What does Art Therapy Look Like?

People often ask me what happens in an arts therapy session. I hope the following videos give you a bit of an insight.

What happens in an Arts Therapy Session?

People often ask me what happens in an arts therapy session. Though many elements are unique to each client, I tend to start my sessions the same way with a soft pastel drawing. I find this is a great exercise to introduce the client to the art materials. Sometimes people spend a single minute on theirs. Others spend half a session slowly building up their colours, blending them into their own masterpiece. Each artwork is unique to its owner.

Calming Activity

Mandala (from the Hindi translation of circle or centre). The mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol used in Hinduism and Buddhism to represent the universe. The circular designs symbolize the idea that life is never-ending and everything is connected. I find creating mandala's to be a calming exercise and can easily be recreated with any medium you might have access to.

Being creative doesn’t have to be complicated

Collage is a tangible way of being with ideas that are hard to pin down. Using the pieces of paper to intertwining ideas and create layer and depth both physically and metaphorically allows the information to be transformed on the page.

It’s almost as if you’re creating dance through the imagery. The movement through patterning, rearranging, and its physicality can allow the creator to be with ideas in a new way.

“Life is like a collage. Its individual pieces are arranged to create harmony. Appreciate the artwork of your life.” - Amy Leigh Mercree