Rachel Ward, LMFT, ATR

Sometimes you don’t want to talk. Maybe that’s not your style. Sometimes not feeling good about yourself or your life requires creativity. Art Therapy can be described as the process of making art in a therapeutic setting, or as an at-home therapist-directed project, or as an intervention and part of the therapeutic process. Phew, that said a lot.

Art therapy with children is often a means to explore the inner worlds of those who may not have the words to express themselves verbally. The quality of artwork is not the issue, nor does one symbol or shape mean the same to everyone. Remember, you don’t need to be an “artist” to experience art therapy. We all possess creative potential, and frankly, those who consider themselves unartistic often create the most powerful and creative product. 

Some of my favorite work is art therapy with adults, whether they are “creatives” or not. Modern American life often leaves little room or encouragement to process the world this way. We don’t always have to just talk about it. We can create about it. There is a dormant aspect of you that has enormous potential if we let it. There are no mistakes in art therapy.