Expressive Arts in Therapy | Dallas, TX
"The arts are a critical component of healthcare. Expressive art is a tool to explore, develop and practice creativity as a means to wellness."
Wellarts Association
Why use expressive arts in therapy?
Expressive arts-based therapy incorporates child development. There’s no one-size-fits-all way approach to mental health care. Some people can talk through their concerns, but for others it can be hard to find words. Children are still learning language. Teens are figuring out how they want to express their thoughts and feelings. Regardless of age group, sometimes words aren't enough. Even adults may be better able to explore their mental health concerns through more expressive mediums such as painting, music, and movement. By using expressive arts in therapy, your child or teen can connect to their creativity and find a path toward healing that’s all their own.Benefits of using expressive arts in therapy
There’s a common misconception that an individual needs to be “naturally artistic” or talented in order to create art. But the creative process itself rather than the product can allow people to work through issues they may have difficulty talking about. Research into expressive arts in therapy found evidence that art therapy is an effective modality for people of all ages. Further, a review of research demonstrates that therapeutic use of art is associated with:
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Specific activities such as coloring mandalas and patterns have been shown to help improve coping, but the process of artistic creation also helps people identify strengths that can be applied to other ways of coping.
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Children and adolescents with PTSD in an art therapy group demonstrated fewer symptoms after just one week and sustained progress at one month.
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Kids who were prone to acting out became less disruptive after art therapy. Teens in art therapy had fewer behavioral incidents and removals from school, allowing for increased time in the classroom.
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Teens participating in art as therapy groups demonstrated increased feelings of self-worth, mastery, connection, and self-approval. Essentially, as they engaged in artistic self expression, their overall self-esteem improved in several areas!
Meet Lindsey Bass | Dallas therapist using expressive arts
You want to do everything that you can for your child, and I am here to help you help them. I am Lindsey Bass, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas specializing in child and adolescent therapy. Changing schools, friendships, relationships, and family dynamics can bring academic and social challenges for anyone. Whether they are dealing with emotional meltdowns, high risk behaviors, academic concerns, low self esteem, or trauma, everyone is more than their struggles. I focus on each of my clients as a whole person. By focusing on building on existing strengths as well as learning new strategies to manage difficult emotions, I help children feel more confident, secure, and capable.
Part of my approach means meeting my clients where they are at. It can be overwhelming for anyone trying to put everything they are dealing with into words. But children and teens are still figuring out their voice. By incorporating crafting, play, sand tray, and dance, I can help young people figure out what they need without words. And often in the process, they also find more of their own unique voice.
Crafting
I have a variety of materials available for clients to use to make something if they wish. I often do not use specific prompts because I am not a trained art therapist. Rather, I let the client determine if making something while we discuss their concerns would be relaxing and further facilitate verbal processing.
However, there are times when I may prompt a child or adolescent to create a drawing if I think that it might be helpful for organizing thoughts or reminding them of resources. For example, making a drawing of what led up to a difficult situation to identify triggers can be more helpful than "tell me more about what happened." Similarly, children are still very concrete, and having a physical piece of paper that they organized with colorful words or drawings to remind them of coping skills can help them actually apply those skills outside of sessions.
Sand Tray and Sand Play Therapy
Sand Tray is "a creative counseling technique where a person expresses their understanding of themselves, their world, and aspects of their reality through figurines or miniatures" according to Medical News Today. In my sessions, I may use a directive, such as "Create a scene about what keeps you up at night." Other times I may present a variety of figures that one can use in the sand and leave it up to them what they create. After the sand tray is created, I explore with the client what their figurine choices, placements, and arrangement of the sand might mean for them. I do not interpret the sand tray for the client, but rather help them to explore the symbolic meanings that they become aware of as they complete the activity. Various studies support the effectiveness of sand tray therapy. A summary of these studies can be found here.
Sand play therapy also utilizes sand tray, but it incorporates elements of play therapy as well. Play therapy is also sometimes considered an expressive therapy and I have received significant training in play therapy. You can read more about my approach to play therapy here. Sand play brings both together by including more movement for children to play out an entire story rather than creating a specific scene.
