Art Therapy 101: Types, Health Benefits, and How to Find a Certified Art Therapist

To cope with everyday stressors, you might consider tapping into your artistic side. Self-expression through painting, drawing, sculpting, music, or other forms of visual art may enhance your focus, mood, and more.

Creating art may have been a daily practice when you were a child, but as we get older we tend to put pressure on art needing to be “good” to be worthwhile. However, when used as a therapeutic technique under the guidance of a licensed practitioner, it’s not what you make that matters, but rather the potential healing benefits it may provide.

Read on to learn more about art therapy, how it works, and how to find a therapist near you.

What Is Art Therapy?

Expressive therapies, or creative arts therapies, are umbrella terms for several forms of therapies, including music therapy, dance therapy, drama therapy, writing therapy, and art therapy — all of which aim to foster a patient-therapist relationship using a creative-expressive process as an avenue for growth and change, according to a recent editorial in Frontiers in Psychology.

Art therapy, specifically, is a form of psychotherapy that relies on art-making and the creative process to access and address physiological and psychological health concerns, per Psychology.org. In art therapy sessions, clinicians use artistic mediums like painting, drawing, sculpting, weaving, collage, and even scribbling to help patients process emotions and promote self-expression.

The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) describes art therapy as the use of integrative methods that engage the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone. It may be effective in large or small groups, or one-on-one sessions. However, unlike DIY art creation, art therapy is guided by a licensed professional.

Per AATA’s outcomes-based research, art therapy may help address a variety of health concerns, including mood disorders like anxiety and depression; communication and learning disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and cerebral palsy; neurocognitive disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI), though more research is needed.

Anecdotal benefits shared by AATA therapists include helping patients work through domestic abuse, navigating identity or sexual orientation, dealing with natural disasters or displacement from home or country, and managing major life transitions.

“People were making art and recognized it made them feel good and understood themselves in a different way for thousands of years,” says Michael Galarraga, a licensed counselor and board-certified art therapist based in Philadelphia.

According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History humans were creating musical instruments and two- and three-dimensional images of the world around them 40,000 years ago.

Mandalas, or geometric configurations of symbols, often created with sand or other materials, are an example of art used in Eastern healing, spiritual, and religious rituals.

The conventional idea of art therapy was developed in Western Europe and North America in the 1940s, says Galarraga, after successful use in mental health institutions.

“It’s a relatively new field in the sense it didn’t get named until the 1940s and 1950s, and didn’t get organized in the U.S. or U.K. until the 1960s,” adds Judith Rubin, PhD, a licensed counselor and board-certified art therapist, and licensed psychologist and faculty member of the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Society and Institute in Pennsylvania.

Art therapy is now entering another evolution with the arrival of brain imaging to help support and guide its potential effectiveness, notes Dr. Rubin.

Art therapy uses creative expression to tap into your inner thoughts, feelings, and experiences and possibly transform difficult emotional and physical conditions. Unlike talk therapy, art therapy bypasses the limitations of language and instead relies on kinesthetic, sensory, perceptual, and symbolic tools, according to AATA.

Art therapy isn’t about diagnosing what’s “wrong” with someone, says Rubin. It aims to focus on what’s working well in a constructive way. Adding creation of art as a way for patients to potentially access and process feelings may bring a pleasurable, or potentially healing component to therapy, says Rubin. “I think of it like sugarcoating the pill: It relieves some of the unpleasantness of having to look at and think about painful things,” she says, of her clinical experience.

The right hemisphere of the brain is generally associated with creativity, but there are other regions involved, including the frontal cortex (the front-part of the brain), hippocampus (the part of the brain linked to memory), and basal ganglia (responsible for motor learning and emotions), per a past article.

According to a past study, art therapy recruits several brain functions involved with creativity, from cognition to the sensorimotor system to emotions and intuition.

This creation feeds neuroplasticity, explains Rubin.

