What is Art Therapy?

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Art therapy is a sensory based therapy utilizing art materials, process of art making, and counselling in a safe environment to promote emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health. Art therapy is a gentle way to begin working on an issue if the problem seems insurmountable, overwhelming, or when words are just not enough. In a practical sense, art therapy can do some of the following, but is not limited to:

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• Gain deeper understanding and insight of the self and personal issues;

• Increases awareness and understanding of the mind and body relationship;.

• Ability to express thoughts/feelings too difficult to talk about;

• Develops creativity and self-expression;

• Develops healthy coping skills, direction, and focus;

• Increases self-esteem and confidence;

• Solve problems and conflict;

• Ability to engage and connect in a nurturing environment;

• Ability to identify feelings and blocks to emotional expression;

• Ability to identify limited belief and reinforcing patterns;

• Ability to decipher healthy and sustainable behaviours;

• Ability to heal past psychological and/or emotional wounds;

• Ability to re-create new beliefs and experience that nourish personal growth and fulfilment;

• Re-ignites and connects the individuals sense of awakening to life;

• Development of intuition;

• Relaxation and stress reduction;

• Boundary making;

• Can address social concern;

• Can address physiological and emotional trauma;

• Can address abuse;

• Can address family dynamics;

• Providing Self-Care tools;

• Assessment tool for child development;

• Ability to identify early attachment patterns and re-create new     healthy self-regulating habits; and

• Rehabilitation for substance abuse

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Who can benefit?

 

Everyone!.... and persons struggling with:​

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• Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional)

• Addiction

• Anorexia/bulimia

• Anxiety

• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

• Chronic Illness

• Developmental Disabilities

• Family Changes

• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

• Grief and loss

• Identity

• Learning Disabilities

• Medical Conditions

• Mental illness

• Military personnel

• Muteness

• Neglect

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Trauma (recent or childhood)

• Persons with aversion to therapy

• Mental health professionals

         

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Materials Used  

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• Natural objects found in the environment: sticks, stones, wood bark, flowers, moss, sea shells.    

• Clay

• Collage materials

• Paint: acrylic, water based, water colour, Indian/Chinese ink. Fabric: leather, cotton, silk, etc.

• String and wire

• Decorative materials, Sparkles, gems, pompoms, sequence, balloons  

• Drawing tools: pencil, pencils crayons, charcoal, felt, graphite

• Glue: white glue and hot glue

• Paper, canvas board, Cardboard, wood

• Scissors =

• Developmentally, culturally, and age appropriate materials.   ​