Art Therapy for Children & Teens: How It Works, Examples, & Effectiveness

What Is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a therapeutic modality that uses art as a medium to provide psychotherapy. Many therapists may employ creative approaches to use art in their practice. However, a licensed or Registered Art Therapist (ATR) receives specialized training in the modality. They must undergo internships, supervision, and credentials specific to the practice of art therapy.

Art therapy can take on two distinct but related forms. Art used “in” traditional talk therapy is a complementary modality to enhance other therapeutic techniques, while art used “as” therapy means therapeutic processing is done through creative artistic expression.

Art used in therapeutic settings may include creating art as well as the practice of sharing, viewing, and appreciating art together. As with any therapeutic approach, the purpose of the therapy is to improve overall mental health.

Art therapy may help in areas, such as:

• Communication
• Trauma processing
• Physical capabilities
• Emotion management
• Cognitive functioning
• Social ability

Therapists can accomplish the goals of psychotherapy through a broad range of artistic mediums, including:

• Visual art
• Creative movement
• Music
• Drama
• Journaling
• Expressive writing

Art therapy shares similar elements to traditional therapy, such as:

• Assessment for disorders
• Rapport building
• Treatment planning
• Documentation of progress

How Is Art Therapy Adapted for Children & Teens?

Art therapy helps treat children and teens by allowing the therapist to share a non-threatening experience with the client through artistic creation, appreciation, and expression. Art therapy for children and adolescents emphasizes that art is essential in social and emotional learning. Therapists can assist children in exploring feelings they cannot express through words.¹

Techniques employed by the art therapist may be more or less directive depending on the therapeutic style and age group. The experiential element of discussing symbols and meanings revealed in art may change based on the clients’ developmental stages. For example, adolescents can work with more sophisticated techniques using music, dance, dramatic arts, and journaling (i.e., examining lyrics, movements, or theatrical methods).²

Art therapists may choose visual mediums, such as:

• Crayons,
• Watercolors
• Clay
• Acrylic Paints
• Pencils
• Paper Craft Materials
• Sand Trays

Common Art Therapy Techniques & Tools for Kids & Teens

Art therapists often work with a specific age group or have preferred methods and modalities that represent their unique scope of practice. Some of the techniques used depend upon the setting of art therapy in hospitals, private practices, assertive community mental health, and school counseling.

Here are six standard art therapy techniques for kids and teens:

1. Art Therapy Assessments

Art therapists may employ standardized assessments that any therapist would use, such as depression or anxiety screenings. They may also use evaluations specific to Art Therapy, such as Draw a Person, House-Tree-Person, Diagnostic Drawing Series, or the Levick Emotional and Cognitive Art Therapy Assessment

2. Visual Art Techniques

These techniques can offer a glimpse into emotional schemas and help guide corrective emotional experiences. The client and the therapist discuss the choices of materials, colors selected, symbols used, the elements in the art, and the themes they want to explore.

Visual art techniques might include:

• Spontaneous Drawing
• Collages
• Sculptures
• Mandalas
• Drawing a Family

3. Dramatic Techniques

Art therapists may guide the client through a psychodrama technique such as the “empty chair” or family sculpting. These techniques can help the therapist form a clinical picture of the disorder, help the client become more aware of emotional patterns, and provide an opportunity to develop emotional regulation.

4. Writing Techniques

Letter writing, journaling, and poetry can spur post-traumatic growth and are standard therapeutic techniques. These techniques provide a safe container to express complicated feelings in constructive or corrective emotional experiences.

Therapists may give specific writing assignments such as:

• Describing an ideal day
• Practice expressing gratitude
• Exploring details of a dream or memory

5. Movement/Somatic Techniques

Dance and pantomime are standard movement techniques that allow for emotional expression, exploration, and the development of new behaviors.

6. Music Techniques

The appreciation or identification of music that elicits different mood states are among music techniques that can teach mindfulness skills, mood management, and nhanced ability to express emotions. These techniques can be practiced with drum circles, playing instruments together, and group listening as a way to use those skills in social settings.

What Is Art Therapy Used for In Children & Teens?

Art therapy techniques are used in various settings and are effective for many mood and behavioral disorders. The recent popularity of coloring books, travelers’ notebooks, and Zentangle guides demonstrates that the creative process is calming or therapeutic for many people on an intuitive level. However, seeing an art therapist will give you the added involvement of experienced specialists who can plan treatment goals and interventions to reach meaningful outcomes.

