FAQ about Art Therapy Source
Below are a collection of frequently asked questions that I receive at Art Therapy Source, my private art therapy practice in Montclair, NJ, where I specialize in treating anxiety and grief. I work with children, teens, and adults. I receive many great questions from prospective clients and hope that this is helpful for anyone who is looking for more information about my practice. Take some time to read through these and if you still have questions, please scroll to the bottom of the page and reach out!
What is art therapy?
Art therapy is a mental health profession. It’s a form of psychotherapy that uses expressive arts mediums and modalities such as movement, painting, or talking as a way to identify and explore thoughts, experiences, and feelings. It combines the creative process with traditional therapeutic techniques and approaches to help you gain insight, self-awareness, and move towards desired changes.
Art therapy requires specific graduate and post-graduate training. Only licensed, registered, board-certified art therapists can provide art therapy.
Does a client need to be good at art to benefit from art therapy?
No. Art therapy is focused on the process of creating and expressing something, not on the final product. This means that we’re curious about what materials we’re drawn to and experimenting with how they work and feel, tuning into our internal thoughts or sensations while creating, noting any memories or associations that come up, and sharing any meaning that we might attribute to the art when we’re finished — not on our skill level.
What kinds of materials are used in art therapy?
Clients often use materials such as paints, clay, markers, pastels, and collage materials. I encourage clients to choose materials and activities that they are drawn to. I often suggest materials based on preferences and therapeutic goals.
What is the first session like?
Before we meet, you’ll receive paperwork to complete online. Part of the paperwork will ask you to share more details about various aspects of life; for example, what brings you (or your child) to therapy, support systems, family history, interests, and cultural factors. The paperwork gives me an idea of someone’s biological, psychological, and social functioning.
Sometimes, I include assessments in my paperwork for clients (or parents of younger clients) to fill out. These questionnaires can let us know an area that we need to focus on or rule out. For example, the answers to an assessment may point to one type of anxiety (separation, social, panic, generalized, etc.) over another.
When we meet together, we will go deeper into the background and history as well as any assessment, which allows us to understand needs, strengths, and areas for growth, determine fit, and together, develop a personalized treatment plan. We’ll collaborate on goals for treatment and desired outcomes.
The first session (sometimes called an “intake”) is considered a full therapy session. It lasts the duration of a typical session.
I’ll explain more about how art therapy works, my approach, and answer any questions. I’ll also go more into detail around administrative details such as my practice policies, confidentiality agreement, and other logistics of our sessions, such as scheduling or speaking with a child’s school counselor or an adult’s psychiatrist.
We’ll see how we feel by the end of the intake and we’ll discuss next steps. This might include details of our first session or outlining any resources or referrals if needed.
What happens in a typical art therapy session?
In a typical session, we’ll check in on how things have been and how you’re feeling, and we’ll find a focal point for our session. Then, we’ll move on making art, engaging in another form of creative self-expression, or talking together. Near the end of session, we’ll take time for reflection and discussion.
We may take some time to review and evaluate our work together.
How can art therapy help me?
Sometimes, we don’t have words for what we’re feeling or what we’ve experienced. The need to be witnessed and share our story is innate. Humans have been creating art to access healing, transformation, and connection since prehistoric times. The concept of using creativity for healing is ancient. Of course, with modern science, we’ve been long able to prove just how amazing art therapy really is for us on a brain and body level.
In art therapy sessions, we’ll work together to explore emotions, gain insight through creative self-expression, develop specific strategies, foster a sense of empowerment, and develop a plan for how we might integrate what we learn in sessions into everyday life.
Artmaking has been found to impact us positively on several levels from increased well-being, self-esteem, and focus, to reduced anxiety, stress, and worry.
Is art therapy suitable for all ages?
Yes! The materials and techniques vary with age and needs.
How long does each session last?
My sessions are 50 minutes.
What types of therapy do you offer?
I draw from psychodynamic psychotherapy, CBT, polyvagal theory, and attachment theory amongst other orientations and approaches in my work. This means that I will orient my approach based on the needs and goals of each person I’m working with.
How often do we meet?
We’ll typically start out on a weekly basis and adjust frequency as time goes on. Frequency of sessions is based primarily on needs and goals.
How long will I need art therapy?
Everyone’s duration of art therapy sessions is different. Some people only need a handful of months in therapy. Others may need several months or benefit from ongoing, long-term support. We consistently review your progress and adjust goals or the treatment plan if needed.
I once read, “therapy is a marathon, not a sprint” which I find helpful when talking about the duration. It takes everyone a different amount of time to finish the race.
Some of my clients who have completed therapy reach out to me to come back to meet for a session or two down the road. They feel they would benefit from an already-established, safe and trusting therapeutic relationship in which they can focus on an issue for a shorter amount of time.
Is what I create and share in sessions confidential?
Yes, by law, everything that is shared in sessions (including art) is confidential. There are exceptions, such as if you are a risk to yourself or others, or if there’s suspected or disclosed abuse, which I’m required by law to report. We discuss confidentiality in detail in our first session.
Parents with children in therapy can expect me to discuss general themes, areas of struggle or progress, behavioral observations, concerns, progression towards goals, techniques/interventions used, recommendations for support at home, and feedback.
Do you analyze my artwork?
I get this question a lot! I don’t analyze art in the way you would in an art class. Together, we explore your art and the emotions, interpretations, and meaning in it. What you share about your art is what I am focused on.
How much is a session?
My fee is $200 per session. I offer a sliding scale for financial assistance based on availability and need. I can walk you through utilizing your out-of-network insurance benefits for art therapy during our first phone conversation and before we meet.
