Orlando Therapist Shares all About Art Therapy
Orlando Therapist Shares all About Art Therapy
By: Trissa Dodson, LMHC
Are you looking for therapy, but worry that you won’t know what to talk about? Do you struggle to put your thoughts and feelings into words? Are you looking for a change, but don’t know where or how to start therapy?
Have you tried other forms of therapy but just feel stuck? Do you feel like you’ve hit a wall with traditional talk therapy? Looking to dive deeper into your processing?
Trauma Therapist Trissa Dodson is a Registered Art Therapist and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor at Mindful Living Counseling. She’s sharing answering some questions you may have about art therapy and new information about the benefits of art therapy.
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that combines the creative process of making art with principles of psychology. While some may view art as a purely aesthetic pursuit, there is a scientific foundation for the therapeutic benefits of art-making. The creative process in art-making can activate various parts of the brain and help regulate emotions. Art therapy can be a powerful tool in improving people’s mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. And this is because it’s facilitated by the particular healing process you need.
The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) says “Art therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.” You can read AATA’s full definition here.
How does Art Therapy treat things like Trauma/PTSD, Relationship issues, or Anxiety?
Trauma/PTSD - Trauma can leave people feeling powerless, hopeless, confused, and dysregulated by intense emotions and reactions, which can be challenging to describe in words. In fact, the parts of our brain that use language completely shut off during a traumatic event, which is partly why it’s so hard to talk about it! Art therapy provides a nonverbal way for people to express and understand their thoughts and feelings about traumatic experiences, which can help reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and emotional disconnecting or numbing. The art therapy process can be especially helpful in treating trauma because it allows clients to regain control and autonomy through decision-making, and it guides them toward creating a sense of meaning from their experiences.
Relationship Issues - Art therapy reflects on the conscious and unconscious choices we make while creating. This reflection can inspire helpful insights related to oneself, others, and how we operate in relationships. Additionally, feelings of self-worth, self-expression and a sense of accomplishment can be fostered through making art. Jumpstarting those feelings can help us integrate them into other areas of our lives.
Anxiety or any difficult emotion - The physical act of creating art can be a form of mindfulness and grounding, which helps people stay in the present moment and concentrate on particular tasks at hand. Think of what it feels like to have mush wet clay in your hands. Or carefully cut along a thin marked line. Or push paint back and forth. Or hand-sew individual stitches into a quilt square. Art Therapy helps manage overwhelming feelings, strengthen patience and resilience, increase awareness, and attune to the here and now, which are all ways to help decrease anxiety. Additionally, creating art can safely externalize the emotions that are felt internally. Need to anxious-scribble on a pad of paper until your crayon is fine dust? Perfect. What will you do with the paper when you’re done? Whatever you want and need–burn it, shred it, rip it, bop it, twist it, frame it, hug it, put it on your fridge, or give it to your ex!
What’s the science behind Art Therapy?
While Art therapy taps into an intuitive, human wisdom that is difficult to quantify using traditional scientific measures. However, scientific measures can capture how the brain responds to creative activities. When an individual engages in art-making, it activates certain parts of the brain, such as the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and reward centers.
The amygdala is in charge of emotional processing and can automatically activate our fight-flight-freeze responses in the body. In cases of trauma, the amygdala can become overactive and trigger intense fear responses, leading to symptoms such as hypervigilance, flashbacks, and anxiety. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for the more logical control functions in our brains like planning, decision-making, problem-solving, and reasoning. The reward centers in the brain are associated with the release of dopamine and endorphins, which are key ingredients in the experiences of pleasure, reward, and stress relief. Engaging in art-making directly can activate and release these feel-good hormones. However, simply enjoying the sounds of a song or the sights of a painting in a more passive way can activate this region of the brain as well.
By engaging these different parts of the brain, art therapy can help regulate emotions, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve mood. Art therapy also promotes neural plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections throughout a person's lifetime. This means that regularly engaging in creative activities can strengthen neural pathways, enhance cognitive function, and improve overall brain health.
What does an Art Therapist do?
An Art Therapist facilitates a supportive environment for people to safely explore and express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences through art-making. The therapist is trained in both art and psychology and uses their knowledge and skills to guide the client through the creative and therapeutic processes.
Here are some things an Art Therapist may do in session:
Assess your needs and goals for therapy
Develop a treatment plan specific to your individual needs and goals
Provide guidance and support as you engage in art-making
Facilitate the exploration and expression of emotions, thoughts, and experiences through creativity
Help you gain self-awareness and insight through art-making
Offer support and curious feedback as you reflect on your artwork and experiences during the session
Help you develop new coping skills and strategies to manage your issues through art-making and creativity
An art therapist works collaboratively with the client to create a safe and non-judgmental environment to express emotions and experiences through the art-making process. The therapist's role is to provide guidance and support throughout the art therapy process while empowering the client to take an active role in shaping their own healing and growth.
