What Techniques Get Used During Art Therapy in Austin, TX?
So you’ve made an appointment with an art therapist, or maybe you’re thinking of contacting one to see if they can help you with those things you can’t seem to put into words—those shadowy impressions that escape your efforts to describe them. But they bother you and are affecting the way you think, feel, and behave. Help seems like a good idea, and talk therapy might not cut it.
You know that any therapy, whether it’s art or talk, has to start at the beginning. The therapist needs to get to know you a little. And then the therapist will use techniques.
Techniques Have Purpose in Austin, TX Art Therapy
Talk therapists use techniques to help people build a bridge between where they’re at and where they want to be, psychologically speaking. You’ve correctly assumed that art therapists use techniques for the same purposes.
But what do those techniques look like? What will you be asked to do, or what will the art therapist do?
One-size-fits-all Techniques Don’t Fit with Art Therapy in Austin, TX
Not all art therapists use the same techniques, and not all clients need the same techniques! The practical reality is that no two art therapists are alike, and neither are any two clients.
It’s the same in talk therapy. So therapy of any sort is not really based upon a certain set of techniques. One size does not fit all.
Cookie-cutter Approaches to Treatment Don’t Cut It in Austin, TX Art Therapy
As someone providing art therapy in Austin, TX, I recently learned that a well-known person who gives trainings to therapists across the nation has a handout that describes therapeutic interventions insurance companies are likely to approve of. “Art therapy techniques" are on the list. When I questioned this person about the inappropriateness of reducing the entire profession of art therapy (and client welfare) to a bag of tricks that any therapist can pull from, I was met with disregard.
Art Therapy in Austin, TX Involves an Individualized Approach
Art therapy isn’t just a bunch of decontextualized, interchangeable activities or directives. In truth, an appropriately trained and credentialed art therapist in Texas or anywhere does not just randomly pick techniques prior to a session and then do the plug-and-play version of treatment. Each person who receives art therapy services should be provided with individualized care.
That means an Austin, TX art therapist uses interventions that are specific to the needs of the individual. There should be a treatment plan that can be enacted through shifts in art materials and media to help a client build a bridge between where they’re at and where they want to be. This is not about the random application of techniques--the client’s nervous system is involved and so an Austin, TX art therapist has to be aware of a lot more than cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approaches that don’t respect client individuality.
Assessment Ensures Individualized Treatment in Austin, TX Art Therapy
When I work with clients, I first have to assess them so I can make a determination about the best path for helping them move from where they are to where they want to be. This requires a knowledge of visual language and artmaking behavior; it’s how an art therapist in Austin, TX is able to discern more about those shadowy impressions that escape verbal description.
An Art Therapist in Austin, TX Uses Assessment Information to Construct the Treatment Plan
During the assessment phase of art therapy, I look for:
whether the client tends to direct their physical energy outwardly or inwardly
whether the client tends to contain or express emotions
whether the client’s intellectual activity tends to focus on objective or subjective meaning
whether the client is comfortable or uncomfortable with novelty
whether the client is comfortable or uncomfortable with ambiguity
whether the client is comfortable or uncomfortable with independence
whether the client tends to prefer experiences that elicit thoughts or feelings
Yup. That client-specific amalgamation of information is what helps me write a client-specific art therapy treatment plan so we can work together on client-specific goals. There’s nothing cookie cutter or one-size-fits-all about it.
Progress Monitoring Makes Sure That Techniques Align with Client Needs in Austin, TX Art Therapy
My work with clients is not based on decontextualized, interchangeable activities or directives. It’s based on interventions that fit the client’s needs every step of the way. The way a client responds to an intervention gives me info about how to proceed.
Shift the material? Shift the method? Every shift I propose has an effect on the client’s nervous system, and so I monitor progress during each session rather than just over the broader course of treatment.
Your Austin, TX Art Therapist Will Use Techniques That Respect You’re One of a Kind
If you’re eagerly awaiting your first session with an art therapist in Austin, TX or are thinking of contacting one for services, just know that “art therapy techniques” are like “talk therapy techniques”—they don’t mean a lot if they’re merely plug-and-play strategies that are used in a style you’d see on a factory assembly line. Your Austin, TX art therapist will base your treatment on individualized interventions that meet your needs and seem to flow together in a harmonious way. That’s how you’ll be able to tell your art therapist understands you’re one of a kind.
Do You Need a Complimentary Austin, TX Art Therapy Consultation?
Are you ready to step into something new and discover a novel approach to creating the life you want? Contact me for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. Well explore your goals and how online art therapy with me can help you transform your vision into a reality. It’s very important to find the right therapist with the right plan—so let’s find out if we’re a good fit!
Need a little more info about how I work with others? See my About page to learn how art therapy helps people with anxiety, depression, and stress find balance between the demands of the outer world and the needs of the inner world. Don’t you deserve to live in balance too?