Are you curious about Creative Arts Therapy?
Wondering if this might be the right fit for you?
Here’s The Messy Truth’s guide on this exciting approach to therapy!
“Creativity involves the depth of a mind, and many, many depths of unconsciousness” – Oliver Sacks
What is Creative Arts Therapy? And, how is it different from traditional therapy?
“Art therapy is a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of individuals of all ages,” as stated by The American Art Therapy Association.
Creative arts therapy is a valuable approach to mental health treatment. When it’s hard to find the words for what you’re going through, it can help you express yourself through the imaginative process and creative mediums involved in art making.
Unlike traditional talk-therapy, this practice offers innovative solutions to therapeutic issues by using the power of non-verbal communication, artistic process and creative decision making.
Through personally driven and individually focused sessions, your therapist can guide you towards a journey of self awareness and discovery, while learning how to deal with life’s obstacles.
Who can benefit?
Creative arts therapists offer non threatening experiences for individuals to confront and cope with life challenges. This type of therapy provides a safe and supportive environment that enables and encourages self-expression and development.
This is why there’s a common misconception that art therapy is only for kids…
The fact is that adults can benefit greatly from a practice that moves out of the more logic-driven rooms in our brain and encourages the re-experience of the brave play and honesty of childhood.
Research findings and clinical observations attest to the positive outcomes that can result from creative arts therapy. This approach has been suggested to be particularly effective for people who may be resistive to other treatment methods, especially those who find it difficult to communicate verbally. Here you can learn more about who can benefit from creative arts therapy (link to said blog post).
What would we do in a session?
Art therapists are trained to facilitate the appropriate materials and methods to help you express yourself and guide you towards a fuller life.
Part of the beauty of art therapy is that only you get to decide what you made with the space, time and tools. Your therapist is in the room to provide you with guidance and questions for understanding your work.
Here at The Messy Truth, you are the captain of our ship, and you’ll decide where we’ll go.
Sessions where art-making is used, we might paint, draw, weave, or make collages together. Yes, even if you’re not a skilled artist!
Using art in therapy isn’t about creating something perfect. It’s about letting go of control and getting curious about what comes out. Your therapist will draw from their training to ask questions about what you made and use it to help guide the discussion.
If you’d prefer to approach our work together through traditional talk therapy, we can do that! Or, if you’d like to dive into art as a way of processing what you’re going through, we can do that, too. Some days may be a blend of both.
The bottom line? Our sessions will be what we make them together.
Want to know more about what a session looks like? Read about it here. (link to said blog post)
What are the benefits?
Creative arts therapy is a valuable treatment option to help you manage stress, trauma, anxiety, grief, or something else you might be dealing with.
Creative arts therapy is used to foster self-esteem and self-awareness, boost emotional expression, cultivate emotional resilience, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress. Research suggests that it also contributes to improving cognitive and sensory-motor functions, enhancing social skills and advancing societal and ecological change.
The Messy Truth is a Brooklyn-based creative arts therapy practice that can help you get the thoughts out of your head and into your hands.
We would be honored to come alongside you and help you do the work of unpacking life’s experiences. To get started, please sign up for a free 20-minute teletherapy consultation.
