Healing Through Creativity
Art Therapy is a gentle, non-verbal form of psychological therapy that helps children, young people, and adults express emotions, process experiences, and reconnect with themselves and others through creativity.
What Is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy and the Brain
Every brain is unique – and so is every art therapy process. Art Therapists carefully select materials and activities to target different areas of the brain involved in emotional regulation, processing, and self-expression.
Artmaking can help clients:
- Regulate emotions through sensory and motor engagement
- Explore feelings they can’t yet verbalise
- Develop new coping and problem-solving pathways in the brain
Common artmaking activities include:
- Painting
- Building or sculpting
- Drawing or collage
- Making playdough or slime
- Storytelling through characters or imagery
Sensory exploration
You don’t need any artistic skill or experience to benefit. Art Therapy is about the process, not the product.
What Makes Art Therapy Different?
Art Therapists are mental health professionals – not art teachers. While art skills may grow as a by-product, the goal of every session is emotional healing, self-understanding, and relationship repair. Our Art Therapists are trained in counselling, trauma-informed practice, and mental health support, and all hold a Master of Art Therapy and membership with ANZACATA, the professional body for creative arts therapists.
Who Can Benefit from Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is suitable for people of all ages and backgrounds, especially those who find verbal therapy difficult. It can be particularly helpful for individuals experiencing:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Anxiety or Depression
- PTSD or trauma symptoms
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
- Eating disorders
- Low self-esteem
- Identity, gender or sexuality exploration
What to Expect in an Art Therapy session
Sessions are 50 minutes long and usually held face-to-face (Zoom sessions can also be offered). The foundation of every session is relationship — between client, therapist, and family. We may begin with simple sensory activities or art materials that feel soothing and safe before progressing to more expressive or symbolic forms of artmaking.
Art Therapy is trauma-informed and person-centred. Your therapist will create a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental environment where you can express yourself through art or words at your own pace.
Art Therapy can help with:
- Building social and emotional skills
- Exploring challenging thoughts and feelings
- Developing problem-solving and coping strategies
- Strengthening emotional regulation
- Healing from traumatic experiences
- Improving self-esteem and confidence
Art Therapy vs. Making Art at Home
Creating art at home can be a wonderful way to relax and improve wellbeing — but Art Therapy is different. It’s guided by a trained Art Therapist who supports you through the emotional and psychological meaning of the artmaking process.
If you’d like to try something simple at home, draw or trace a circle (it doesn’t have to be perfect) and fill it with colours, patterns, or shapes. Research shows this can reduce anxiety and help you feel grounded.
Why Art Therapy Matters
Art Therapy offers a bridge between emotion and expression. For many children and adults, it becomes a pathway toward feeling safe enough to explore what’s inside, even when words are hard to find. It’s especially powerful for those recovering from trauma, navigating neurodiversity, or seeking creative ways to reconnect with themselves and others.
Our Services
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Need help right now?
You can call or use webchat if you are feeling suicidal, are affected by suicide or are worried about someone who you think is considering suicide to get support and help. The web chat option does require you to register and create a password, so there are a few steps to this in case this may add to your overwhelm.
If you’re experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide:
Call Kids Help Line any time for any reason if you need help, especially if you are struggling with difficult emotions or are feeling distressed. They are there to talk to you and help. For anyone 25 or under.
The Lifeline phone line is available 24/7. Their text line is open midday to midnight and requires you to answer some pre-survey questions to register to use the service. Text: 0477 13 11 14 Webchat is available 7pm-midnight and can be anonymous, there are questions, but they are not mandatory to answer.
For all ages.
If you have difficulties relating to your gender or sexuality, the Q-life service may be able to help.
Q-Life is a free anonymous phone or webchat service run by Switchboard. The service is open 3pm – midnight every day. They do not offer ongoing counselling, rather they can offer support regarding any issues you are having related to gender or sexuality that you would like to discuss anonymously.
- 1800 184 527
- www.switchboard.org.au/qlife for online chat