Learning how to identify, process, and effectively express emotions is a significant part of receiving professional treatment. While therapists may use a wide range of techniques and approaches to help clients name and tame their emotions, talk therapy is often not enough. Art therapy is one of many additional tools a therapist may use to help individuals interpret, explore, and resolve difficult thoughts and emotions during recovery. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of art therapy for your daughter, you’ve come to the right place.

At Clearview, we utilize a variety of experiential and expressive treatment approaches to help our students work through problematic emotions and behaviors. Art therapy is commonly used at our facility to offer students a tangible way to visualize and process what they are experiencing. We know that words do not always convey the strength of the emotions we feel. Thus we utilize art therapy as a way for students to better express themselves, express their creativity, and experience greater well-being.

Understanding Art Therapy

An article published in Frontiers in Psychology explains that art therapy is a therapeutic approach to psychotherapy that relies on using art media to convey, express, and communicate an individual’s internal experiences. During an art therapy session, a student may utilize a variety of art materials as media. These mediums include but are not limited to:

  • Sculpting
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Writing
  • Singing
  • Creating visual art

Other non-physical art forms can also be considered part of art therapy, including:

  • Music therapy
  • Dance or movement therapy
  • Drama therapy

Exploring Artistic Creations With a Professional

As explained in the journal article mentioned above, “The development of art therapy comes partly from the artistic expression of the belief in unspoken things, and partly from the clinical work of art therapists in the medical setting with various groups of patients.” In this context, art can be used to communicate ideas and feelings, create a sense of beauty, flex the imagination, and stimulate new thinking patterns. Those are only a few of the benefits.

Meanwhile, both during and after the creation of a specific art media form, a licensed mental health professional will ask the students questions. These questions will encourage them to reflect on what they have created and how it makes them feel.

Students may even be encouraged to create a story about their art form, helping them to relate it to their greater life journey. For example, if a student paints a picture, the mental health therapist may ask, “If you were to step into this painting, where would you go?” Additionally, a therapist may turn the students’ attention to their internal sensations, asking, “What life experience does this art form depict for you?”

The Benefits of Art Therapy Modalities

As with any approach to treatment and recovery, different creative modalities will produce different results for participants. In general, however, the medical journal Cureus highlights that art therapy “can aid in controlling manifestations correlated with psychosocially challenging behaviours, slowing cognitive decline, and enhancing the quality of life.” Further, the American Art Therapy Association identifies the following as the main functions of art therapy:

  • Improving cognitive awareness and sensorimotor functions
  • Fostering self-esteem and self-awareness
  • Cultivating emotional resilience
  • Promoting insight
  • Enhancing social skills
  • Reducing and resolving conflict and distress
  • Promoting societal and ecological changes

For example, engaging in art modalities like painting can help to alleviate anxiety by encouraging a student to focus their attention not just on the present moment but on one particular place. As students become more confident in their ability to accurately foster ideas into art forms, they increase their self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Ultimately, they can transfer these strengths into many areas of their lives.

Likewise, writing can also help to reduce stress in similar ways. Yet, writing can also improve a student’s ability to put their emotions into words over time. This can cultivate the sense of self-awareness and mental clarity needed to successfully sustain recovery long term.

Clearview Horizon’s Use of Expressive Modalities Like Art Therapy

At Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, art therapy is one of many expressive modalities we use to help our students focus on the present moment and connect with their internal experiences more intentionally. Students also participate in a variety of outdoor and recreational events during their stay at our facility. Meanwhile, faith life remains an important aspect of our program. We recognize how valuable one’s faith can be to ensuring a holistic recovery from the things each student is working through.

If your daughter is struggling with mental, emotional, or behavioral health issues, we have the tools and resources she needs to establish lasting wellness in her life. Allow us to support and guide her on her road to recovery.

Art therapy involves the use of art media to convey, process, and explore internal thoughts and emotions. Used alongside psychotherapy, art therapy offers an opportunity for students to engage in creative expression. They can then reflect about what their art represents or how it makes them feel. As a result, art therapy can provide a wide range of benefits for students healing from mental, emotional, and behavioral health concerns. At Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, we incorporate art therapy into anyone’s treatment plan who desires it. We also strongly encourage it in order to help open up the door to new ways of thinking and behaving. If your daughter is struggling, reach out to us to learn more by calling 866-584-4788.