Art Psychotherapy
Provided By Chloe Benjamin, AThR
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that utilises art media and creative outlets as its primary mode of expression and communication, and is suitable for children, young people and adults.
Art therapy is provided individually or in groups, depending on a client's needs. It is not an art lesson, and the art created within the sessions is not used as diagnostic tool, but rather as a medium to address emotional issues which may be confusing or distressing for a client. Clients do not need to have any previous experience or expertise in art.
Art Therapy encompasses psychoanalysis, attachment-based psychotherapy, psycho-education, mindfulness and mentalization-based treatments. Within her thesis research, Chloe Benjamin, AThR explored the relationship between neuroscience and art psychotherapy, when working with children with early attachment trauma.