We are uninvited settlers occupying the stolen, territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Qayqayt, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples. Our relationship with these lands dictates our commitment to understanding the ongoing impacts of colonization and decolonizing our practices in and out of the counselling room.
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Art Therapy relaxes the nervous system by engaging all your senses. Through the process of art-making, you experience a shift from your sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system; this is what helps your body self-regulate, reduce anxiety, regain control, integrate acceptance of self and turn your executive functioning back online.
Art Therapy provides a unique avenue for self-expression and exploration, allowing you to access and process emotions that may be difficult to verbalize. Through various artistic mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpting, or collage, your therapist supports you in externalizing your inner experiences and gain new insights into your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This creative process can be particularly beneficial for you if you’re not finding much forward movement with traditional talk therapy or find it challenging to articulate your emotions.
Each medium of art making holds a different somatic experience for emotional processing. For example, working with clay can be grounding and help release tension, while painting allows for fluid expression of emotions. Collage work can aid in piecing together fragmented thoughts or memories. Your therapist will guide you in choosing the most appropriate medium based on your needs and goals.
The most important thing to remember about art-based practices in therapy is that it's not about the artwork itself. There's no skill level required to engage in art-based practices, in fact, the more organic the piece is the better! By combining the creative process and psychotherapy, art helps you self-explore through a level of unconscious meaning-making that inaccessible through talk therapy alone. The best thing, art-based practices are beneficial for any problem you might be experiencing!
For more information about Art-Based Practices and how they can benefit you, check out these links below:
In a typical art therapy session, you'll be invited to engage in creative activities tailored to your needs and goals. Your therapist will guide you through the process, offering prompts or themes to explore. As you create, you and your therapist will discuss your artwork, feelings, and insights that arise. Your therapist may ask questions to help you reflect on your creation and its meaning. Sessions often end with a discussion of insights and how it relates to what you were processing together.
If you are accessing art therapy sessions virtually, your therapist will explore with you the different forms of materials and how it may relate to a somatic experience of processing. Please have these materials with you as you engage in future sessions.
As with all therapies, there are potential impacts to be aware of. General considerations specific to Art Therapy include temporary emotional discomfort through exploring deep-seated feelings, accessing vulnerability, and worries around perfectionism. Your therapist will help guide you through these potential impacts and support you in developing resources to mitigate them as you’re moving forward with sessions.
Our Expressive Arts practitioners have specialized training in art therapy approaches. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to book a free consult with one of our therapists!
