These elements are organized into four levels, the first three levels operating on a continuum of two poles. Each level represents more complex thought as well as emotional and artistic developmental level (Hinz, 2020; King & Strang, 2025).

The four levels are, from bottom to top, kinesthetic/sensory, perceptual/affective, cognitive/symbolic, and creative (Hinz, 2020). For example, a simple material that specifically engages senses or kinesthetic movement may be considered on the first level depending on the way it is used. Engaging an individual on this level can, in some instances, be used to increase sensitivity and connection to sensory information on the sensory pole or stimulate and discharge energy on the kinesthetic pole (Hinz, 2020).

In summary, materials and processes that are considered kinesthetic such as pounding clay or sensory such as finger paint are the lowest developmental level and are useful for engaging individuals in safe sensory experiences and assist in release of energy.

What is the field of art therapy?

The field of art therapy boasts extensive scope of practice, philosophies, applications across populations, international graduate and post-graduate educational programs, and art therapy associations worldwide. Many art therapists work in private practice as well as interdisciplinary settings. These include but are not limited to schools, medical settings, rehabilitation centers, forensic settings, and museums.

For example, I am a therapist and art therapist, integrating art therapy into my talk therapy practice as I see timely and beneficial for the adults I work with in a residential setting and in my outpatient virtual practice. I also have several art therapy initiatives including weekly virtual art therapy groups, workshops, and consultation. Read more about what I do here.

Many art therapists integrate art therapy into various theoretical approaches including dialectical behavioral therapy, psychodynamic theory, attachment theory, internal family Systems, narrative therapy, and many more.

What is NOT Art Therapy?

  • Art making in therapy with a therapist who does not have a minimum of a master’s degree in art therapy.

  • Following art therapy processes found online or in books.

  • Making art alone or with community to express feelings or explore internal experiences.

  • Art group events that do not involve established therapeutic relationship with an art therapist group leader.

  • Adult coloring books.

For someone to know how to apply art therapy as described above, it is necessary they have a minimum of a masters degree in art therapy, and in some states official state licensure. Some therapists may do “art therapy” continuing education courses, but that does not qualify them to actually perform art therapy with clients. Unfortunately, many well-meaning therapists are misled by these courses. Here are some credentials to look for to make sure you are working with an art therapist that meets educational requirements:

  • ATR-P (Art Therapy Registered Provisional)

  • ATR (Registered Art Therapist) 

  • ATR-BC (Board Certified Registered Art Therapist) 

  • CLAT (Clinical Licensed Art Therapist)

  • LPAT (Licensed Professional Art Therapist)

  • LAAT (Licensed Associate Art Therapist)

  • LPCAT (Professional Clinical Art Therapy License) 

  • LGAT (Professional Graduate Art Therapy License) 

  • LAT (Licensed Art Therapist) 

  • LPC-AT (Professional Counselor with Specialization in Art Therapy License)

Why Does it Matter?

Registration under the Art Therapy Credentials Board, or under a state board ensures that the therapist has received adequate training, supervision, and experience. It also means they have agreed on an ethical code that ensures best practice and service for those they work with.

What does all this mean for me?

If you are wanting to increase in self-awareness, improve relationships, or resolve some mental health challenges, working with an art therapist might be worth a try. The field of art therapy is so broad, it spans far beyond what was covered in this article. Consider working with me remotely, or find an art therapist near you!