Despite the Creative Arts Therapies being powerful healing tools, they are often misunderstood. This article clarifies some common misperceptions about the Creative Arts Therapy Field.
Myth #1: Creative arts therapy sessions are like taking classes in the arts
It is true that clients participate in creating artwork (which includes dance, movement, drama, music, and writing in addition to visual arts) during sessions with creative arts therapists. However, the purposes and results of these activities are very different than the goals of art/dance/drama classes.
When taking classes, the purpose is to learn new skills and techniques. The focus is on the production and quality of work created. The result is artwork that is created with the intent to share with others, use as decorations, or otherwise be displayed.
During therapy sessions, the purpose is to express and explore oneself. The arts are viewed as tools to achieve therapeutic goals. The focus is on the benefits one receives through the process. Some results are emotional relief, validation, self-awareness, and new perspectives and insights.
In other words, classes focus on products being created whereas creative arts therapies focus on the process one goes through during creation.
In addition, therapy is client-centered whereas classes have objectives that the teacher decides. This means that clients in therapy get to choose when to engage in the arts and what types of art they are comfortable engaging in. Clients also get to choose if they want to create products during sessions, and products created are not judged or graded.
Myth #2: Creative arts therapies are only for people who are talented in the arts
As mentioned above, creative arts therapies focus on the process of creation rather than final products created. Therefore, no talent is required to participate in or benefit from the creative arts therapies. All that is required is a willingness to engage in the arts.
Because the purpose is to help clients with self-expression and self-exploration, there are no right or wrong ways to participate in the arts during sessions. In other words, you might be encouraged to:
• Use any colors and designs you wish to in a drawing
• Dance or move in any way you please
• Choose an aspect of yourself that you would like to explore and make a mask to represent that part of you
• Choose an instrument of your preference and play it in whatever way expresses your current feeling
• Write a poem to explore a theme of your choosing and in any format you prefer
Myth #3: Creative arts therapies are only for children
Children tend to be more receptive to creative arts therapies because they are more open to exploring feelings and problems creatively, playfully, and in a way not heavily focused on language. However, they are not the only age group to benefit from them.
Creative arts therapies benefit people of all ages by allowing opportunities to explore health holistically.
Creative arts therapists are trained to know how to adapt their techniques with the various age ranges they work with.
Myth #4: Creative arts therapies are only used in group settings
Although it is true that the creative arts therapies are often used in group therapy settings, it is also true that they are widely used in individual therapy. For several examples of how the creative arts therapies are used in both settings, read this article about intervention examples.
Myth #5: Creative arts therapists work solely in their art modality and do not use talk therapy at all
Creative arts therapists are trained to do talk therapy in addition to working on therapeutic goals through their art modalities. They determine how much talk therapy is used during a session by the following factors: training, style, and sensing what a client needs at any given moment. Therefore, talking might be done during parts of sessions or even the entire duration of sessions at times.
Myth #6: You create a product in every session
As mentioned above, creative arts therapists are trained to do talk therapy and sometimes spend sessions largely talking with clients. Therefore, not every session involves creation or completion of artwork.
Also, activities are often done that do not result in final products. For example, a client might explore roles through improvisation and might not make masks, costumes, or a performance. Another example is when music or singing is improvised to express feelings and does not result in songs to be memorized or played again.
Myth #7: Creative arts therapists analyze the art you create
Creative arts therapists do not have the ability to analyze artwork with certainty. There is no formula to interpret artwork because different colors, symbols, words, gestures, sounds, etc. have different meanings to different people.
Creative arts therapists work in partnership with clients to explore the meaning of artwork. This means that they typically ask clients about the meaning of their work rather than analyzing it. Sometimes a creative arts therapist might observe something about the artwork and might point it out to the client with a curious approach to explore possible meanings of it.
Myth #8: Creative arts therapists just stare at you while you create
Creative arts therapists have different styles and approaches, and sometimes their approach depends on client needs (such as a client either needing connection or space), so any of the following might be experienced during sessions:
• The therapist joins in the process of creation with you (e.g. works on a piece of art with you, participates in dance/movement with you, takes on a role while you enact a role, plays an instrument to create a song with you, etc.)
• The therapist creates something individually while you work on your artwork (e.g. draws on their own paper while you work on a drawing)
• The therapist silently observes you as you create
Even in the case of the latter, therapists are typically savvy enough to know how to observe you in a way that does not feel intrusive. Therapists are also typically open to being told if they are making you feel uncomfortable and usually welcome you to inform them of such things. Keep in mind that the reason a therapist observes a client is to help the client gain self-awareness.
Myth #9: Any therapist using the arts in their work can claim to be a creative arts therapist
As mentioned in this previous article, creative arts therapists go through specific training, certification, and/or licensure. Therefore, therapists without such training should not claim to be such.
Conclusion
Were any of these misperceptions new or surprising to you? Do you have any others you would like to share or would like to me respond to? If so, feel free to comment below.
Contact me
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to work with a creative arts therapist in the Reisterstown and Baltimore area.
*This article originally appeared on the Psychology Arts website, which is no longer active.