Art therapists use the creative process and the issues that come out during therapy to help their clients increase insight and judgment, cope better with stress, work through traumatic experiences, increase cognitive abilities and have better relationships with family and friends.

For decades, art therapists have used art therapy to go where talk therapy and medication cannot. Because art uses symbolism to express ideas, art therapists find that some patients can use it to communicate locked-away feelings not easily expressed in words.

Art therapy is also used to treat patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. They often do not want to talk about what caused their stress, but by creating art, they are often able to express their feelings, thus coping with the agent that caused the traumatic stress.

Art Therapy is;

• a therapeutic process
• a process that develops focusing abilities
• a method for resolving conflicts
• a way to express difficult emotions, thus gaining control
• a vehicle for communication and personal expression
• a way to develop self-awareness and understanding
• a way to get in touch with one’s environment
• a method to promote healthy development
• a method for improving concept formation
• a way to improve how one sees themselves
• a way to connect feelings and behaviors
• a process that develops self-esteem
• a facilitator for social competency
• an opportunity to create corrective experiences in a safe and
nonthreatening environment
• a safe environment to manage various stresses and/or trauma
• a symbolic language