Art Therapy for Addiction Treatment in Pennsylvania

Art therapy is a non-verbal form of therapy that involves the creative process to promote well-being. You do not need to have artistic training, or even believe that you are artistically talented, to participate in and receive benefits from art therapy. The goal of art therapy is to express and explore feelings and to enjoy the process, not to focus on the outcome of the work product. The artwork serves as a container for emotions and allows clients to vent feelings in a safe way. Each week you will have the opportunity to use a variety of art materials during planned activities with the art therapist. The goal of these experiences is to promote self-expression and communication through art. Many clients feel the art experiences provide an emotional release and promote relaxation, and they often describe achieving a sense of focus that surprises them.

Interacting with a therapy dog can help relieve anxiety and depression and brighten moods. Each week during art therapy, a trained therapy dog owned by the art therapist will visit the group. She is a Berna-doodle named Comfy who is registered with Therapy Dogs International. She looks forward to shaking paws with you and would love to sit in your lap, too.

Art therapists have used art therapy for both short- and long-term treatment approaches. There are plenty of art therapy ideas for substance use. For example, some inpatient rehabilitation programs have in-house art therapists who work with patients who are participating in art therapy on a short-term basis. Other people may continue to participate in art therapy on a longer-term basis through group classes.

The First Step Series

While not all art therapists utilize a specific treatment plan and program, there are some standardized art therapy approaches. One example is a five-stage art directive series known as “The First Step Series.” Through this art series, participants are encouraged to complete five separate art pieces.

These pieces include:

Other Projects

Even if a client in art therapy does not complete the five-step series, common art therapy exercises are to complete one or more of these projects. Other popular art projects an art therapist may use include a “Hypothetical Greeting Card,” where a person is asked to create a card from themselves to send to a person they care about. This exercise allows a person to evaluate who and what they care about.

A common misconception about art therapy is that the products of a person’s artistic efforts are “judged” or “diagnosed.” However, art therapy is more about the process of making art, not about the technical skill or value of the end result. Therefore, a person does not have to be a great or experienced artist to benefit from art therapy. They simply have to be willing to be a part of the process.

While art therapy has been studied and practiced for several decades, very large-scale studies are not widely available to put scientific backing behind art therapy or certain approaches to therapy. One reason why it is challenging is that it is difficult to assign numerical and scientific values to the creative process. However, there are many written reports and anecdotes about art therapists’ experiences and approaches to art therapy with their clients and the benefits they experienced. For example, a 2007 report found that art therapy used in conjunction with the principles of 12-step programs, like Alcoholics Anonymous, helped to prevent relapse by encouraging patients to visualize their relapse triggers and other potential barriers to recovery.

Some of the benefits of art therapy include:

One meta-analysis of art therapy approaches does exist. The meta-analysis examined study results from seven qualitative studies. At the conclusions of reviewing the studies, the authors concluded that art therapy helped participants to cope with their emotions, explore emotions of anxiety and grief, and identify opportunities for growth and positive changes in their lives.

Scientists theorize that one reason why art therapy can be effective in substance abuse treatment is that the creation of art and the achievement motivations the creation of an art project creates increases the amount of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasurable feelings in the brain.

Decreased dopamine levels are associated with depression and anxiety while increased levels can help a person in recovery feel physically better. Ideally, art therapy allows a person to confront the challenges and rewards of sobriety in new ways.

Many art therapists hold a master’s degree in art therapy or psychology with a specialty certification in art therapy. Those pursuing an art therapy degree must have 60 graduate-level hours of studio art, psychological development, group therapy, research methods, and assessment.

Art therapists train across mediums such as drawing, painting, and sculpture. In addition to classroom work, masters-level art therapists also complete 100 hours of a supervised practicum and 600 hours of supervised art therapy via a clinical internship.

Once a person completes their education, an art therapist can seek certification via the Art Therapy Credentials Board. The board offers three levels of credentials. The first is a Provisional Registered Art Therapist (ATR-P), which is a therapist who has a master’s degree and is practicing under approved supervisors. The second is a Registered Art Therapist, which means the therapist has completed a certain number of clinical hours and supervision.

Registered Art Therapists can qualify for the board certifying exam to become ATR-Board Certified therapists. Not all people who practice or teach art therapy have a master’s degree. Some universities offer undergraduate art therapy programs and other resources offer art therapy certificates.

Art therapy has an element of psychological expression. Sometimes an art teacher or artist may work in conjunction with a therapist, such as a psychologist or a psychiatrist, in the same session.

The American Art Therapy Association has a link on their website titled “Art Therapist Locator.” Through this search function, a person can locate a masters-level art therapist in the United States. The Art Therapy Credentials Board also has a “Find a Credentialed Art Therapist” feature on their website to help a person locate an art therapist in their area.

While art therapy is often regarded as a short-term therapy, some clients may choose to continue their art therapy through individual or group art therapy sessions.

A person is also encouraged to continue exploring their creative process outside of substance abuse-related art projects. Pursuing art through painting, drawing, sculpting, or other mediums can provide a positive artistic outlet for expression and help relieve anxiety in recovery.

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