Chief complaints that make a child or adolescent a candidate for art therapy includes such disorders or identified needs as:

• Childhood anxiety
• Childhood depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Psychosis
• Medical conditions like cancer and TBI
• Family or marriage concerns
• Low self-esteem
• Teen substance use
• Eating disorders

Art Therapy for Conduct Disorders

Art therapy is a growing treatment for children with behavioral concerns and juvenile delinquency in some countries.³ Art therapy provides youth with conduct disorders with healthy ways to express sadness and regret, recover from trauma, or find alternatives to avoid further criminal activity or violent acts of revenge.

Art Therapy for Depression

Depression is one of the most common forms of emotional dysregulation, ranging from mild to severely debilitating illnesses. Art can increase the production of dopamine to help raise mood. The value of creativity also involves anxiety reduction and self-discovery.

Therapists can integrate cognitive behavioral therapy for depression with art therapy into a new modality called cognitive behavioral art therapy (CBAT). CBAT can help people suffering from depression develop flexible approaches to situations, understand their cognitions, and improve their ability to generate solutions.

Art therapy techniques to help reduce depressive symptoms include:

• Providing an opportunity to express and observe their negative thoughts
• Exploring the hidden symbols and meaning in their artistic expressions
• Learning to accept their feelings by seeing them from new perspectives

Art Therapy for Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are severe illnesses and highly complex psychological conditions that can be challenging to treat uniformly. They may also result in relapses of depressive symptoms and present with severe, sometimes life-threatening medical complications.

Sufferers of eating disorders develop patterns of secrecy and shame around their bodies. Art therapists often have their clients create artistic masks to demonstrate the differentiation of self seen by the world versus the self within. This exercise can be particularly effective with eating disorders, allowing clients to explore their self-awareness through the lens of their “outer” and “inner” selves.

Therapists can also use drama, dance, and expressive musical experiences (with particular care to avoid overuse for those with exercise addiction or for sufferers of anorexia). The intent is to help clients create healthy connections to their bodily sensations. Eating disorders can leave sufferers disconnected from themselves, leading to poor control of food intake.

Art Therapy Timeline for Children & Teens

Interventions depend upon the severity of the chief concern. Sessions are typically 50 minutes and are often weekly to build on progress. Planning for a 3-6 month timeline is a reasonable expectation. Completion depends on the treatment plan, an individualized and collaborative process with goals that address the most distressing symptoms or concerns.

Art therapists might extend treatment plans until they feel the identified coping skills or improvements are acquired, indicating readiness for transition.

Examples of criteria needed for graduation from an art therapy program might be:

• Fewer feelings of worthlessness
• Overcoming hopelessness for depression sufferers
• An increased impetus to do activities
• Finding pleasure again in previously enjoyable activities

Is Art Therapy Effective for Treating Children & Teens?

Art therapy can receive criticism for lack of clarity around its mechanisms of change in the brain. But there have been countless research results and meta-analyses to substantiate evidence-based use in improving cognitive ability. A 2021 study noted that evidence demonstrates that creative art therapies are effective, with more data to support this coming every day.⁴

An extensive study on the effectiveness of art, dance, drama, and music therapy concluded that the mental health benefits of art therapy come from its Adaptive Response Theory. The theory framework allows users to shift from maladaptive (like daydreaming) to adaptive responses by developing a new interpersonal and intrapersonal connection to the world they live.⁴

How to Find an Art Therapist for Your Child/Teen

If you are looking to find a therapist for your child who specializes in art therapy, begin by asking their school guidance office or pediatrician for recommendations. Alternatively, your insurance company may have a list of preferred providers. Additionally, an online therapist directory may allow you to review the options and find a therapist at home. Most therapists offer a consultation to help you choose a therapist who best fits your child’s needs.

At-Home Art Therapy Exercises for Kids & Teens

Families can borrow from successful art therapy techniques to help them have fun, connect with their children, recognize and process their emotions, and understand each other better.

Some art therapy exercises you can use at home with children include:

• Draw or paint your emotions: Bring out an array of painting and coloring supplies to draw or paint your emotions. Facilitate communication by asking about the symbols used, choice of color, or use of space. See if family members can guess what emotion the drawing represents. Expand this activity by drawing or painting the feelings about a piece of music.
• Journaling: Families can have fun creating a joint or individual journal using an inexpensive notebook or making a journal as an art project. You can give journals particular themes such as gratitude, nature,  or family travel journal. You can search journal prompts (such as those for anxiety) on the internet and even find them on youtube.
• Zentangle: This word is a technique of mindfully drawing within a small square. This technique’s endless variations can help children and teens learn to slow down, concentrate, breathe mindfully and be in the moment.

Final Thoughts

Art therapy for children can be an effective and productive way to help your children cope with various mental and physical ailments. Consider reaching out to your child’s pediatrician, school counselor, or other local resources to locate a nearby art therapy provider.