Art Therapy

Art Therapy is a specialized form of therapy provided by a trained art therapist, and uses art-making and the creative process to support understanding, growth, and healing. Making art (drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, mixed media, etc.) can be empowering, and allows you to put into imagery things that there may not be adequate words for. Art can help you slow down, engage in mindfulness, and look at things from a different perspective. Using art as part of the therapeutic process along with talk therapy can help you process thoughts and feelings in unique and creative ways to gain new insights.

What can Art Therapy help with? Art therapy can be a beneficial form of treatment for anxiety, stress, depression, grief, trauma, and numerous other mental health concerns. People who are going through changes in their life or exploring new parts of their identity may especially find art helpful in understanding themselves, seeing themselves more clearly, and becoming more confident in their identity. Think about how so many people throughout history - painters, illustrators, filmmakers, singers, activists - have used art to explore or express something about themselves or the world they are living in. 

Do you have to be trained in art to do art therapy? Absolutely not! Anyone can do art therapy - you do not have to be an artist, and no artistic skill or training is required! Some of the people who have found Art Therapy the most helpful are people who had no prior artistic experience. Art Therapy is very different from taking an art class in school, and the focus is on the experience and exploration more than a “final product”. And if you thought using art in therapy was just for kids - surprise! Art therapy is for adults too. Using art (drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, mixed media, etc.) as part of the therapeutic process along with talk therapy can help you express and explore thoughts and feelings further, practice mindfulness, look at things differently, and process them in new and creative ways. And if you thought using art in therapy was just for kids - surprise! Art therapy is for adults too. Many people who have never tried art therapy before are surprised to discover how helpful it can be to their work in therapy. 

I guide people interested in exploring Art Therapy to use the art-making process as a way of delving deeper into the questions and issues they are coming to therapy to work on, resolve, or change. Art Therapy can take place online or in-person. In my office, I provide a variety of materials and art supplies for people to work with, and if you are meeting me online for Telehealth I will help you figure out what materials you may already have at home that can be used in art therapy sessions. 

If you’ve tried talk therapy before and feel like something is still missing, or you struggle putting your thoughts and emotions into words sometimes, art therapy might give you a new language to use and help you see things differently. We are so used to using our words to describe how we are feeling, that shifting to using visual art instead can often unlock powerful emotions. And can be in that pause, the slowing down, that comes in taking that time to make art where we make new realizations and connections about ourselves and the world. Come pick up a pencil, a pen, a pastel, or a paintbrush, and let’s explore! 

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Contact me to schedule a free consultation

I offer in-person therapy for residents of Los Angeles in the South Bay including Torrance, Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale, and Gardena; and online therapy via telehealth throughout the state of California.