Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that combines traditional talking therapy and creative expression. The creative process is used to explore emotions and deepen self-understanding in order to facilitate well-being, offering a gentle and often non-verbal way to explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

You do not need to be artistic or have any previous experience with art to benefit from art therapy. The focus is not on creating “good” art, but on using materials and image-making as a way to communicate, reflect, and process what may feel difficult to put into words.

Art therapy draws on psychoanalytic and relational approaches, recognising that creative expression can help bring unconscious thoughts, emotions, and experiences into awareness. Since emerging as a therapeutic discipline in the 1950s, it has become an established form of psychological support used across a wide range of settings, including schools, hospitals, community services, and private practice.

Art therapists are professionally trained clinicians who have completed postgraduate clinical training, including supervised placements. They are registered with a recognised professional body and work within established ethical and professional standards to provide safe, confidential, and compassionate care.