No talent necessary! Art therapy is an exciting experience for individuals to enjoy and explore creating their own personal images to better understand why they feel the way they feel. Although art media such as tempera paint, chalk pastels, pencils, markers and ceramic clay may be used to create beautiful art (in itself a therapeutic experience), the purpose of art therapy is to create images that will accurately reflect and describe feelings and thoughts that are often too complicated or confusing to put into words. Once complex personal experiences are expressed in art images, it is much easier to gain insight into one’s issues and life struggles.

This approach is especially effective for survivors of any traumatic experience to handle the emotional and psychological impact from losses such as death, accident, injury, medical and mental illness, abusive relationships, and childhood trauma. Individuals are enabled to create an “inner dialogue” between the “language” of their personal art image and the verbal language of their intellect. This inner dialogue is a healing vehicle used in treatment with an art therapist.

Art therapy is found in a wide variety of settings (hospitals, schools, mental health clinics, prisons, etc.) and can be applied in many different techniques given individual or group needs. Most of all, it is a personally satisfying and enlightening experience which everyone is capable of appreciating.