Dancing Mindfulness
Many people have heard of mindfulness, but have a very specific idea of what practicing mindfulness looks like. A lot of people imagine sitting still and trying to "empty their mind," but struggle to do either of those things. Dancing mindfulness uses the art form of dance as a means of discovering mindful awareness. By moving with thoughts and feelings as they arise in the moment, dancing mindfulness can be a helpful way to practice mindfulness for many people regardless of their previous experience with meditation or dance.
FAQs about using expressive art in therapy for kids & teens
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Not all therapists who use art are art therapists. Although I integrate expressive modalities in my work, I am not an art therapist. According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapists are clinicians with master’s-level or higher degrees trained in both art and therapy. However, despite being one of the first states to recognize the distinct professional training and practice of art therapy, Texas does not have an accredited graduate degree program for art therapy.
While I am not an art therapist, I have training in utilizing specific expressive modalities, including sand tray, dancing mindfulness, and play therapy. If you are looking for art therapy in the Dallas area, the Art Station in Fort Worth offers individual and group art therapy and community programs to children and adults.
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As mentioned above, art therapy is a specific type of mental health counseling that requires extensive training in both art and therapy. Essentially, you can't just do art and call it therapy. Many traditional therapists incorporate art in therapy because making art is inherently therapeutic. Art, music, dance, and other expressive techniques can of course be helpful for exploring your emotions and relaxing, but art therapy is its own distinct field. There needs to be a therapeutic relationship specifically between the client and a trained art therapist in order for it to be true art therapy.
I utilize specific types of expressive therapies in my work that I have specific training for, such as play and sand tray therapy. When I incorporate other types of art, I am utilizing art in therapy because I am a non-art therapist. I might offer for a client to color, draw, or paint but I am not attempting to analyze or explore the meaning behind what a client makes; rather, I am simply allowing the client to do something that they find relaxing while we talk.
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There are so many ways that art can look in therapy. I work with each client individually to tailor the therapy experience to their needs. While most of my sessions are individual, there may also be times where I incorporate family members. Depending on what the goals for therapy are, there are a variety of activities that could be used, including:
• Affirmation coloring pages! While coloring books can be soothing in their repetitive nature, by combining them with affirmations, it allows people to focus on the affirmation for longer and then utilize the finished product as a reminder of the message. With this initial focus, I have also found that they can sink in a little deeper.
• Making a comic about what happened that led up to a meltdown to identify triggers.
• Make your world in the sand. What would need to change to make it better?
• On one side of a mask, show what people see on the outside. On the other, show what you feel on the inside.
Some activities may be short-term, while others may take longer. Sometimes an art project may take several sessions and focus on what about the process is important to the client. For example, if perfectionism is a concern, projects tend to take longer because the person is focused on getting it "just right." By working with the client and processing how those tendencies are showing up in the process of creating, I can help clients develop more self awareness and self compassion. And as we continue therapy, begin practicing tolerating imperfection and valuing the effort rather than the product.
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I've talked a lot about the benefits of integrating art into the therapeutic process, but that doesn't mean that it's better than other forms of therapy. Art therapy works, but so do other forms of therapy. There’s no one-size-fits-all way approach to mental health care. While some people may get a lot out of making art to process concerns, others may prefer talking! In general, research finds that the specific treatment modality actually doesn't make that much of a difference; rather, it is the therapeutic relationship itself that generates the most improvement. Collaboration between the client and therapist, alliance, and empathy are generally regarded as the most important things for therapeutic progress, so I have made them the cornerstones of my practice. If that includes creating art or not depends on what is best for the client.
Using expressive arts in therapy can help your child find their own creative way of healing.
Sometimes words just aren't enough to work through challenges, especially when your child is still learning how to use them. By using expressive arts in therapy, your child or teen can connect to their creativity and find a path toward healing that’s all their own. With a holistic approach to counseling, I help my clients and their families feel empowered to overcome cognitive, emotional, and behavior problems now and in the future.
Want to learn more about how I utilize expressive modalities in my therapy services or ready to schedule a session? Reach out today for a free consultation to learn more and get started.
