Art therapy can look different depending on your individual goals and needs, but one thing remains consistent: it’s a deeply personal process designed to help you explore, express, and process emotions in a safe and supportive environment. If you're considering art therapy or curious about what happens in a typical session, this post will give you a closer look at the experience—and also explore the key differences between expressive art and art therapy.
Key points:
Art mediums can effect everyone differently and have unique impact on your nervous system and brain processing.
Art therapists help to guide you in recognizing and externalizing images and sensations, so you can better process it. They help with difficult and overwhelming material, ensuring safety. They also help you process your art in a variety of ways.
Art therapists use an Expressive Art methodology - and you can too! Expressive art focuses on the process of creating vs the end result. While Art Therapy involves a therapeutic relationship.
What to Expect in an Art Therapy Session - Process & Benefits
When you come to an art therapy session, whether for individual therapy or group work, the focus is always on you. The therapy is tailored to your unique needs, hopes, and goals. In our time together, art becomes a tool to help you understand your thoughts and emotions better, offering a creative path to healing.
Sometimes, you might explore different art mediums—paints, pastels, clay, or collage—working freely within your own creative process. This could involve simply expressing yourself without worrying about how the final product looks. The key is that you’re able to use the materials as a way of engaging with your inner world, to process what you're feeling or experiencing. Different art mediums can have different effects on our nervous systems and brain processing. Explore art mediums and their effects on you is valuable in itself. Art then can become a conscious tool for regulation; learning to soothe, increase or decrease your energy, and feel better!
In other sessions, an image or sensation may emerge while we talk about what's currently happening for you (whatever the problem is). I am often guiding individuals in accessing their internal imagery and sensations to help externalize something you may not have been able to put into words. This externalization is powerful because it allows you to step back and look at what’s happening, often offering a new perspective or insight. At this point, the role of the therapist becomes crucial: I guide you through the process to ensure that difficult or overwhelming material is approached safely, allowing you to work through it at your own pace.
There are also times when the focus is on processing and dialoguing with your art. This could be done through verbal exploration, where we discuss what you see in the image and how it relates to your emotions, or through other expressive techniques that help you deepen the understanding of your experience. By connecting with your artwork and giving it voice, you often discover things about yourself that were hidden or unclear. Sometimes we also process art through other art - like music, poetry, movement, and story. And sometimes - we don't process it at all. The act of creating can be therapeutic in itself!
The Importance of the Therapeutic Relationship
One of the key elements of art therapy is the therapeutic relationship. Yes, the art itself is a central part of the process, but it’s the relationship with the therapist that makes a profound difference. When you're in therapy, you're witnessed—held in a caring, supportive space that allows you to express and process even the most difficult emotions.
In this environment, I’m not just facilitating the creative process. I’m here to help you access, explore, and make sense of your inner world. I help you externalize feelings, process challenging material, and see things from different perspectives. The therapeutic relationship offers a safe container where you can be vulnerable and truly seen, which makes all the difference in the healing process.
Expressive Art vs. Art Therapy: What’s the Difference?
While both expressive art and art therapy involve creativity, the purpose and context differ.
Expressive Art is a style of creating that focuses on the process rather than the product. It’s all about using art to express your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and experiences. The aim is not to create something aesthetically pleasing, although that may happen too! The focus is on expression—letting yourself communicate what’s inside you through colors, shapes, lines, and textures. You’re encouraged to let go of any expectations of what the art “should” look like. It’s about freeing yourself from judgment and simply being with the process of creation.
You can make expressive art at home. It’s totally doable! Personally, I find that using color, illustrations, and free-flowing expressions help me process my emotions and gain insight into situations that are hard to understand. It’s almost like magic—creating something that speaks to me in ways that words cannot. It’s as if the artwork provides messages directly from my inner self, acting as a guide. Using art in this way has transformed my life and my relationship with myself.
In fact, that’s exactly what I teach in my online school: you can use expressive art at home as a way to care for yourself and process your emotions. The key is learning your own “art language”—figuring out how to read and process the messages your art offers.
Art Therapy, on the other hand, takes place within a therapeutic relationship. In therapy, there’s a guide (me, as your therapist) to help you navigate your emotions and the artistic process. While expressive art encourages you to create for yourself, art therapy often involves using art to process and explore difficult emotions in a safe, supportive space with a trained professional. I serve as both a facilitator and guide, helping you explore deeper feelings, uncover insights, and make sense of your experiences.
Art Therapy: A Guide, Not a Coach
In art therapy, I am more of a guide than a coach. The difference is subtle but important. As a therapist, I’m helping you through a relational process—connecting with you, helping you regulate emotions, and walking alongside you as you process difficult material. My role is to support your journey, providing a safe space and offering therapeutic interventions when needed. I also support you in accessing your own inner wisdom. The goal is not for you to work with me forever, it's for you to be able to hear, know, and trust yourself.
In my educator work, on the other hand, I’m teaching you how to use expressive art on your own. I provide you with tools, concepts, and guidance to help you create for personal exploration and self-care. It’s a more independent process where I teach you how to tap into your creativity and use it as a tool for self-discovery and emotional regulation.
Why Both Approaches Matter
Both expressive art and art therapy can be powerful tools for personal growth and emotional healing. They can complement each other in many ways, and which approach you choose depends on your needs.
Expressive art is a wonderful way to check in with yourself regularly, create meaning from your inner experiences, and process emotions in your own time.
Art therapy offers a deeper, relational process where you have the support of a therapist to guide you through more intense emotional work, helping you process complex material in a safe, held environment.
The beauty of both approaches is that art becomes a bridge to understanding yourself better. Whether in the therapeutic space or on your own, creating art allows you to engage with your inner world in a way that’s healing, expressive, and transformative.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re exploring art therapy in a therapeutic setting or practicing expressive art on your own, both offer profound ways to process emotions, express your inner thoughts, and cultivate self-awareness. The key is that art becomes more than just a way to pass the time—it’s a tool for healing and self-discovery.
If you’re interested in art therapy, I’d love to guide you through the process and help you unlock the healing potential of creativity and support you with the art therapy process, so you can access all its benefits.
If you’re looking to use art for self-care and self-expression, there are countless ways to bring expressive art into your daily life. My mini-course equips you with all the basic elements of expressive art - so you can start the journey with art that is transformative, revealing new layers of yourself and offering deep insights into your emotional and mental landscape.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about art therapy, expressive art, or how to integrate creativity into your life. I’d be happy to help!
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