Many types of therapy can make a difference in your daughter’s life. It is important to find a care facility that offers a variety of treatments so you can find the one that truly helps your daughter. At Clearview, we believe in providing multiple types of treatments for each girl who comes to us. Within these options, we know we can find something that successfully relieves your daughter’s problems. One thing we encourage in particular is self-expression as an avenue for healing. More specifically, we know how art and its creation have helped many of our students to go on to live better lives.
We want each girl who stays with us to develop the skills she needs to make recovery a primary focus in her life. Art and self-expression can be used to access deeper parts of the mind and uncover truths for therapeutic advancement. Expressive mediums encourage a connection to one’s emotions and inner reflection.
The practice of using art to produce healing can make a big difference in your daughter’s recovery. Artistic expression can also give your daughter a set of healthy coping skills to help her get through rough times.
How Art Makes a Difference
Art has been used in therapy for a long time. A 2022 research review published in the journal Cureus outlines the history of the role of art in therapy. The authors write, “Looking back into history, thousands of years ago, people were practising and dependent on the arts for self-expression, healing and communication.”
Throughout time, creating objects has been a form of cathartic expression, often involving making something with one’s hands. Even ancient people knew that manipulating artistic materials for self-expression could be very cathartic. Using artistic materials and modes can also provide something to focus on as a person works through difficult mental health struggles.
Art also allows for changes to be made internally. Creating with one’s hands and heart makes it easier to connect to emotions. When your daughter uses art therapy, it will allow her to look more deeply within herself. To create, a person must access a deeper part of the brain and connect the emotions to the physical. Connecting to one’s creative side also activates the emotional left side of the brain. Creating provides an emotional outlet and a vehicle for self-expression.
Self-Expression in Recovery
Being able to express oneself can make a big difference, especially for teenagers. If your daughter struggles with mental health and/or addiction, she likely feels misunderstood and isolated. Working toward recovery requires working through those deep and painful experiences. Art allows a girl a chance to engage in self-expression so she can overcome a sense of isolation. This self-expression will allow your daughter to reconnect with herself and others, helping her to feel less alone.
Sometimes people also find that as they are in recovery, they feel that recovery becomes all they are or they focus on. This can become dreary and make a person feel trapped. Self-expression encourages an enlivening focus on the healthy exploration of self. Instead of engaging in unhealthy behavior or with unhealthy friends trying to find out about herself, your daughter will have the option to create.
Self-expression also encourages confidence growth. Your daughter can turn her negative feelings into positive cathartic experiences that others can appreciate. Artistic expression can enhance a girl’s sense of self and open up new horizons to her.
How Art Therapy Is Used Alongside Talk Therapy
Art therapy used alongside regular talk therapy can provide a plethora of help to our students who are struggling. An article published in Frontiers in Psychology explains that art therapy can be “defined by the British Association of Art Therapists as: ‘a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication.’” The definition continues: “‘The overall goal of its practitioners is to enable clients to change and grow on a personal level through the use of artistic materials in a safe and convenient environment.’”
Therapists may use artistic expression to help clients delve more deeply into their feelings and experiences than previously. The forum gives students a safe space to express possibly otherwise very negative emotions and work through them in a healthy way. Art is a healthy coping mechanism that teens can turn to instead of substances or acts of self-harm. Creating art allows there to be a space without judgment where the student alone is the creator. Finding a therapist that encourages this expression is integral to offering adequate recovery options for your daughter.
At Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, we offer many types of therapy for each student, including art therapy. As a facility, we want to find a way to best assist her in reaching her goals. Our goal is to find a way to help your daughter release anything that’s keeping her stuck and help her become as healthy as she can be. Allowing her a space in therapy for cathartic release will help her to make the long-term changes needed for a full and lasting recovery.
When you begin to look at treatment options for your daughter, you want to pick the option that will encourage the most healing. Finding a facility that offers various types of therapy and avenues for healing will ensure that she find the best way to achieve well-being. Artistic expression is encouraged, and this healing modality can make a significant difference in her recovery. Artistic creation encourages self-expression, healthy coping skills, and working through difficult thoughts and emotions. Making art becomes a safe way to explore therapeutic content and alleviate her deepest fears. If you think that artistic release could help your daughter in her recovery, get in touch with Clearview Horizon today at 866-584-4788.
