Now that most everyone has heard of art therapy as a regulated, master’s-level mental health profession, some people are wondering if it has any downsides or risks. That’s smart! There’s isn’t an agent of change out there that comes without risk, and art therapy is no exception.
So how do you navigate the risks if you’re a client or potential client?
I Can Explain the Potential Downsides of Art Therapy in Austin, TX
I’ve been an art therapist for over 30 years, and I’ve worked with children, adolescents, adults, and seniors in behavioral health, correctional, educational, medical, and social services settings in addition to my current online private practice in art therapy.
I’ll help you understand the potential downsides of art therapy so you can figure out for yourself of art therapy is right for you and your journey toward wellness and wholeness. Read on!
Austin, TX Art Therapy Risks Are Both External and Internal
If you’re considering art therapy, you should know that risks come in two major forms: external considerations and internal considerations. The external considerations are based on factors outside yourself, like if art therapy is covered by your insurance.
The internal considerations are based on factors that are specific to you, like if you should work with a talk therapist vs. an art therapist. External considerations are easier to fathom because they’re more black and white, so let’s start there.
External Consideration #1 for Art Therapy in Austin, TX: Money
External considerations are fairly objective. For example, money is something everyone has to deal with. Mental health services cost money, so is art therapy covered by your insurance? That might be an important question to ask if you’re not planning to pay out of pocket.
I’ve answered it for you in another blog article to help you understand all the angles, because insurance coverage for art therapy is complicated.
External Consideration #2 for Art Therapy in Austin, TX: Availability of Qualified Art Therapists
Another external consideration is the lack of legitimately trained and credentialed art therapists in certain parts of the country. As of this writing, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to establish a license for art therapists, meaning that the art therapists in those jurisdictions have to meet educational and other requirements to provide art therapy services to the public.
And what if you don’t live in one of those areas? You can look into online art therapy! I’ve earned the “licensed professional counselor – art therapist” credential in Texas, which is legally necessary for calling myself an art therapist in the Lone Star State, and my online private practice serves adult Texans regardless of how far they live from Austin.
I Offer Online Art Therapy in Austin, TX that Meets Standards
I’m also licensed to provide mental health services, including art therapy, through counseling licenses in Indiana and Arizona. Although Texas, Indiana, and Arizona are examples of states that do not have a specific art therapy license, their counseling licenses allow me to work with residents of these places virtually.
My registration and board certification in art therapy through the Art Therapy Credentials Board helps ensure that the services I offer meet standards and that I practice according to ethical guidelines in art therapy.
External Consideration #3 for Art Therapy in Austin, TX: Non-art Therapists Claiming to Offer Art Therapy
This leads us to a third external consideration when navigating the risks of art therapy: not everyone out there who claims to offer art therapy is legitimately trained and credentialed. Oops! That means there are posers who either accidentally or deliberately hold themselves out to the public in ways that violate the public’s trust in helping professionals.
Artists who try to be therapeutic with vulnerable others constitute one group of these posers, and another group is therapists who try to be artistic with vulnerable others. Both of these groups are putting the public at risk by overestimating their knowledge and skills in art therapy and underestimating the psychological impact of art therapy.
Art therapy in Austin, TX uses the client’s eyes and hands to get into the brain, so having the training and credentials to do that is necessary for ethical and effective services. Good intentions and guesswork are not substitutions for the real deal, even if the non-art therapist is nice.
Internal Consideration #1: Your Preference for Talk Therapy or Art Therapy
As far as internal considerations go, those are subjective. They’re nuanced. For example, talk therapy and art therapy can both help you put the pieces of your life together, but how can you tell which one is better for you?
I’ve written an article to help you with that, as talk therapy and art therapy in Austin, TX respect your level of tolerance for the unknown but do this through different approaches. Art therapy uses your eyes and hands and works in ways that don’t rely on words; talk therapy doesn’t use body parts and works in ways that are dependent upon conversation.
Internal Consideration #2: Belief That Art Therapy is Only for Artists
Another internal consideration is whether you believe that art therapy is only for the artistically inclined. It’s not—that’s like saying talk therapy is only for people who love talking, which would definitely not be everyone.
Every art therapist in Austin, TX knows that children only learn to draw stick figures when they’re old enough to start feeling self-conscious about their art, so they look to older kids and adults to see how they draw people. Yup, children acquire stick figures from us, not the other way around.
Art Therapy Can Help You Move Beyond Self-doubt
If you feel self-conscious about your artistic capabilities, working with an art therapist may help you move beyond all the self-doubt you carry inside. That self-doubt is only partially related to your artistic performance—but it limits you in ways that have nothing to do with art.
I’ve written an article that can help you understand whether you’re a candidate for art therapy in Austin TX if you’re “bad” at art.
Internal Consideration #3: Your Expectations for Art Therapy
A third external consideration is what your expectations are for art therapy. Lots of people have vague and fuzzy ideas about what therapy ought to be like, so when they get themselves into art therapy, they really come face-to-face with whether their vague and fuzzy ideas are a match with reality.
What is your level of familiarity with art materials? Does the art therapist in Austin, TX attune to your needs? Does the art therapist respect your comfort zone and pace? How comfortable are you with internal shifts that reveal themselves in your artwork? Do you have any shame to heal? Are you ok with having a visual record of your progress in treatment?
What Do You Want from Art Therapy and What Do You Need from the Art Therapist?
These are things to think about in advance to make sure your expectations for art therapy are better than “vague and fuzzy”. Showing up for your first art therapy session with clear expectations will help you discern whether you are working with the right art therapist for you.
This article, “What to Expect from Art Therapy in Austin, TX”, will support you in avoiding downfalls associated with vague and fuzzy expectations on your part.
Savvy Mental Health Consumers Know the Potential Downsides of Art Therapy
And that’s it in a nutshell! To review, all forms of therapy have risks and downsides. In art therapy, the three external things to consider are related to:
money
access to a legitimately trained and credentialed art therapist in Austin, TX
the profusion of non-art therapists who claim to offer art therapy
The three internal things to consider are:
your preference for working with a talk therapist or an art therapist
preconceived notions about art therapy being only for artists
the expectations you have for art therapy
Hopefully this article has helped you understand that art therapy in Austin, TX is so much more than art with therapy or therapy with art. It’s important to weigh your options and make decisions based on what’s right for YOU.
After all, you’re the one with the goals!
Choose Art Therapy for its Upsides
Are you ready to take a chance with art therapy in Austin, TX for its upsides—including the opportunity to heal and grow in ways that go far beyond words? If so, I’d love to partner with you for the creative journey ahead.
I serve adults through online art therapy in Texas, online art therapy in Indiana, and online art therapy in Arizona. My specialties focus on self-esteem issues, depression, anxiety, spirituality issues, trauma, grief or loss, attachment issues, and burnout.
Isn’t it About Time You Created Better Outcomes for Your Life?
Contact me today for a free phone consultation to learn more about how art therapy in Austin, TX with me can help you create a life that you love. It’s more than possible to take the life you’re living now, downsides and all, and turn it into a comfortable and meaningful experience.
I’ve seen it happen for people who are ready to take that next step and enlist the support of someone who can guide them to better outcomes. I’d like to be that person for you.