Expressive Arts For Everyday Living

Expressive arts therapy may incorporate writing, drama, dance, movement, painting, and/or music.....

Expressive arts therapy is a multi-modal approach to therapy similar to its cousins drama therapy and music therapy. Expressive arts therapy may incorporate writing, drama, dance, movement, painting, and/or music. People utilizing expressive arts therapy are encouraged by a qualified therapist to explore their responses, reactions, and insights through pictures, sounds, explorations, and encounters with art processes. A person is not required to have artistic ability to use or benefit from expressive arts therapy.

Relatively new in its formation, expressive arts therapy began circa 1970 at the Leslie College Graduate School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Paolo Knill, a leader in the field, founded the International Network of Expressive Arts Therapy Training Centers and, in 1984, began the ISIS European Training Institutes. Expressive arts therapy was formed as a distinct practice alongside the modalities at the root of its creation

The accessibility of expressive arts therapy is due to the focus being not on artistic outcomes but rather on the process of creating. A person who utilizes expressive arts therapy is not required to have any artistic ability. Rather, it is through the use of the individual’s senses that the imagination can process, flourish, and support healing. As such, the process is often referred to as “low skill, high sensitivity.”

Each creative arts modality is unique, and the use of each is carefully considered by each expressive arts therapist. For example, journaling might be an appropriate expressive outlet for someone new to therapy. On the other side of the spectrum, a person who has already established a strong therapeutic relationship with his or her therapist may appreciate the use of movement or drama. Careful use of each modality is determined by the strength, timing, pacing, and readiness of the person in therapy. Different modalities may be used at any point throughout the therapeutic process as needed. Homework may also be issued for the person in therapy to complete between sessions.

The focus of expressive arts therapy is on the therapeutic effect of the creative experience, and it highlights the human capacity to transform thoughts, emotions, and experiences into tangible shapes and forms. The approach is described as “integrative” when different art techniques are intentionally used in combination with traditional medicines to promote improved health.