Art Therapy Activities for Better Mental Health

Art is not only a medium of expression and creativity, but when we engage in art, we also reduce our stress and enhance our well-being. It doesn’t matter if we’re good or bad, any artistic expression is considered to be an important aspect of the healing process. So, pick up your brushes and let’s explore, express and enjoy as we elucidate some therapeutic activities using art that you can do at home!

Expressive Arts Therapy

Expressive arts therapy is a modern therapy modality usually involving a variety of combinations of dance and movement therapy, art therapy, music therapy which address mental health issues. Often these therapeutic techniques are integrated with other traditional modes of therapy tailored to a client’s issues for their betterment. It works towards healing the mind and body, provide a mode of catharsis and expression, enhancing mind-body connection and self-awareness, providing insight, improving confidence, skill development, reducing stress and anxiety.

According to research, expressive arts therapy is beneficial and successful for these particular issues or concerns:

• Trauma processing and healing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Stress and Anxiety
• Depression
• Traumatic brain injury
• Eating Disorders
• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Developmental Disabilities
• Social anxiety and challenges
• Chronic medical illnesses
• Impulsive and aggressive behaviors
• Self-esteem and isolation

Expressive Arts Therapy Techniques and Activities

Many techniques are broadly employed under this therapy modality including music, movement, psychodrama, play, sculpture, painting and drawing depending on what is the most effective as per the client. Below are some key art therapy activities used for different age groups. Often art therapy activities are used in combination with meditative or calming music as well.

Art therapy activities for children

• Draw the challenging emotion is an activity where children are asked to create an image that represents the challenging/overwhelming emotion or feeling they are faced with, then giving it a name or voicing it. This activity can be used as Triptychs for challenging feelings, in which you divide a paper into three columns i.e., “Challenging feeling”, “What will help”, and “How I want to feel”, wherein the children can write, draw, paint their responses. 

• Squiggle drawing game is a game for two children where one child starts by drawing a squiggle onto the paper, then the other child adds what they like, and they keep taking turns till they create something meaningful together. 

• Mask making for children includes drawing and creating a mask out of paper, cardboard or digitally of different emotions or aspects of self. 

Art therapy activities for teens

• Psychodrama involves asking people in groups of 2 to create and act out a scenario in front of the group which can involve situations from their life, or can be completely hypothetically imagined. 

• What are they thinking is an activity in which the teens are given a magazine from which they are asked to choose and cut out pictures of 5 people, that they then glue onto a sheet of paper, then draw a thought bubble and write what these people could be thinking, which may be a very insightful and cathartic activity. 

• Inspirational Hands is a group activity for 5 teens ideally for self-esteem building. They are asked to trace and cut out their hands on a piece of paper and write their name on its palm. Then the cut-out is passed around, and each person writes a positive quality about the person on a finger of the cut-out. 

Art therapy activities for adults

• Words to live by involves asking a group of adults what words they live by or their personal motto. Each individual then chooses from a variety of available inspirational words and chooses 3 words that best describe them or their life philosophy and then discuss in the group. 

• Collaborative art contest involves making groups of 2 or 3 people, who are challenged to make a painting or sculpture together with equal contribution from everyone. 

• Surprise assemblage involves presenting a group with a huge variety of objects, fabrics such as screws, nuts, bolts, small toys, wood scraps, buttons, etc., that each individual has to assemble to make an art piece, keeping them creatively engaged as well as invoking feelings of nostalgia for their inner child when they come across familiar objects. 

• Gratitude Art includes creating a piece of art of all the things an individual is grateful for, this can be a collage of photos, or even a diary. 

• Journey drawing is an activity in which an individual is asked to draw a path and chart significant events, achievements as well as challenges, anything that has had a major impact on their life. 

Most activities promote self-expression, social skill development, imagination, catharsis, and can be adapted and used with a variety of populations.

Art therapy for mental health

Art therapy can be extremely beneficial for enhancing mental health and overall well-being. It has many benefits such as:

• Safe space to express and release emotions
• Helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression
• Enhances emotional regulation
• Self-awareness and greater personal insight
• Healthy coping skills development
• Improved self-esteem and confidence
• Trauma processing and healing
• Better communication skills

It is extremely beneficial to inculcate such activities in our daily life as they can help us achieve a great sense of comfort as well as develop healthy coping mechanisms for life’s stressors, further, for any specific mental health issue or concern, an Expressive Arts Therapist can help you overcome issues or challenges in a healthy and fun way.

At North America Behavioral Health Services, we connect you with Expressive Arts Therapist who will work with you to heal your mental health struggles and overcome addiction. The possibility with therapy is endless, all you have to do is try!