Courses in Art Therapy

Considering a Course in Art Therapy

Art is a non-verbal process that people have been using for centuries to express themselves; the process of creating a piece of art in Art Therapy allows the person creating the artwork to embody their thoughts, feelings, and experiences and express them through their art.

Art Therapy allows a patient to understand themselves better and to understand why things have happened to them in the past or the present. For young people especially, those who often don’t have the cognitive capacity to express their feelings verbally, art therapy offers them a chance to express themselves through art and have a release for their feelings.

The great news is that there are many Art Therapy courses currently available for you to get started.

What is Art Therapy? 

Art Therapy is working with people therapeutically using art and art materials to allow them to express themselves, not just through words but through art. Art Therapy is more about the process than the quality of the final products; it doesn’t need to be aesthetically beautiful and is more about what the person gets out of it and the meaning behind the art piece.

Once an art piece has been created, the Art Therapist will ask the patient if they would like to talk about what they have created but if they would prefer not to this does not hinder the benefit of the therapy. The act of simply creating and expressing their feelings and thoughts is enough because it is such a deep, unconscious process.

What are the benefits of Art Therapy?

Art Therapy allows patients to express their emotions through their artwork and there is a lot of research into how Art Therapy helps patients to recover and heal more quickly.

Art Therapy helps patients by increasing their feelings of self-worth as they learn a new skill and realize what they can do and be in control of even though they may not have felt they were capable of anything before.

Art therapy is for a person of any age, from very young to the elderly, and for anyone from any background or mental ability, including patients with severe behavioral problems and addictions or people without medical or psychological issues who are simply looking for a personal insight into their lives.

Art Therapy is also a less intimidating form of therapy for a lot of patients as it can be completely non-verbal and it seems easier and less intrusive to paint a picture or create an art piece about how they are feeling than to try and express those feelings verbally. This is especially helpful for children or people who do not have the mental capacity to express themselves verbally.

What Will I Learn about Art Therapy? 

• You will learn about artistic media and how to use it to gain insight into human behavior.
• You will learn to develop your sensitivity, emotional stability, patience, and interpersonal skills.
• You will learn how to help people explore facets of their personality and express themselves without any judgment.
• You will learn about how art can be a means of self-expression, self-healing, and self-discovery.
• You will learn many different techniques of using art for pure enjoyment and active meditation.

Career Opportunities in Art Therapy

After completing your course in Art Therapy, you can expect to work as an Art Therapist in a variety of settings such as private practice, hospitals, rehabilitation care units, assisted living centers, psychiatric facilities, senior communities, schools, wellness centers, forensic institution, clinical research facilities, detention centers, and crisis centers.

If you’re serious about doing a course in Art Therapy and would like to find out more about it, check out courses in the Nightcourses.co.uk national course finder.