What is Art Therapy?

Hello, I’m Anna.

Nice to meet you.

This is me explaining art therapy, in some words.

I’d like to ask you a question. Do you make art?

Why? Or, why not?

Hold that thought.

Let’s take a brief look at why I think that’s an important question.

Humans have been making art for thousands upon thousands of years.
We began making art on cave walls, engraving sand, tracing on skin, interpreting the sky.

We estimate some art may be as old as 100,000 yrs.

But why? Why do we make art?
To communicate. We decorate ourselves and our surroundings with pointers to meaning.

Humans have made art to contemplate and explore the happenings in the world and to unite these events with our inner reality.

In other words, we make art to make sense of our lives. And we do this to invite others in on our experience.

We have done this repeatedly throughout history. And we continue to do so.

The artist states visually and pre-verbally, “this is me, this is my experience” and invites others to notice, to observe and to respond.

It is a natural process and it is healthy. So then, why do so many of us stop making art as we get older?

Because making art can feel vulnerable.

Feeling emotionally vulnerable is not pleasant. We work hard to avoid it.

I’m not going to say much more about experiencing “vulnerability” because Brene Brown has, quite famously, said a lot about its virtues, why we run from it, why we need it and how vulnerability is the “birthplace of innovation”.

The feeling of vulnerability, for all its drawbacks is a key ingredient to creating meaningful relationships with others and is essential to all personal and collective growth.

So, with this in mind… what is art therapy?

It is the process of creating any form of expression: a line on a page, a word written down, a sound or gesture that provide us with a gateway to explore one’s inner and outer experience.

I use a relational, phenomenological approach. 

That means we stay in the here and now, rather than rely on memories and we creatively explore together. We don’t start with preconceived ideas. I don’t get out a book of interpretations or rely on one particular school of thought. I don’t diagnose. This can be very helpful, especially if you don’t feel like talking about things from the past or you think you “know” what the “problem” is, but still feel stuck.

That description might sound abstract and difficult to imagine, but what’s important is knowing what the creative expression in therapy helps us do.

Art in therapy provides us with a safe container to hold what we struggle to say. We objectify our inner world out and onto the page, then we contemplate it with another to find personal meaning. Once the artist finds meanings in their art, they are then able to negotiate choices in regard to the outcomes they want to see.


Art therapy develops autonomy, the skills of reflection, provides a space for vulnerability and so fosters a meaningful connection with another. It gives the artist (or client) a sense of control in their lives via accessing their own understanding of personal experiences.

Making art engages a person’s creative, non-linear, symbolic thought processes and enables the art maker the privilege of accessing their own creativity and play. Being able to freely create helps us to activate our rational problem solving capabilities.


So with all this in mind… What do we get up to in art therapy?

First of all, I emphasise that all art is sacred and I am not there to diagnose or read into the art. I am just here to be curious.

So far, on paper, I have run a group where we use crayons and paints on a basic outline of the body to show how we feel and a group that explored Caroline Myss's archetypes and how they play out in our lives.

I’ve run open studios where participants can play with materials and work on ongoing projects while talking and supporting each other while they do this.

I’ve run online groups during the recent pandemic exploring and reflecting on what was happening around us, to us and within us. And how we might more deeply support ourselves in a time of crisis.

I’ve run mask workshops during which we explored the many different faces we show to the world and ourselves.

And, 1:1 sessions.

Sometimes the participants do no “art making” whatsoever. We just hang out.

Often art therapy is best at revealing to us not so much what we think we know, but what we aren’t currently knowing. When we can recognise the non-conscious messages our art can teach us, then we can begin to choose the best way to grow.

There are countless moments of personal importance that I have witnessed and participated in as an art therapist that I could draw upon to help further illustrate the effectiveness and uniqueness of therapeutic art interventions.

But those moments belong to my clients and so I won’t take the liberty of sharing them here.




So. Back to my original question.
Do you make art?

As you can probably tell, making art can dig up some emotions that are universally difficult for us to be with.

As fellow human beings, I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you which emotions are the least comfortable to experience and understand. But I have made brief list anyway.

sadness
shame
helplessness
anger
vulnerability
embarrassment
disappointment
frustration

These are universally icky. And they can make us feel very alone.

That’s where the therapeutic relationship comes in. Making art with someone who is attuned, who can give space and time to the artist or client to inquire into their art, real connections can be made.

These are connections between the therapist and the client and connections between various aspects within the client’s inner self.

These new inner and outer connections then bring a robust sense of individuality and wholeness to the client’s life and enable them to say themselves and to another “this is me”.