What is it?
- Uses art, music, or drama for expression.
- Facilitates emotional release and self-discovery.
- Encourages non-verbal communication and healing.
- Supports mental health through creative processes.
Here's more detail
Description
Creative therapy encompasses various therapeutic approaches that use artistic and expressive mediums—such as art, music, dance, or drama—to support mental health and emotional well-being. By engaging in creative activities, individuals can explore and express their thoughts and feelings in ways that might be difficult through traditional verbal communication. This approach helps facilitate emotional release, self-discovery, and personal growth, often leading to a deeper understanding of oneself and one’s experiences.
The therapeutic process in creative therapy allows individuals to connect with their emotions in a non-threatening way, often bypassing verbal barriers and accessing deeper layers of the psyche. Techniques like drawing, painting, or playing music provide an outlet for expressing complex emotions and experiences. This form of therapy can be particularly effective for those who find traditional talk therapies challenging or limiting, as it offers alternative ways to process and address mental health concerns.
voice
It’s a non-judgmental space. The child learns to experience tolerating failure and uncertainty and builds resilience where it’s ok to not have things turn out perfect and not have things turn out the way you’d like them to. It has a passive effect of increasing their resilience.
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Stat
A study conducted within deprived communities in London found that, of those people who engaged with the arts
79% ate more healthily
77% engaged in more physical activity
82% enjoyed greater wellbeing
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- What does a creative therapist do?
A creative arts therapist will offer you a safe, non-judgmental space to help you explore what you’re feeling and how that’s reflected in your creations. Through creative materials and activities, they will support you to understand yourself better, help you to process feelings and make positive changes in your life.
Some therapists combine creative activities with talking therapy as part of their sessions. But there are also those who are trained in a specific form of art therapy and have specialist titles, such as art therapist, play therapist, music therapist and drama therapist.
- What can creative therapy help with?
Creative therapies can be used with all age groups and with individuals, couples and groups, and can be helpful with many different issues.
They may be particularly helpful when working with trauma as they can help you process traumatic experiences which are often stored non-verbally in the brain. But creative arts therapies can also help with many other issues such as anxiety, depression and bereavement.
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that arts therapies are considered for everyone who has psychosis or schizophrenia.
- Different types of creative therapy
The main types of arts and creative therapies in the UK are:
- Art therapy
- Dance movement psychotherapy
- Dramatherapy
- Music therapy
- Play therapy
- What training does a creative therapist have?
All creative therapists will have done an approved Masters level course in the type of therapy they are offering. The length and type of training may vary.
Professional body
The following professional bodies represent different creative therapy professions
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