Art Psychotherapy

What is Art Therapy?

Art Therapy definition: Art Psychotherapy is the process of creating art with the guidance and support of a professional art therapist and is a type of psychotherapy. Through the process of making art, clients can explore their inner world, develop greater self-awareness, express thoughts and feelings, access creativity and self-esteem, and better cope with stress. Art therapy has the advantage of using creative expression to navigate emotional challenges, particularly when verbal communication is difficult. Art therapy is accessible to all, regardless of artistic skill, and supports healing through a trauma-informed, person-centred approach. In a compassionate, non-judgmental environment, clients are seen, heard, and understood, fostering personal growth.

How Can Art Therapy Help?

Art therapy allows individuals to explore emotions, enhance self-awareness, and manage stress via artistic expression. There is no need to be ‘good at art’, a willingness to play with the art materials is all that’s required. Art therapy benefits children and young people who experience depression, anxiety, trauma and more.

Art Therapy for mental health

Mental health is the goal of art therapy. The benefits of art therapy are many – expression of emotions, self-expression, reduced stress and depression, increased self-esteem. Art Therapy is proven to be effective in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, bereavement, mental health diagnoses, as well as difficulties related to learning or physical disabilities, neurological conditions and physical illnesses.

The main benefit is the opportunity for self-expression without the pressure to use words. Sometimes a client cannot consciously access their emotions, and through artmaking their unconscious challenges and difficulties can be communicated, and then processed within the therapeutic experience. The therapeutic relationship is key to the process – being seen, heard and understood by a qualified Art Psychotherapist in a safe environment with carefully defined therapeutic boundaries is the basis to an effective and transformative outcome for the client.   

Making art is beneficial as it can lower cortisol levels – cortisol is the stress hormone released by the adrenal glands when you experience overwhelm. Art Therapy with a professional Art Psychotherapist can be a transformative way to express challenging emotions associated with trauma, as well as reduce pain and help relieve stress. Scientific research has shown that artmaking increases levels of dopamine (the happiness hormone) in the brain, and that dopamine serves to reduce anxiety and depression. Dopamine is part of the reward system in the brain and is important to understand in terms of supporting clients with ADHD, who may seek dopamine in general, perhaps in activities that might not be beneficial. Artmaking is a positive way of rewarding the brain, and in time the brain seeks creativity over negative coping strategies.

We also know that in clients with C/PTSD, artmaking can help to heal the pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for self-regulation, concentration, memory and learning. We offer CATT (Children’s Accelerated Trauma Therapy) which involves deeper work for those affected by PTSD and CPTSD (including developmental trauma).

Our specialism: Neurodiversity

We have expertise in supporting neurodivergent children and young people (ages 5-25). Many of these clients were emotionally vulnerable before the COVID-19 pandemic and are now facing heightened distress. They may be struggling with anxiety, low self-esteem, or an increased risk of self-harm. 

Our CEO Founder/Lead Art Psychotherapist Sue Hamilton-White started working with CYP in 1987 aged 16 when volunteering with Riding for the Disabled in the New Forest. As an art student, she became interested in how to increase access to the arts for neurodivergent young people.

Our approach is to support ND CYP to firstly be able to recognise their emotions. This may be done using PECs for pre-verbal clients or thinking about where emotions are felt in the body, for example using a body map (see video). This approach helps a client to begin to self-regulate. Sometimes a co-regulation approach is necessary with the family/care team working with the client alongside therapy. Our individualised approach means that emotions can be felt, safely expressed, and then processed using art materials and the therapeutic relationship.

Art Therapy near me

We work in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole areas, as well as online. We have a dedicated art therapy studio in Christchurch, and our art therapists also work in the community, in schools, alternative education provisions and other community settings.

Art Therapy Activities

We work in a directive and non-directive way. This means that clients always have the choice of working intuitively but are supported with directives (prompts) if they are stuck. Being faced with a large white piece of paper can be daunting, counterproductive or even traumatic for some. Sometimes an art therapist will carefully work alongside the client, this collaborative approach (also called companion art-making) is beneficial when a client needs support to get started and can help build the therapeutic relationship.

What is the role of the therapist in art therapy?

The process of art therapy is concerned with a ‘triangular relationship’ between the client, their artwork and the art psychotherapist. The role of the therapist is to provide a safe and boundaried space in which clients can explore their feelings, personal relationships, their challenges and difficulties. The art therapist acts both as a ‘safe container’ (in a safe/parental sense) and as a mirror, reflecting the clients experience, and asking them open ended questions such as ‘how do you feel about what you’ve made’? ‘Does your current feeling/artwork remind you of anything in your past/any relationships or experiences?

Examples of art therapy

The following examples are artwork made in sessions by our clients. As this work is confidential therapeutic material, we have written permission to anonymously reproduce artwork here. Video: AIR Courtesy of www.baat.org

Art therapy for trauma – Children’s Accelerated Trauma Technique (CATT)

Perhaps your child has experienced one or more traumatic events. The impact of trauma can have far-reaching negative impact on everyday life. Nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, irritability, hypervigilance, avoidance, sleep difficulties and feelings of isolation are common symptoms. As trauma specialists, we know that trauma can be overcome, and that post-traumatic growth is possible given the right therapeutic approach.

CATT is an integrative trauma-focused therapy that fuses cognitive behavioural theory with creative arts methods and human rights principles, creating a holistic child-centred intervention that helps children and adolescents overcome PTSD and complex trauma. Most trauma-focused therapies have been created for adults and then adapted for children and adolescents. But as young peoples’ mental and emotional capacities to process trauma memories are different to adults, that’s where CATT is different.

Developed alongside children and adolescents, CATT fits with UK NICE guidance (2018) and World Health Organization guidelines (2013) on treating children and adolescents with PTSD and complex trauma. CATT helps young people to process their traumatic memories in a safe, child-friendly way.

CATT For PTSD & Complex Trauma enhances our therapeutic practice to help children and adolescents heal from childhood trauma and reclaim a happier and more stable future.

Specially trained Art Psychotherapists are available to deliver a 12-part protocol specifically designed to transform your child’s experience of trauma and promote post-traumatic growth.

Art therapy for anxiety 

How does art therapy reduce anxiety? First of all, the client benefits from feeling heard and seen. The art therapist can help the client to express these feelings if words are too difficult, using art materials. We use various methods tailored to the individual’s need to support identification and processing of challenging feelings, informed by Polyvagal, Somatic, and Attachment Theories. Often body-mapping is upside as a technique to support a client to identify where in the body the anxiety (or other dominant feeling) is held. Then using colour, the art materials can support identification and processing. A client might be encouraged to make another body image of how they might like to feel, and a range of sensory regulation strategies can be created to help reduce the anxiety and promote wellbeing. Processing the cause of the anxiety is the next important step, and often involves looking at the client’s relationships and past/current experiences.

Our fully qualified and insured HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapists offer individual sessions and art therapy groups.

What does it cost?

We are continuously fundraising to increase access to therapy for CYP. We may have funding available to discount fees payable privately. Please contact us to discuss your individual situation.

How do I refer?

Contact us below to make a referral. We will then get in touch with you to arrange a free online consultation to learn more about how we can support your child/young person’s needs.