Do you prescribe medication?
I don’t prescribe medication. If we discover that, based on assessment and evaluation, medication might be helpful, we will discuss this and make a plan together.
Will insurance reimburse me?
Your insurance company will be able to walk you through your out-of-network benefits for art therapy. Everyone’s benefits, and therefore their coverage, is different. You’ll need to call your insurance company or login online to find this information. Typically, insurance companies will reimburse you for a portion of the session fee, and you’ll be responsible for the rest.
You’ll also want to ask if you have a deductible, and if so, how much that is, and where you can submit superbills (a receipt of services that I provide each month) so that you can get reimbursed.
What do I do if I don’t feel connected to you?
Feeling connected to your therapist is one of the most important factors for success in therapy. I encourage clients to let me know if they don’t feel comfortable with me so that I can help find you a therapist who will be a great fit.
It’s important to honor what encourages you to feel most comfortable and at-ease when you are in therapy so that you can relate to the therapist and make the progress that you area meant to. We start therapy with the best intentions, and sometimes we realize that a different type of therapy or approach might better suit our needs, or a different therapist with a different set of skills, gender, race, religion, area of focus or specialization, culture, etc. would feel most supportive.
How do I know if therapy is working?
It’s important to know that the first step in therapy is the establishment of a therapeutic relationship, which usually takes anywhere from 3-6 months. In this time, we’re assessing and evaluating and making sure that art therapy is the best course of treatment for a person’s unique needs and goals.
One measure of progress involves clients self-reporting how they are and what has felt better or worse. Over time, we’re able to see what’s improving and working, and what’s not, so that we can focus our work.
Another measure is the therapist and other people in the clients’ life noticing observable and felt changes when they are with the client.
Another progress measure is the art/creative expression itself, which lets us see progress over time. We can routinely review the artwork or expressions made on this visual timeline together, and discuss the changes we are noticing, feeling, and seeing.
Common changes over time that indicate progress towards a goal include increased self-awareness, reduction of symptoms, positive feedback from others, improved coping, behavioral changes, or enhanced relational dynamics.
With parents of children in art therapy, we’ll maintain regular contact and share a feedback loop so we can ensure that therapy is responsive to the needs of the child and any changes that are taking place.
What if I feel like therapy isn’t working?
During the first couple of months, we are working together to see if this might be a good fit or not. If it’s not a good fit for any number of reasons, I typically refer clients to a different form of therapy or an evaluation/assessment from a different kind of therapist or professional. We’ll terminate, which is typically 2-3 sessions.
Many people (of all ages) experience resistance which can feel like doubting if therapy is needed or if it is working, especially within the first few months. Sharing how you feel and what your behavioral patterns are like isn’t exactly comfortable!
It’s important to have realistic expectations of art therapy before getting started, which can also help with understanding what the process might look and feel like.
How do I prepare for my sessions?
Clients don’t need to prepare in any particular way for therapy. Being open to the process is generally a great approach!
Some clients like to journal and keep track of their emotions or dreams between sessions.
How do I get the most out of therapy?
Set realistic expectations.
Therapy is a commitment of resources. Consistency is key to getting the most out of what you are putting in.
Revisit your goals with your therapist and share input. Let your therapist know what is working and what feels less helpful as you go.
Challenge yourself to share openly and honestly.
Practice any skills or suggestions at home.
Be patient with yourself as you go. Self-compassion is vital.
Process feedback or reflections more through art, journaling, or other means outside of therapy, especially if something feels particularly powerful for you.
Make time for self-care and routines that feel good and promote healthy functioning and well-being. For parents, this may look like consistency and clarity in your verbalizations/expectations, implementing more structure, or looking into your own support(s) to help you stay regulated and grounded is important in fostering an environment of positive growth.
What are your qualifications and background?
I hold a B.A. in Psychology and my M.P.S. in Art Therapy. My focus area was addiction during my training, which was heavily focused on the neuroscience of trauma, attachment, and healing. I worked within a partial-hospital program for behavioral health with adolescents during my first year of training and within a large teaching hospital during my second year, where I worked between the psychiatric area of an adult emergency department, the adult inpatient psychiatric unit, and the adult intensive outpatient program.
Although I no longer work with addiction and recovery, the training in trauma-informed therapy set the foundation for my work as an art therapist and my interest in learning more about the brain-body connection.
My career as a therapist brought me opportunities to work with so many children, teens, and adults in healthcare and community programs over the course of a decade. I worked within a skilled nursing facility and sub-acute rehabilitation center for adults, in-home with adolescents and their families, an adult inpatient psychiatric unit, and within the department of pediatric hematology-oncology at NYP/Weill Cornell. There, I also supported the clinical development of interns, contributed to therapeutic programs, and aided art therapy research efforts.
As a therapist who worked through the onset, height, and subsequent “new normal” of the COVID-19 pandemic within an NYC hospital, I began to consider the impact it was having and going to have on my community. I made the decision to transition into supporting the needs of those closer to home, and this is how Art Therapy Source began.
Each year, I complete 20+ hours of additional training centered on my current specializations: anxiety and grief.
FAQ summary
Starting any kind of therapy can feel scary. Many people have associations with therapy (or art) and something being “wrong” with people who go to therapy. What can be helpful is to remember that therapy isn’t about fixing anything. It’s about understanding why something - thoughts, feelings, and behaviors - is happening, and learning new ways to navigate. We’re in therapy to gain insight, tools, and self-awareness to move forward.
If you have a question that I didn’t cover, reach out!
