Art therapy uses the creative process of art making to improve mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It integrates human development, visual art, and counseling models. Art therapists work with people of all ages dealing with issues like trauma, illness, addiction, and more. They treat clients in settings like hospitals, schools, private practice, and more using art-based techniques. Journaling combines written and visual expression as a way to process emotions and thoughts.

1. Kelley Brown, MA
An Overview of Art Therapy

2. Art washes away from the soul,
the dust of every day life.
~Picasso
I found I could say things with color
and shapes that i couldn't say any
other way—things I had no words for.
~ Georgia O’Keefe

3. What Is Art Therapy
 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.
 Integrates the fields of human development, visual
art, and the creative process with models of
counseling and psychotherapy

4. Myths about Art Therapy
 Art therapists interpret your art
 Art therapists only work with children
 You must be an artist to benefit from art
therapy
 Art therapist work with artists who are
encountering a creative block

5. Who Do Art Therapists
Work With
 Children
 Adolescents
 Adults
 Older Adults
 Groups
 Families

6. What Do Art Therapists Treat
 Anxiety, depression, and other mental and emotional
problems and disorders
 Substance abuse and other addictions
 Family and relationship issues
 Abuse and domestic violence
 Social and emotional difficulties related to disability and
illness
 Trauma and loss
 Physical, cognitive, and neurological problems
 Psychosocial difficulties related to medical illness

7. Where Do Art Therapist Work
 Hospitals and clinics  Community agencies and
(medical and psychiatric) non-profit settings
 Out-patient mental health
 Sheltered workshops
agencies and day treatment  Schools, colleges, and
facilities universities
 Residential treatment
 Correctional facilities
centers
 Elder care facilities
 Halfway houses
 Art studios
 Private practice
 Domestic violence and
homeless shelters

8. Art Therapy Short Films

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10. QuickTime™ and a
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11. Art Therapy Examples

28. Resources
 americanarttherapyassociation.org
 atcb.org
 missouriarttherapy.blogspot.com
 kyarttherapy.org
 siue.edu/artsandsciences/art/arttherapy
 sternsbookseller.com

29. Art Journaling
Art Journaling
as a Processing Technique

30. N ative A rican te aching s say
me
“ e ve ry time yo u he al so me o ne ,
yo u g ive a pie ce o f yo urse lf away,
until at o ne po int yo u will
ne e d he aling yo urse lf”

31. Art Journaling as
a Processing Technique

32. What I have discovered…
 Why art journal
 The importance of the book
(journal)
 Process of journaling
 Routine of journaling
 Content within the journals
 Imagery within the journals
 Art journal techniques
 Sense of community
 Agent of change

33. Why Art Journal
 Art journaling combines the written language and
the visual language to give a greater breadth of
expression and understanding.
 Art journaling is about expression, both written
and visual, of emotions and thoughts; it is a space
for questions that may not have answers, a place
for thoughts that may otherwise not have a home,
a safe container for emotions so that they do not
have to be loose in the world.

34. The Journal
 The journal as a container
– Boundaries of the book
• Ability to close
– Boundaries of each page
 Metaphor of opening
and closing the book
– Transition
 Size of journal
– Portability
– Accessibility
 Ability to review
 Metaphor to life

35. Book vs Loose Pages
 Why journal in a book? Why not loose pages?
It is kind of like your life. Waking up every morning, we
have to go back to it just the way it was left the night
before—being forced to look at mistakes, successes,
hopes, hurts—and go on to the next page.
 Loose pages can be shuffled, tossed, crumbled,
prearranged...its hard for them to represent something
substantial. Often they end up as preconcieved, acceptable
pages saying all the right things, written for others to see
and smile and tell you how wonderful you are. (Fueherhelm-
Watts, 2007)

36. Process of Art Journaling
 It is about the process
not product
 Anti-perfectionism
– Whole is greater than
the sum of parts
 Externalizing instead
of internalizing
– Purging/processing
 It is an individualized
process

43. Diary vs. Journal
 A diary is a report of what happened during the
day—where you ate, who you met
 A journal is completely different. A journal is
about examining your life. It’ s a GPS system for
your spirit. “ I’ ve made this mistake before. . . and
I always make it when I rushed for time and feel
panicky. But I feel panicky because I know I’ m
headed for the same mistake.” Journals lead to
insight, growth, and sometimes, achieving a goal.
(McDonald, 2007)

44. Routine of Journaling
 Journaling becomes
part of the
daily routine
 Art journaling
becomes a discipline
 Commitment to
self/self-care
 A spiritual practice

45. Content within the Journals
 Client response work
– Using client imagery
– Using client style
– Termination
– Countertransference
 Graduate students vs.
Seasoned professionals
 Place for conflict resolution
 Dream imagery

56. Imagery within the Journals
 Using images in conjunction or instead of
words
 Does not require “ translation”
 Can express complex feelings/events
– With writing you are constrained to the
capacity of the English language
 Abilityto uncover what’ s “ just underneath”
 Maintains confidentiality

61. Basic Art Journal Kit
 A journal
 Watercolor
 Crayons/oil pastels
 Scissors (or ruler)
 Glue stick
 White acrylic paint
 Markers/gel pens
 Pencils (colored and regular)
 Papers (lots of textures)
 Ephemera bag (or mine’ s bag)

62. Techniques
 Limited only by
creativity
 Supplies vs. Prompts
 Unblanking the page
 Specific techniques
– Layers
– Collaging
– Transfers

64. How to start
 How to incorporate  How to incorporate art for
writing for those who are those who are art-shy
writing-shy – Use color washes.
– Make lists. – Use ephemera scraps from
– Use a thought-provoking your day/week.
title for your page. – Collaging.
– Use poems, quotes, lyrics. – Don’ t worry about making
– Look at your artwork and it pretty.
write down words that
come to mind. Write a
poem using those words.
– Don’ t worry about grammar
or spelling.

66. Community
 Blogging as a cyber
artist community
 Parallel journaling
 Collaborative art
journals
 Art journaling groups
 Art journal round
robins

70. Agent of Change
 Passion influences
others