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change, modify, and adapt itself in response to experiences or stimulus, per StatPearls. Synapses can begin to fire, repairing or rerouting standard responses. For instance, if you have a long-standing fear of spiders, your nervous system might enact a route response to tense up or panic if you see one. Through positive neuroplasticity work, you may be able to retrain your brain to observe but not react to a spider. The science of this type of brain rewiring is the basis of many mental health endeavors: overcoming trauma and changing behavior.

In an article published in May 2019 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, researchers from Indiana University’s Department of Neurology and Drexel University’s Department of creative arts therapies concluded that art promotes positive neuroplasticity by “evoking emotions and imagination, stimulating cognition, and enabling communication.”

Visual art involves creations that you can see, and there are many mediums to choose from during a therapeutic setting. Here are a handful of options your therapist might encourage you to consider using during a session, among others:

• Painting
• Drawing
• Collage
• Sculpture
• Weaving
• Scribbling
• Visual journaling

Though practitioners have praised art therapy for a variety of health benefits for decades, to date, there has been little scientific research in this evolving complementary therapy field. However, some anecdotal findings may highlight possible perks worth considering.

May Relieve Stress

Some research suggests that working with art in a therapeutic setting may help soothe stress.

The authors of one systematic review published in February 2018 in Behavioral Sciences of creative arts interventions, which includes art therapy, evaluated 37 studies with 2,136 total participants (mostly women). They found that in 81 percent of studies, participants reported feeling significant stress reduction after art, music, dance/movement, or drama therapy, and that these types of expression therapies may be useful interventions for stress management and prevention.

Another small past uncontrolled study found that just 45 minutes of art-making helped reduce cortisol levels (a stress hormone) in 75 percent of participants. However, more research is needed to better understand the possible link between therapeutic art sessions and how they correlate to stress levels.

May Enhance Self-Worth and Self-Image

Art therapy may be a powerful tool for some to boost their inner worth and image. According to the Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association, art therapy may help promote self-expression, feelings, and emotions as well as a sense of personal independence, self-reliance, and self-sufficiency.

Past research found that art therapy practices may enhance the emotional, physical, and cognitive development of child and adult patients with chronic illness, physical challenges, and cancer. Though again, more research is needed.

May Improve Trauma Processing for People With PTSD

Research is limited in people with PTSD who use art therapy as a healing technique. However, a small past controlled trial found that art therapy, in conjunction with cognitive processing therapy (CPT), improved overall trauma processing in 11 combat veterans.

Some traumatic memories can be stored nonverbally, so the use of this type of therapeutic tool possibly allowed for deeper and fuller emotional processing, note the authors. All of the veterans who participated in art therapy reported that they were able to recover blocked memories or gain crucial realizations that moved their healing process forward, though more research is needed to better understand the potential relationship between art therapy and PTSD.

May Improve Anxiety and Depression

Focusing on creating art, under the guidance of a therapist, may help ease some symptoms of certain mood disorders.

One systematic review published in August 2021 in Frontiers in Psychology evaluated 413 studies concerning the effectiveness of art therapy in anxiety and depression. The authors found that art therapy may be effective in helping patients with mental health disorders open up and share their feelings, views, and experiences. In addition to conventional medical testing, art therapy may also help medical specialists gather more information about the patients they aim to diagnose.

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Art therapy is widely considered a nonharmful and safe expressive intervention, however, there are a few caveats to be aware of.

Galarraga warns if a patient doesn’t have a list of things they want to process or work through, art therapy could potentially cause unexpected or distressing sensory triggers. He says, in his opinion, it’s important to set an intention for your session to avoid this. (It also helps the therapist select the right artistic medium for you, he adds.)

If you find that art therapy may be worsening your symptoms, discuss this with your therapist, or healthcare practitioner, to determine if art therapy is a good fit for you.

Many experts agree: pretty much anyone can potentially benefit from art therapy. “I wish it was better known,” says Rubin. “It’s very effective [for many patients],” from her clinical experience.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed in daily life, you could consider trying art therapy, and remember, it’s not about being “good” at art.

