Art Therapy

"We express inner-feelings by creating outer forms"
- Natalie Rogers

Art therapy can help you connect with your feelings, increase creativity, and deepen ones relationship with life and nature.

     
"Art can be said to be - and can be used as - the externalized map of our interior self."
- Peter London, No More Secondhand Art

What is Art Therapy?
Therapy and creative energy both seek to integrate the whole person through art therapy, awakening creative life energy and connecting to emotional experiences. Art Therapy incorporates the arts in counseling in a process which uses the created image as a foundation for self-exploration and understanding.  No previous experience of art is required, this is not about how 'good' of an artist you are, but rather about self-expression and self-exploration. Art therapy, as employed by Aspentree Counseling & Hypnotherapy, is purposed to integrate the use of the arts in counseling. 


"Art is the meeting ground of the world inside and the world outside." - Elinor Ulman, Art Therapy in Theory and Practice

How can Art Therapy help?
Creativity facilitates our connection to life and our inner experience, freeing our energy and broadening our awareness and consciousness. This may lead to a transpersonal experience of our higher self and a sense of connectedness with others and the world around us. This has the potential to help us bring these life qualities into our everyday living and help us to increase our management of difficult life events and concerns. We will facilitate the creative process in a safe and supportive environment. This will allow an environment which supports the exploration of concerns which are difficult to explore with words alone. Manifesting inner work through the creation of art forms helps to provide a increased connection to different parts of the self, potentially leading to integration of parts in conflict or suppressed. The therapist will not interpret work done, but will facilitate the deepening of the clients interpretation. The client and the therapist explore created art forms together in a safe and collaborative environment.


"Art serves as a helper in times of trouble."
- Rudolph Arnheim, To The Rescue of Art

Some reasons for considering art therapy can be: 
Anger Management
Behavioural Problems
Body Image
Career Decisions
Coping with illness
Creativity Blocks
Family Issues
Identity
Improving Self-Awareness
Improving Self-Esteem
Improving quality of life
Life State Transitions
Lifestyle issues
Mental Illness
Stress
Trauma

Tools
A variety of media can be used during art therapy sessions: Pencils, Pens, Paint, clay, collage, pastels, charcoals, etc.

Process
Guided imagery, relaxation and other warm-up activities are often employed at the beginning of an art therapy session. The images that the client creates is not interpreted by the art therapist, but rather, the client is assisted to find meaning in their artwork.


"Everyone's creative acts, whatever they may be, make constructive form out of the apparent formlessness of our lives." - Rollo May, My Quest for Beauty