What Is Art Therapy in Austin, TX Given For?

one hand giving a set of keys to someone else’s hand, representing how art therapy in Austin, TX can give clients the keys to anxiety treatment and depression treatment

Art therapy is more than meets the eye—if you were to observe a session, you might mistake it for an art class (perhaps with a single student).  Of course the dialogue going on would clue you in that this is no ordinary art class, but you might find yourself wondering what art therapy is given for.

What kind of treatment needs benefit from the provision of art therapy services?

one hand giving a bouquet of flowers to someone else’s hand, representing how art therapy in Austin, TX can give clients beauty in the midst of anxiety treatment and depression treatment

“What Is the Art Therapy Given For?”  An Austin, TX Art Therapist Responds

If you’ve heard of art therapy and are curious about what it’s for, you’re not alone.  Many people ask, and I found the question above on Google, signaling that people are taking their curiosity to the internet.

Imagine for a moment that art therapy is medicine.  Most medicines are given for specific reasons, so what are the reasons someone would be given art therapy?

two hands giving a plant to someone else’s hands, representing how art therapy in Austin, TX can give clients an opportunity to grow from anxiety treatment and depression treatment

Art Therapy in Austin, TX is for Emotional Functioning and Beyond

Art therapy is medicinal in that it’s given to create a beneficial change in the way someone is functioning.  If you take that into consideration, “functioning” could mean a variety of things—physical functioning, emotional functioning, and intellectual functioning, to name a few.

Emotional Functioning is Connected to Both Physical Functioning and Intellectual Functioning

Art therapy is a regulated mental health profession with graduate-level educational standards and a legally defensible scope of practice, so most of the people who are given art therapy in Austin, TX come to treatment with emotional issues.

However, because emotions take place within the body, it’s important to remember that physical issues may influence or be influenced by emotions.    The same thing with intellectual issues—intellect and emotions are in communication via neural circuitry, so emotions can influence or be influenced by mental activity.

one hand giving a floral clock to someone else’s hand, representing how art therapy in Austin, TX can give clients time for healing during anxiety treatment and depression treatment

Art Therapy Is Given to Treat Many Issues

Art therapy in Austin, TX is given for the treatment of the following issues, though there are many more (a comprehensive list would go on and on and on!):

  • Anxiety

  • Attachment issues

  • Burnout

  • Depression

  • Grief or loss

  • Self-esteem issues

  • Spirituality issues

  • Trauma

  • Women’s issues

two hands giving a stack of gifts to someone else’s hands, representing how art therapy in Austin, TX can give clients gifts in the form of anxiety treatment and depression treatment

Collaborate with an Art Therapist

If you’re experiencing any of the above issues, consider enlisting an art therapist in Austin, TX to work with you as you create your way toward better health and the integration of your physical, emotional, and intellectual selves.

I Help Clients Integrate and Create Balance

When I collaborate with clients, I orchestrate treatment within a framework called the Expressive Therapies Continuum.  This framework serves to organize treatment efforts that create balance physically (through kinesthetic and sensory approaches), emotionally (through perceptual and affective approaches), and intellectually (through cognitive and symbolic approaches).

No two clients are alike—and so I assess each client to determine their physical/emotional/intellectual strengths as well as challenges, and these are all used to map out the treatment journey ahead for art therapy in Austin, TX.  We use the strengths to build bridges to the challenges and integrate them, creating new opportunities for each client to find the balance that had been missing because of the issues they’d been facing.

two hands giving a globe to someone else’s hands, representing how art therapy in Austin, TX can give clients a world of healing via anxiety treatment and depression treatment

Are You Ready to Get What You Want Out of Life?

Art therapy is for everyone—this article identified a few of the reasons why someone would be given art therapy, but in the end you’ll need to decide if it’s something you should give yourself.  Schedule a free consultation call with me to learn more about how art therapy can support you in what you’re going through and help you create a better outcome for yourself.

I’d love to have a conversation with you to explore what you need and what you want out of life.  I provide online art therapy in Austin, TX, online art therapy in Texas, online art therapy in Indiana, and online art therapy in Arizona.             

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What is the Perceptual/Affective Level of the Expressive Therapies Continuum?