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Who Uses Art Therapy?
Anyone can use art therapy. Art therapy can effectively treat people of all ages. Anyone from groups or communities to individuals to familes to people in all sorts of relationships can use art as therapy.
Common uses of art therapy
Common uses of art therapy include, but are not limited to, the following:
- People under lots of stress or pressure may use art as therapy.
- Managers and/or staff may be someone who uses art therapy.
- Someone who has mental health problems uses art therapy.
- Someone with learning disabilities or difficulties can use art as therapy.
- Children or young adults having problems in school can use art therapy.
- Kids, teenagers, or adults with personal problems can benefit from using art therapy.
- People with more serious issues can make use of art therapy…For example, people with autism, brain injuries, eating disorders, cancer, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, etc.
- Someone who believes they are problem-free and simply would like to explore themselves more deeply can be someone who uses art therapy.
As you can see, anyone can use art therapy…and anyone who uses art therapy is capable of benefiting from it in some way. There are benefits from simply using the arts as a creative outlet in one’s life, regardless of whether you are seeing an art therapist. Now obviously, there are going to be strong advantages to seeing an art therapist as opposed to someone who is using art therapy alone. At that point, it’s probably not technically called art therapy. But hey, if it’s therapeutic for you to draw or paint a few times a week (without an art therapist), then I would consider that therapy. Sure, it’s not “professional” therapy, but who says art therapy always has to be professional?
5 Responses to “Who Uses Art Therapy?”
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[…] stress disorders, regular ‘ol stress, and even a new way to self-discovery. Read more about what art therapy is and who uses art […]
I encourage readers to consult with the American Art Therapy Association and the Art Therapy Credentials Board for an official definition of the profession of art therapy and appropriate use of the term “art therapist”. Art therapists, all of whom are masters level professionals, have taken graduate level instruction in psychology and art therapy in order to practice. They are bound by a code of ethics, coduct research and practice in clinical and non-clinical settings. Many have also received board certification by taking a national art therapy certification exam and may have other licenses such as Licensed Professional Counselor or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. In addition, all are required to have taken at least 18 hours of studio art. For more information, see atcb.org and arttherapy.org
@P. Black I plan on adding to the Resources section of this site, but for now, there is a list of the art therapy associations in the U.S., including a link to the American Art Therapy Association.
i just found out ,about this profession, and i love it! it seems like my ideal career! i seem to do art therapy on people all the time when they are stressed out and children ,when they miss there parents and when they are sad , and i feel more connected to people that way too..and it makes me feel good at the same time…
That’s great Erica! Glad to hear you’ve found something you love.
Career Advice, anyone??
Last fall I received my MA Counseling Psych. and through those internships, realized that I don’t want to be a ‘typical’ counselor. I’ve recently learned about the field of art therapy and can’t get enough learning about it! (Too bad I didn’t learn about it before I started my MA.)
The only way for me to become an independently practicing art therapist (in CA) is to get licensed as a MFT; which means to go through 2yrs supervised internships (in addition to enrolling in post-MA art therapy cert.). That is exactly what I don’t want to do, counseling internships.
Should I just suck it up for the next 2yrs to get the license to practice? If I’m going to enroll in the post-MA cert., why don’t I enroll in a PhD if it’d only be another 2yrs? Any thoughts??
(Thanks in advance - I’m stuck with what move to make next.) -B.T.