Art Therapy versus Therapeutic Art

Art by itself is a wonderful thing. It can bring calm, joy, catharsis, and so much more to the artist. Similar to reading a good book, playing a sport, or watching a movie, art can be therapeutic. By definition, therapeutic means to relate to healing, which is what many hobbies and passions bring to our own sense of identity and mental health. This therapeutic power that art has, along with the kinesthetic and sensory aspects of it, is what makes it such an incredible type of psychotherapy.

So what is the difference between therapy and something that is therapeutic? 

The biggest and most essential difference is that to engage in therapy, there must be a licensed clinician, a therapist who was trained in psychology, involved. For Art Therapy, the art therapist must be trained in the psychology behind art media, as well as traditional psychological theories and counseling techniques. Art has the power to reach our unconscious and bring feelings to the surface, which is why art has the potential to be such a powerful therapy and why it is important to have a licensed art therapist conducting the art therapy sessions. Art can enable someone to access feelings they would not be able to otherwise and work through them using the art materials and the support of the art therapist. Art Therapy creates a space for the client(s) to explore their mind, body, and soul via art making.

Engaging in an activity that makes us feel better is always a good thing. Making art for the soothing feeling it brings can be so beneficial in our everyday lives. Art is often a hobby for many people or even their profession. We engage in artmaking for many reasons, with one of them being a distraction. This is something I heard a lot when I was working in a children’s hospital from nurses and other medical staff. The children faced many physical and emotional challenges and I often was told to visit a certain child because they could use a distraction. While distraction can be useful at times, Art Therapy aims to explore the challenge to help the child build coping skills and process the circumstances they were facing. Therapeutic art is a great way for a child to spend time by themselves, with family, or even volunteers to get through each day, but Art Therapy is one of the ways a child can work through the many emotions they face as a result of their hospital admission

Common misconceptions

Oftentimes, when people hear “Art Therapy,” they think of a person sitting, helping, and teaching a child to make art. People think that it is simply arts and crafts to help someone feel better. Some might think that it is being able to sit down by themselves and color in a coloring book. However, this is not the case.

Art Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that addresses mental health struggles and life challenges in the same way a psychologist would, but with the addition of including art materials. A licensed art therapist is trained to assess and support a person through their mental illness or emotional struggles utilizing art as another way of communicating. The art becomes a metaphor to speak through, often forming a less intimidating method of looking at their problems. The art can be a way to discharge strong feelings and explore ones that are difficult to talk about. 

With that being said, I created the infographic above to help differentiate between Art Therapy and Therapeutic Art and address some of those misconceptions. Do you have a question or thought regarding this information? Feel free to contact me here.