Art in Therapy: A Powerful Medium for Expression, Exploration, and Healing
Written by Sierra Lauber, PhD, Postdoctoral Psychologist
Art has a unique ability to reach parts of ourselves that words often cannot. Art in therapy can serve as a powerful medium for expression, exploration, and healing. For clients across the lifespan, art can facilitate a new way of seeing emotions or past experiences, and may help externalize thoughts that are difficult to express aloud. The physical act of making art turns internal experiences into something visible and tangible, allowing clients to translate feelings into form. This process then becomes something the client and therapist can explore together, helping the client build insight, make meaning, and better understand themselves in ways that may not have been possible through talking alone.
Art can help a person better understand how they view themselves in the context of the world. It often becomes a catalyst for conversation, leading to insights that may not have surfaced through talking alone. It offers a way to communicate experiences when words are unavailable or insufficient. On the surface, drawing, painting, collage, or clay work may be mistaken as mere arts and crafts. In reality, these creative processes can profoundly deepen therapeutic engagement. Clients’ artwork may capture something they want to remember, work through, release, or reclaim. The act of creating that image, and deciding what happens to it, can intensify the emotional weight and meaning of the work in ways words alone cannot.
In fact, emerging research suggests that engaging in creative processes like art-making may support the neuroplasticity, or more simply, the brain’s ability to rewire and adapt. This is especially relevant in the mental health field because emerging neuroscience suggests persons struggling with mental health conditions such as depression or PTSD experience disruptions in neuroplasticity, influencing the brains ability to recover from stress. Consequently, there is a growing body of cross disciplinary experts interested in ways creative therapeutic interventions may offer a biologically plausible path toward healing.
All of that emphasized, integrating art into therapy can offer benefits for all ages. This is especially important for adults, who often lose touch with play and creativity as responsibilities grow. Using art in therapy can safely reintroduce these elements in a way that feels accessible. It is not about being an artist; it is about engaging in a process that fosters emotional growth, reflection, and stress relief. Just as play therapy helps children process through play, creative expression can promote healing across the lifespan.
Of course, there are several ways to facilitate therapeutic growth and one of the most critical factors is client and therapist alignment throughout the process. Often times, we see this integrated as a therapy method with children because art is often readily enjoyed. However, for any adults interested but who may be hesitant, I encourage you to remember that art, and its benefits, are for everyone.
Note: Art Therapy is an evidenced-based, specialized discipline requiring specific training. I am not an Art Therapist, I am a Counseling Psychologist who uses evidence-based therapy in my practice and integrate art as a modality to facilitate and deepen the use of the evidenced based practices I am trained in. Art within therapy to support therapeutic goals, facilitate processing, and deepen the work we do together.