Art Psychotherapy is a psychological treatment that uses art making to help people express, share and understand their thoughts and feelings in a safe, contained space. The overall aim is to help clients to explore their emotions and experiences to bring about change, to improve mental health and promote well-being. Who can benefit from Art Psychotherapy? Anyone can benefit from Art Psychotherapy, no prior artistic skills are needed, because the emotional experience of making art is the important bit not just the finished product. Art Psychotherapy can help people of all ages within a variety of settings; hospitals, hospices, prisons, care homes, community based clinics and schools. It can be delivered as group therapy or on a one to one basis. Anyone can benefit from Art Psychotherapy, whatever their mental health issue is. People from any culture, background and abilities can have Art Psychotherapy. Art Psychotherapy can help process thoughts, emotions and behaviours and learn new ways of coping with life's stresses. It is a great way to explore and improve relationships and understanding others. Art Psychotherapy uses the process of creating art to make the communication of difficult feelings or trauma, feel safer. It helps people develop a stronger sense of self and improve confidence and self esteem. It can help develop and discover new coping methods and improve emotional resilience for the future. Art Therapy gives access to psychological therapy for people who are not able to communicate verbally for physiological or emotional reasons. Arts therapies can help process deeply traumatic experiences in a safe and contained way, reducing anxiety through the use of metaphor and the multi-sensory nature of art making. It can help better understanding of, and cope with, feelings of loss and grief by helping to restore hope, meaning and purpose. It is a great way of helping carers and frontline care staff deal with re-traumatisation and prevent “burnout”
Art Psychotherapy, like other health professionals such as psychologists and occupational therapists are required to be fully qualified and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). They are therefore subject to strict standards for training, professional skills, ongoing professional development, ethics and conduct. The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) is a professional body for Art Therapists and Art Psychotherapists. Further information about Art Psychotherapy can be found on their website www.baat.org .
