What is the Difference Between Art Therapy and Therapeutic Art? Thoughts from an Austin, TX Art Therapist
The words “therapy” and “therapeutic” get thrown around so frequently anymore, it’s hard to tell when they’re used in a way that meets the threshold of something based on assessment and treatment! This brief article will help you tell the difference between art that’s tied to goal-oriented clinical services vs. art that’s tied to personal enjoyment in the moment.
Art Therapists are Vetted Mental Health Professionals
It makes things way easier if you know art therapy in Austin, TX is a regulated mental health profession that features a legally defensible scope of practice. That means the practice of art therapy is vetted through an education and training process that is overseen by an objective entity that sets standards for master’s degree programs in art therapy.
Austin, TX Art Therapists Earn Credentials
Graduates of art therapy programs have to obtain credentials in art therapy to demonstrate that they know how to effectively and ethically apply knowledge of the visual arts and artmaking within mental health assessment and treatment. There are now 13 states that have a specific license for art therapists, meaning (1) anyone calling themselves an art therapist in those states has to have an art therapy license and (2) anyone claiming to practice art therapy in those states has to have an art therapy license. In Texas art therapists are licensed through the state counseling board; there is not yet a Texas art therapy license, though the state regulates who can call themselves an art therapist.
Art Therapists Are Educated, Trained, and Credentialed to Treat Anxiety, Depression, and More
Does all that sound like it would involve a bunch of technicalities? Since art therapy is a regulated mental health profession with a legally defensible scope of practice, technicalities are what you can expect to ensure that the public is safe from rogue practitioners who have good intentions but not the right education, training, and credentials to enlist somatosensory processing and visual perception for creating beneficial and integrative internal shifts that result in the achievement of treatment goals.
Remember treatment? That’s what Austin, TX art therapy is all about! And art therapy treatment is based on art therapy assessment.
Therapeutic Art is Not the Same Thing as Art Therapy in Austin, TX
Therapeutic art is not regulated, it’s not a mental health profession, and it doesn’t have a legally defensible scope of practice. Practitioners of “therapeutic art” may use that term without having to meet any standards. Therapeutic art doesn’t offer assessment as a starting point for treatment, nor does it actually offer treatment.
The term is loosely used to describe “art that makes a person feel good in the moment”. But no one has to seek out a practitioner of therapeutic art to have an art experience that is personally enjoyable.
For example, there are a lot of crafters and makers out there who enjoy what they’re doing, but this doesn’t meet the threshold of therapy. There’s not a treatment plan because there are no treatment goals. Engaging with art in a way that’s solely about personal enjoyment in the moment is not the same thing as engaging in or experiencing art therapy.
Sometimes Art Therapy Can Look Like Therapeutic Art
If you were to spy on an Austin, TX art therapy session (which generally isn’t possible due to confidentiality issues), you might be confused about whether you were seeing art therapy or therapeutic art. After all, art therapy can be enjoyable for clients. Interviewing the art therapist to determine their rationale for introducing whatever interventions were provided in the session, including their relevance to the client’s starting point and end goals, would help you make the connection between assessment and treatment.
I Empower and Collaborate with Clients During Art Therapy in Austin, TX
When I work with clients, I like to share my rationale with them and help them understand the assessment and treatment framework I use, the Expressive Therapies Continuum, to empower them in their journey toward healing and health. This collaborative effort works wonders for the resolution of anxiety, depression, and other mental conditions that aren’t fun to live with. I might encourage clients to practice their own version of therapeutic art outside of sessions, but I’m careful to help them understand how therapeutic art is not art therapy!
Are You Ready to Create a Way Out of Anxiety and Depression?
If you’re interested in discovering how art therapy in Austin, TX (not therapeutic art) can assist you in creating a better outcome and experiencing mental well-being, please contact me for a complimentary phone consultation. I’ll help you figure out if art therapy with me is the right fit for your needs and situation. You can learn how I support others on my About page.