“A common misconception is that art therapy is for people that are artistically inclined,” says Galarraga. “Art therapy isn’t necessarily about the product, it’s more so trying to use a different method or vehicle for healing.”

Other specific groups who might benefit from art therapy, per our experts interviewed, include:

• People who are reluctant to try talk therapy: This could include people with trauma who don’t want to verbally discuss it with a therapist, or who feel anxiety when considering exploring other conventional psychotherapeutic approaches.
• People who haven’t found success in talk therapy: Galarraga says individuals who have been in talk therapy — no matter how short or how long — and who have plateaued and are looking to explore different methods of expressing themselves might try art therapy.
• Nonverbal patients: This could include folks with autism, cerebral palsy, or Parkinson’s disease.
• People with physical limitations: People who are blind, deaf, or experience paralysis can also participate with art therapy. It may provide a creative outlet and therapeutic accommodations can be made for any ability type.
• Children: Per the Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association, art therapy may help a child work through difficult experiences because it can allow verbal and nonverbal communication of emotions that might otherwise be suppressed. “Most children are eager to use our materials, and you don’t [usually] have to persuade them,” Rubin adds. “When it comes to adolescents and adults [therapists may] have to explain it.”
• Families, couples, and groups: Art therapy doesn’t have to happen one-on-one. In fact, when multiple people are asked to draw their version of the same prompt, many possibly helpful insights can arise.

Rubin mentions one group of people who might not do well with art therapy is, ironically, artists. She says, in her experience, some artists can get too caught up in making “good” art and feel blocked from the therapeutic process.

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy, so it’s essential to work with a qualified practitioner — it’s an accredited and board-certified field where practitioners must complete graduate-level coursework and glean practical, supervised clinical experience before they can treat patients.

When searching for a provider, look for ATR (registered art therapist) or ATR-BC (board-certified art therapist) credentials. You can also use AATA’s directory or Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB)’s search tool to find certified practitioners near you.

Before your therapy session, you’ll meet with your provider to discuss your goals, needs, health concerns, and medical history to establish a regimen that’s tailored to you.

At your first session, your therapist will help you select an art medium based on your goals, current emotional state, and particular strengths. You may utilize different types of media from session to session, and your therapist will explain some ideas for how to create art using specific techniques.

During sessions, art-making is combined with various emotional-processing techniques (from speaking to silence). Galarraga says he’s used everything from seemingly meaningless scribbles to images of a favorite cultural icon to align his patients’ artistic processes with their emotions and feelings.

The therapy session itself will likely involve integration or debriefing work to bring learnings into your life afterward. “There’s a doing component and then a reflective period once art has been created,” says Rubin.

Best Websites

Art Therapy Credentials Boars (ATCB)

ATCB lists all many accredited art therapists in one place. Search by location or certification type to find a therapist near you.

American Art Therapy Association (AATA)

AATA is one of the world’s leading art therapy membership associations with nearly 5,000 members. Its website includes lots of informational resources about art therapy, as well as events and conferences, some of which are open to the public.

NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative

This is a collaborative group, in partnership with Johns Hopkins International Arts and Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, and the Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine, and Society Program, which focuses on collecting cutting-edge science and information that quantifiably shows the effect of expressive arts on the brain. Here, it posts new data and the latest findings.

Best Books

Expressive Therapies Continuum: A Framework for Using Art in Therapy

This clinical book explains how art therapy may impact the brain. An essential reference guide to art therapy, it includes clinical details and case studies meant for students and practitioners.

Inward Journey — Art as Therapy

Published in 1985, this brief read may seem dated, but according to Galarraga, it’s still a relevant and useful resource to help explain how and why art therapy may impact your healing journey, especially for those new to expressive therapeutic approaches.

Best Videos

Sand Mandalas

Recordings of this stunning, and perhaps inspiring art practice by certain spiritual groups can be found with a quick YouTube search. Videos show time lapses of mandalas being created and then destroyed (a physical and visual representation of the process of letting go).