Art Therapy
What Is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy uses the creative process and the act of art making as an outlet for those difficult or complicated emotions that cannot easily be put into words. Through engaging with nonverbal experiences and new materials, clients can use Art Therapy to develop skills to help them deal with feelings like frustration, anger, grief, and emotional distress.
For this reason, Art Therapy can be a particularly effective treatment for children, teens, nonverbal clients, or those who may resist the idea of conventional talk therapy. It can also be deeply healing for trauma survivors, acting as an effective “shortcut” for reprocessing emotionally difficult experiences.
Is Art Therapy Recognized As An Effective Treatment?
While it has grown in popularity in recent years, Art Therapy is not a new approach. Humans have used symbols, images, and art materials to create and express themselves since the beginning of time, and Art Therapy has been used by mental health practitioners since the 1940s. A growing body of research continues to support Art Therapy as a meaningful treatment in a wide range of settings—from schools to hospitals private therapy practices across the globe.
While many mental health professionals may incorporate art from time to time, understanding the full potential and impact of Art Therapy requires a specialist with the right skills, training, and experience. For this reason, it is essential to work with someone who is credentialed as a Board-Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) when seeking treatment. This is especially important because unlike other therapies, the state of Florida has not established criteria for who can legally call themselves an Art Therapist. Seeking someone with the proper credentials can guarantee that you or your child will be in therapy with someone trauma-informed and specially trained to work with specific populations, including neurodiverse clients.
At Broward Therapy Group, we are pleased to have an ATR-BC on staff who offers Art Therapy as a stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with other treatment approaches. Working together with you or your child, we can use the creative process to stimulate reflection, exploration, and healing.
How Does Art Therapy Work?
Using art makes difficult topics and emotions easier to explore, which can actually speed up the treatment process. By bypassing the limitations of language, Art Therapy creates endless possibilities for communicating.
Another positive aspect of Art Therapy is that it can be facilitated through a range of mediums—drawing, painting, constructing, or collage—allowing the treatment approach to be very flexible and customized to each client’s needs. Your or your child’s Art Therapist will guide you through creative exercises and techniques specific to your unique treatment goals.
Images and symbols are initially used for emotional exploration, which can be the first step in managing distressing thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. Art Therapy stimulates multiple senses, providing positive reinforcement and newfound energy in contrast to other treatments that can be less active and engaging. Nonverbal expression through art can also lead to unexpected insights, which can be explored by using talk therapy to help you or your child process your creations. For young clients in particular, therapeutic play may also be included to enhance social-emotional learning.
Because it is an active form of treatment, Art Therapy keeps the process captivating and fun, and offers a tangible record of your healing journey.
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Art Therapy Through Our Practice
At Broward Therapy Group, we are committed to offering effective, trauma-informed therapies to clients across the spectrum of age and ability. Recognizing the power of nonverbal emotional and behavioral processing, we believe that Art Therapy can be especially useful for our neurodivergent clients. And because expressive therapy is so beneficial to accessing nonverbal experiences, we think it’s a great adjunct to treatment for PTSD and other trauma-related issues.
Meet Raquel Ferrell-Kirk, ATR-BC
Our Board-Certified Art Therapist, Raquel, has been credentialed for over two decades, working with a spectrum of populations throughout Florida. Inspired by the many times throughout her life that art moved her and made a difference in her outlook, she pursued her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and Art Therapy at Barry University.
Raquel is available to work with families, small groups, and individuals of all ages in Art Therapy. For young children, it’s important to note that parents may need to be present to help with materials and learn creative exercises that can be repeated at home.
Done entirely via telehealth, Raquel will collaborate with you and your family to make sure you have all the necessary materials to get started. Sessions are typically one hour long and done on a weekly basis, sometimes transitioning into a biweekly or monthly schedule.
Creative Arts Therapy Can Be The Answer To Psychological Pain & Distress
Art Therapy empowers people through active participation, paving the way for skills-building, flexible thinking, and creative problem-solving. Providing you or your child with coping skills and expressive outlets that will last a lifetime, Art Therapy is an effective and lasting intervention.
For more information about our registered Art Therapist or if Art Therapy is right for you, contact us.