Do I have to work with an Art Therapist to do Art Therapy?
Well, Yes and No. Anyone can engage in creativity and benefit from the therapeutic qualities of making art! However, art therapists have dedicated their time, money, and skills to receive years of specific education, training, and experiences to facilitate the creative process in ways that are most attuned to an individual’s therapeutic goals and needs. Other professionals (therapists, counselors, social workers, educators, etc.) can offer creative activities to clients and students, but only professionals who have earned this particular education and training can provide art therapy sessions and call themselves “art therapists.”
Who can Benefit from Art Therapy?
Art therapy can be effective for a wide range of people who are struggling with various mental and emotional challenges. This includes children, adolescents/teens, and adults who may be dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship issues, and several other mental health issues. Art therapy can be especially helpful for people who have difficulty expressing themselves through words because it provides a nonverbal outlet for self-expression. Art therapy can be used with people who have developmental or cognitive disabilities, such as autism or dementia, as it allows those individuals to communicate in ways that may be more accessible and understandable to them. Art therapy has also been shown to be effective in reducing stress and anxiety in medical settings, such as hospitals or cancer treatment centers.
Therapy in general can be an intimidating idea for some people, and the thought of creating art in front of a therapist might seem even more daunting! But you do not have to identify as an artist, or even consider yourself a creative or “artsy fartsy” person by any means to effectively participate in art therapy! While art-making is involved, it is not about being technically proficient or creating a beautiful “masterpiece.” The focus is on the process of making art, not the end product or result. No prior experience or skill is required. An art therapist is trained to adapt the creative process to your unique needs and abilities, as well as facilitate a non-judgemental, supportive space to help you best explore and express yourself.
Ultimately, art therapy can be beneficial to anyone who is looking to explore their inner worlds, gain self-awareness, and improve their mental and emotional wellness through the creative process of art-making.
What can I expect from an Art Therapy session?
Based on a client's history, current challenges, and objectives for therapy, an art therapist will develop a treatment plan that is personalized to the individual client's needs and goals.
In a typical art therapy session, clients may use a variety of different art materials and techniques, including painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, fiber arts, building materials, and other forms of visual arts and crafts. The art therapist may offer prompts to guide the creative process and help the client to reflect on and express their thoughts and feelings. Art therapy can also include free drawing (unstructured sketching, mark-making, painting, etc.), guided imagery or visualizations, collaborative making, mindfulness-based creativity, symbolism and meaning-making, and art journaling.
As the client creates art, the art therapist may ask open-ended questions or offer reflections to help the client further explore and express themselves. After making art, the therapist may invite curiosity around the artwork itself and ask relevant questions to encourage reflection and meaning-making. The thoughts and emotions that came up for the client before, during, and after the art-making process may be explored as well. Depending on the goals of the creative activity and the personal preferences of the client and therapist alike, the art therapist may create with, or alongside the client during the session.
Again, an art therapist is there to provide a supportive, encouraging environment for clients to express themselves no matter their creative skill level! Art therapy focuses on the process, not the end product!
Ready to start Art Therapy Orlando?
You've learned more about Art Therapy and you’re ready to take into the creative healing process. Trissa Dodson, LMHC at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando is here for you! She has availability for in-person and virtual sessions. Trissa is a highly trained therapist who will help you on your healing journey. To get started with Trissa Dodson:
Fill out our New Client Consultation Form
Schedule a consultation call with our Client Care Coordinator
Start the journey of helping you heal
Not Quite Ready to start Art Therapy Orlando?
At Mindful Living Counseling we have a highly trained team of therapists ready to help you on your healing journey. Our therapists will help you gain tools that will help you overcome any anxiety you may be struggling with. If you’re not ready, we understand. Feel free to read the articles below in the meantime.
Additional Therapy Orlando Resources
5 Ways to Become More Gentle With Yourself
An Anxiety Therapist Shares Everything You Need to Know About Anxiety
Decision-Making Anxiety? Anxiety Therapist Shares 5 Steps to Make Decisions Easier
51 Grounding Techniques to Help You Feel Grounded Now
Other Orlando Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling
Our therapists understand that trauma may not be the only challenge you may struggle with. That’s ok. We offer a variety of therapy services at Mindful Living Counseling which include EMDR therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, Toxic Relationship Therapy, and Teen Therapy. We encourage you to check out our Guided Meditations. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!