What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through the creative process of active art-making, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psycho therapeutic relationship. Art Therapy is a separate discipline in the mental health field. Registered Art Therapists hold master degrees in art therapy, have an extensive knowledge base of psychology, and work for thousands of hours in clinical settings before gaining the title of ‘registered’ art therapist.
A Unique Approach to Art Therapy
Many therapists offer art activities in their therapy sessions, but art therapists are trained extensively to use art as an integrative tool in the therapy process. Often, words simply are not enough to express oneself. Art therapy can offer people enhanced forms of creative expression and communication. Advances in neuroscience reflect the limitations of traditional talk therapy, and expand the crucial role the creative arts can play in healing from trauma.
Why use Art Therapy?
Surprisingly, only 7% of communication in humans is expressed verbally. This statistic truly limits the process of traditional talk therapy. Adding visual art to the therapy experience (through simple art making techniques) enhances the ability to express oneself, and offers creative avenues to explore tough topics, and tap into one’s strengths.
An Integrated Therapy Process
Blending her training in marriage and family therapy and art therapy, Sherri Jacobs is an art therapist in Overland Park who offers her clients a dynamic experience of exploring emotions, enhancing relationships and getting ahold of the “stuff” that might be holding people back from living at their fullest potential.
How can an Art Therapist help you?
Recent trauma research indicates that trauma is stored in non-verbal parts of our brain, limiting “talk” therapy’s impact and role in helping a person fully recover from their trauma or vocalize their story. Creative expression, led by a trained art therapist, can offer a safe place for victims of trauma to identify, explore, and reduce the symptoms associated with unresolved trauma. Simple art directives, under the guidance of an art therapist, can offer an enhanced form of communication, insight, and resolution.
