About Art Psychotherapy
What is Art Therapy?
"Art therapy" began to grow as a profession in UK and the US since the mid-20th century. The term was coined by a British artist, Adrian Hill in 1942. Today, another professional term "art psychotherapy" is also used to describe the same profession, sharing the same meaning.
Art & Psychology:
Back to the time in the early 20th century, the development on psychology and art movements had provided a right climate for the birth of art therapy. Thanks to Freud and Jung’s theory on the unconscious, with new artistic expressions and movements from Expressionism and Surrealism, it is not hard to imagine they all gave way to the use of art as a subjective/ personal expression of our internal world. 
Why using Visual Art?
We mostly use our body and sensory (visual, audio, touch, smell and taste) to explore the world, which can involve a lot of raw and non-verbal materials that we have received, but yet to be processed, or sometimes being forgotten. It could be hard for us to express them only through words especially when they were related to our adverse experiences or extreme emotional states. Therefore, going back to our body and sensory can help us to retrieve emotional experiences in a more effactive way.
Seeing is a way of knowing. Since visual has taken up to more than 80% of our overall sensory input and is also a direct visual experience from our subjective angle of perspective, making use of art therapy with visual elements (colours, shapes, symbols, mass and position) for active processing, we can have an additional yet powerful language (visual) to express abstract and non-verbal feelings to understand our inner needs.
Art therapy is not bounded by the level of skills or asthetic outcome. This gives way for creativity to sprout from a free and non-judgemental environment, enable us to reconnect our thoughts and feelings through metaphoric expression and free visual association.
What do we do in the session?
In art therapy, we will make use of a varieties of materials to create 2D to 3D visual art piece using methods like: drawing, painting, collage, clay modling, building sculpture, needle work, kniting, etc. We make use of non-verbal visual creation as a way for expression, as a means for inner exploration.
Who can benefit from Art Therapy?
Different from medication, art therapy has a wide variation of routes and directions to reach each therapeutic goal, depending on the here-and-now needs and feelings of the participant. This allows a spontaneous flow and interaction between the goal and one’s inspiration to lead the process, creating as safe space for showing the authentic self and discover the inner needs within, so to make a better choice or decision to fulfil one’s needs in life.
Suitable For:
People who would wish to seek internal discovery of self and those who need support and direction on their social/ intimate relationship, emotional health or mental illness.
Art therapy can help to contain abstract or difficult feelings, it also helps to channel out emotional energy through non-verbal expressions. This can be particularly useful when one is facing internal struggles, emotional distress, adverse life situations, health issues or disabilities which hit them hard in life. The presence of art and the art therapist can offer a safe transitioning process.
Suitable For:
People who would like to seek clinical support on emotional/ mental issues, receiving regular maintanence on emotional health and aiming for sustainable well-being.
In art therapy, we believe that art can be very subjective and personal, from the ideas within, to the expression that can be seen. Therefore, we put no skills requirement nor asthetic standard into it, allowing instinctual expression, experimental use of materials and spontaneous interactions with the therapist during the sessions. This can allow us to flex our unlimited creativity and imagination base on our innate strengths and slowly establish the trust and acceptance within ourselves.
Suitable For:
People at any age, not limited to their level of intelligence, language skill, any partial physical disabilities and for those who are curious about art, regardless to their skill or experience to it.
A Pre-session MUST!
With the fact that art therapy can benefit a wide range of population, it is important to have a pre-session consultation with your art therapist, letting him/her knows about your current state, including but not limited to: your goal, physical and mental health background, potential allergies to any materials, any area of limitations that the therapist will need to pay close attention to, so to come up with an effective therapeutic goal with appropiate direction and pacing.
What are the Formats of Art Therapy?
The length for each individual session shall be within the range of 50-60min (where Healing SOULxiety offers 60-minutes session), with a minimum of 6-8 sessions per cycle. Adjustments on the length and number of cycles can also be made according to the objectives of the client. The benefits of individual session include: a good level of privacy, more focused attention and interaction with the therapist and higher sense of security and autonomy. All these allow clients to freely explore their inner self through different topics, according to their own pace.
The length and size of a therapeutic group will be set by the therapist, usually under a common theme or for participants with similar background. The length of each group session can range from 1.5 to 2.5 hours, with group size ideally between 3 to 10 . Though group session is relatively more structured and involve more people, participants can gain a broader perspective and deepen personal reflections through interacting with others who face similar situation. This can strengthen group support (apart from the therapist), enhance communication skills and develop healthy social boundaries through group dynamics.
Apart from therapeutic groups, there are also (one-off or limited sessions) art therapy taster workshop for participants to get a taste of how art therapy works. Again, the theme will be set by the therapist, using a lighter approach of facilitation to allow participants getting in touch with their body and feelings through creative art-making. Taster workshops are different from therapeutic groups, which are not for clinical purpose. In case of the theme of workshop might potentially trigger huge emotional reactions, participants are advised to perform responsible sharing, holding a safe personal boundary as self-care and inform the therapist in case further support is needed.
How to decide?
You can choose any of the above format as a start according to your social pattern, personality, communication habit and needs base on your personal feelings. In case of being diagnosed and is new to art therapy, kindly consult the therapist for more professional advices.
How Art Therapy Helps?
1. Aware & Release
Using body and sensory to discover feelings, allow them to be seen and channelled out.
2. Tracing & Relating
Allow art-making process and visual elements decode our inner needs beyond verbal.
3. Empower & Transform
Acknowledge the ability to create, transforming insights into energy for change.
... and MORE depends on the personal and therapeutic developement within the creative process...
預約 30 分鐘免費專業咨詢服務
Book for a first 30-min free professional consultation
與治療師直接對話，了解服務內容及自己當下的需要，以進行適切治療手法。
Have a chat with our art therapist for more information and professional adivce before service.
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