Patients with mental health often have difficulty in releasing negative, pent-up emotions, expressing and overcoming their stress, or exploring and tapping into different aspects of their own personalities. Art, being an expressive medium where artists can pour their thoughts and feelings into, have long been used as an outlet to treat psychological disorders, enhance mental health, and improve overall well-being.

1. HOW ART THERAPY CAN
HELP IN IMPROVING
MENTAL HEALTH
CNS CENTER AZ
HTTP://WWW.CNSCENTERAZ.COM/

2. PATIENTS WITH MENTAL HEALTH OFTEN HAVE
DIFFICULTY IN RELEASING NEGATIVE, PENT-UP
EMOTIONS, EXPRESSING AND OVERCOMING THEIR
STRESS, OR EXPLORING AND TAPPING INTO DIFFERENT
ASPECTS OF THEIR OWN PERSONALITIES. ART, BEING AN
EXPRESSIVE MEDIUM WHERE ARTISTS CAN POUR THEIR
THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS INTO, HAVE LONG BEEN
USED AS AN OUTLET TO TREAT PSYCHOLOGICAL
DISORDERS, ENHANCE MENTAL HEALTH, AND IMPROVE
OVERALL WELL-BEING.

3. THE CREATIVE PROCESS INVOLVED WITH PRODUCING
ART INTEGRATES PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES TO
HELP PEOPLE RESOLVE CONFLICTS, DEVELOP
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, OVERCOME STRESS, IMPROVE
SELF-ESTEEM AND BEHAVIOR, AND HAVE INSIGHTS AND
AWARENESS. ART THERAPY INTEGRATES
PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES WITH THE CREATIVE
PROCESS TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-
BEING.

4. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN ART THERAPY
ASSOCIATION, ART THERAPY IS BEST DESCRIBED AS A
“MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION THAT USES THE
CREATIVE PROCESS OF ART MAKING TO IMPROVE AND
ENHANCE THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND EMOTIONAL
WELL-BEING OF INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES.”

5. HOW LONG HAS ART THERAPY BEEN IN PRACTICE? ART
THERAPY BEGAN TO RISE IN POPULARITY IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE 20TH CENTURY. DOCTORS AT THE TIME
RECORDED THAT PATIENTS OF MENTAL ILLNESSES
WOULD FREQUENTLY RESORT TO EXPRESSING
THEMSELVES, SUCH AS THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
THAT OFTEN COULD NOT BE UNDERSTOOD, IN
DRAWINGS OR OTHER ARTWORKS.

6. THEIR FINDINGS, AFTER BEING STUDIED BY NUMEROUS
OTHER DOCTORS, LED MANY DOCTORS AND PATIENTS
ALIKE TO TRY THEIR HAND AT USING ART AS A
STRATEGY FOR HEALING. BEFORE LONG, ART HAD BEEN
INTERRELATED WITH THE THERAPEUTIC FIELD, HELPING
TO GUIDE PATIENTS’ ENERGIES IN A SECURE
ENVIRONMENT WHILE ALSO ALLOWING THEIR
DOCTORS TO ASSESS THEM PROPERLY.

7. BUT TO WHAT EXACTLY CAN ART EXTEND ITS HELPING
HAND TO? THERE ARE MANY CASES OF MENTAL
DISORDERS, AND ART THERAPY CAN BE USED WITH
MANY, USUALLY WITH THE HELP OF OTHER
PSYCHOTHERAPY TECHNIQUES. OTHER TECHNIQUES
WOULD INCLUDE GROUP THERAPY OR COGNITIVE-
BEHAVIORAL THERAPY. ART CAN BENEFIT MOST
COMMONLY:

8. • CHILDREN WHO SUFFER FROM LEARNING
DISABILITIES OR BEHAVIORAL/SOCIAL PROBLEMS AT
SCHOOL OR AT HOME.
• ADULTS UNDERGOING INTENSE OR SEVERE LEVELS
OF STRESS
• INDIVIDUALS WHO’VE SUFFERED OR ARE SUFFERING
FROM BRAIN INJURY
• INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH
TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES

9. ART IS OF COURSE NOT LIMITED TO THE ABOVE-
MENTIONED SITUATIONS, AS IT CAN PROVIDE AID TO
GENERALLY ANYONE WHO NEEDS AN ALTERNATIVE
METHOD OF EXPRESSING OR BETTER UNDERSTANDING
THEMSELVES. IT WORKS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN
PAIRED WITH OTHER DEVELOPED PSYCHOTHERAPY
TECHNIQUE, AS THESE MULTIPLE TECHNIQUES CAN
WORK TOGETHER TO BRING OUT THE MAXIMUM
IMPROVEMENTS OF THE PATIENT.