
Rooted Counseling NC, PLLC
Virtual Therapy for wherever you are rooted in North Carolina
Online Therapy for Adults in North Carolina
Art Therapy
Art can be so much more than just making something beautiful, it can connect you to the parts of yourself that don't use words.
We experience life though all our senses: as sights, sounds, smells, touch, taste. This full body experience is how our minds and bodies create our memories and our understanding of the world.
Everyday we share about our experiences with words, it is familiar to us. Art therapy can feel strange at first, since we have not been taught how to express ourselves in this way. However, as humans, are already primed for expressive communication.
I've never been good at art.
That's ok! Art therapy isn't about making art to hang on your walls.
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Feelings are messy, your art will probably be messy too.
Weather you know how to make "beautiful" art or not; allowing yourself to make something that isn't "beautiful" can feel really uncomfortable.
If you wouldn't read your diary to friends and family, then you don't need to share your art with them.
You are always welcome to keep any artwork private. As a Registered Art Therapist, I am trained to help you select art processes to help you understand and express yourself through the creative expression.
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What happens in an Art Therapy session?
Every session can vary, it might look like:
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Making art during part of or most of your therapy session.
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Making art outside of therapy and discussing it in session.
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You picking the art process (ex: drawing, photography, collage, painting, origami, crocheting, etc...)
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Therapist picking the art process that fits your needs (based on latest research of art processes and mental health).
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Noticing thoughts and feelings that arise during the art process.
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Exploring symbolism- personal and cultural symbols that appear in artworks.
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Learning to understand yourself, and art, in a whole new way.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up". - Pablo Picasso l.
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Growing up only a few people get praised for their art, or encouraged to keep creating. Often schools teach us as children that art should look a certain way, and that its value comes from how many other people like it.
Art therapy often starts, by unlearning what we first learned about art. Art becomes a very powerful tool once we begin to understand how to use it as a form of communication with ourselves and way to express what words cannot.
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**It is important to note that art making can feel therapeutic on its own, however it is not art therapy unless done with a registered art therapist. Much like, talking with friends can feel therapeutic, but you would not say your friend is your licensed therapist. While therapeutic art making and good conversations with friends are important and valuable, there are distinct differences.
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"You use a glass mirror to see your face, you use works of art to see your soul".
- George Bernard Shaw