Art therapy is a form of Psychotherapy which gives participants an opportunity to use art materials as a means of expression and self-exploration.
It is not necessary to have art skills as the thoughts, feelings, memories and meanings that are brought to mind in the process are of much greater significance than the appearance of the picture or object. To put it simply “You can’t get it wrong”. Use of the art materials is optional, not obligatory. Sometimes it is more appropriate for the participants to sit and talk, and sometimes just to sit and breath.
I employ a variety of approaches in this work depending on the needs of those attending. In the art therapy sessions, I work with the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, awareness of feelings, our history, how we came to think and feel the way we do and how we relate to the world and those close to us. Use of art therapy can provide a fresh way of looking at these concerns.
The use of expressive media enables us to access emotional memory and personal imagery, to make associations and connections in a way that we might not if we stayed with purely verbal interaction. Art therapy can be helpful for those who are inclined to intellectualise their experience in enabling them to assimilate their emotional life.
Art therapy is a psychotherapy that allows participants to work through issues in a safe accepting setting, working at one’s own pace and led by one’s own needs and concerns. This process usually integrates counselling/Psychotherapy methodology as described in How I Work.
Discovering and connecting with our innate creativity can in itself be powerfully therapeutic and enjoyable.
Listen to Liam Plant on Art Therapy in an interview with podcast producer Angie Mezzetti
You are welcome to contact me if you would like more information:
Liam Plant 