How to Know If You Should Work with a Talk Therapist vs. an Art Therapist in Austin, TX

Have you ever wished you could fly away from those behaviors, those feelings, those thoughts that have been weighing you down?  You’ve done your best to manage them on your own, but life seems so fragmented right now.

You respect yourself enough to seek professional support in creating a meaningful whole out of the disconnected pieces of your life.  And so you’ve decided to find a therapist.

You’ve Heard of Talk Therapy and Art Therapy in Austin, TX

You’ve definitely heard of talk therapy, and you know people who’ve benefitted from it as well as people who haven’t.  You’ve heard of art therapy too.  But you don’t know anyone who’s tried it before, so you can’t assess whether it’s right for you.

Talk Therapy and Art Therapy in Austin, TX Can Both Help You Put the Pieces of Your Life Together

Below are a few questions to ask yourself when determining whether talk therapy or art therapy in Austin, TX is most likely to assist you in waving goodbye to anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, grief, and burnout.  I provide online art therapy in Austin, TX and am happy to give you some things to think about for making a decision that’ll help you put the pieces of your life together.

Art Therapy in Austin, TX Uses Your Eyes and Hands; Talk Therapy Doesn’t

First of all, do you like art?  That’s usually a simple “yes/no” question.  If the idea of using your eyes and hands to make the invisible visible and the untouchable touchable is something that sounds like a giant turnoff, then you probably would be better off seeking the support of a talk therapist. 

Art Therapy in Austin, TX Provides a Physical Way to Discover and Explore Yourself

If you’re curious about what it means to take those invisible, untouchable things inside and make them visible and touchable, then you may be a candidate for art therapy.  Curiosity is an important ingredient in life, and it lends itself well to healing through forms of treatment that leave room for discovery and exploration.

When you were a wee one, you discovered things about yourself and the world around you through your senses—your eyes and hands being very important body parts in this process.  Art therapy honors this physical means of exploration.

Talk Therapy and Art Therapy in Austin, TX Respect Your Level of Tolerance for the Unknown

How do you feel about the unknown?  Some people are terrified by it and much prefer to approach therapy in ways they can censor.

Talk therapy is really good for this, as it lets you choose what comes out of your mouth and makes its way into the therapy session.  It offers a lot of reflective distance and gives you control over what gets said and what doesn’t.

An Austin, TX Art Therapist Protects You Against Unwelcome Psychological Surprises

In art therapy, there are definite ways to provide you with reflective distance and control as well.  For example, the process of creating mosaic art invokes reflective distance and control.  But because art therapy is an embodied experience—and we don’t always know what the outcomes of our embodied experiences are going to be—there is less of an opportunity to completely eliminate the unknown.

For this reason, a properly trained and credentialed art therapist uses materials and methods that are individualized for your needs, so you are not put at risk for unwelcome psychological surprises.  Instead, you are introduced to the unknown slowly and gradually as you make progress in your treatment and agree that you’re ready for less self-censorship.

Art Therapy in Austin, TX Works in Ways That Don’t Rely on Words; Talk Therapy Does

One more question you need to ask in your decision-making process is whether you think you’re not good with words or too good with words.  If you’re not good with words, talk therapy could be hard.  Conversely, if you’re too good with words, you’re likely to waste your time in talk therapy by talking in circles but never really getting anywhere (in fact you could be using words to avoid getting anywhere).

In either of these cases, art therapy may be your best bet.  Since it’s not all about words, it’s suitable for those who find it hard to describe their experiences as well as those who use words to distance themselves from their experiences.

Art Therapy in Austin, TX Creates Visible and Touchable Stepping Stones Toward Wholeness

I hope the information here is helpful to you as you narrow down your choice between a talk therapist vs. an art therapist in Austin, TX.  When I work with a client in art therapy, I assess them to get a strong sense of how their nervous system processes information and how to proceed with a course of action.  Everything is individualized—that way we start in a manner that the client is most comfortable with and then gradually increase confidence and courage as the client taps into hidden strengths and literally creates visible and touchable stepping stones to guide them from the beginning of treatment to graduation from therapy.

Austin, TX Art Therapy Is an Embodied Way to Put the Pieces of your Life Together

All it takes is a little bit of curiosity to start the process as well as a willingness to make the invisible visible and the untouchable touchable.  Art therapy in Austin, TX gives the clients I work with an embodied way to create a meaningful whole out of the disconnected pieces of their lives.              

Do You Need a Complimentary Austin, TX Art Therapy Consultation?

Are you ready to create a better outcome for yourself and live a life without anxiety, depression, and stress? Contact me for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll explore your goals and how online art therapy can transform your vision into reality. Let’s find out if we’re a good fit for this project!

And if you’re curious about how I help people create a way out of overwhelm, unhappiness, and burnout, please see my About page. The bottom line is that you deserve to live a life that radiates light, and isn’t it about time for you to shine?