Is it time for you to stART therapy?
‘Art can permeate the very An adult dealing with complex emotions seems
deepest parts of us, where no
words exist’ Eileen Miller
Have you ever felt unable to express those
complicated emotions like anger, fear and sad-
ness?
Have you ever felt that you want to talk to
someone but simply don’t know where to
start?
Have you wondered what an art therapy ses-
sion might be like?
Keep reading………………..
ART enables us to appreciate colour, light,
shade and texture
When we can visualise our life experiences
through the medium of ART, it enables the
growth of our own self awareness.
ART can help us to capture thoughts and feel-
ings that we would not be able to express and
complete unfinished thoughts that concern
us.
When we look at ART that depicts our own
thoughts and feelings, we may see things from
a different perspective and can this helps to re
-balance our emotions.
ART increases our feelings of joy but also
acknowledges our feelings of sadness and al-
lows us to explore ways of dealing with them.
ART can reduce us to tears of joy and such
feelings engender in us a sense of hope.
ART helps us to recall, reflect and remember
significant events in our lives and provides a
way for us to preserve the memory.
difficult enough, so for a child with limited vo-
cabulary this can feel even more complicated!
"We know that children who can’t understand or
name their feelings are more likely to 'act them
out', so art therapy can provide relief to a child
whose only previous option was to dissolve into
tears or have an angry outburst in response to
overwhelming feelings," explains Mary--Rose
Brady, director of operations at the British As-
sociation of Art Therapists.
Art provides the vehicle which will help a child
to open up. Children realise that the therapist
can’t change the situation, their environment
or what has happened but they can help to
build their resilience. They can build a child’s
confidence and ability to speak out if something
is wrong or they don’t feel well.
Helping children with their communication skills
when they’re at their most vulnerable may help
to limit their mental health problems as teenag-
ers or adults.
A child once asked a therapist, ‘Will you tell me
what is going on in my head if you look at my
art? The therapist replied, ‘I do not know what
goes on in your head but you will discover your
own story through the ART that you create.
Is it time for you or someone you know to find
out more or to stART therapy?
Jennifer Ball