Mental Health Benefits of Art Therapy
Art therapy team members Stacy Lamb, Lindsey Diehl, and Janna Vanderband in the hand-painted corridor at Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus.
Art therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary form of communication. It allows our clients with addiction, eating disorders, and mental health conditions to express their thoughts and feelings through art making. In so doing, art therapy provides a safe space to process and explore emotions without words. At Sanford Behavioral Health, art therapy has always been a part of our programming. It can be beneficial in treating various mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and trauma.
Mental Health Benefits of Art Therapy
Sanford’s art therapy team encourages self-expression and understanding, which can help relieve feelings of depression, anxiety, trauma, or stress. Art therapists are trained to use art materials such as paint, paper, pastels, found objects, and clay. They use verbally guided techniques to help those in our care gain insight into complex mental health conditions. Through art therapy, people can create an outlet for difficult emotions while also using art to connect with aspects of themselves they may not be comfortable expressing verbally. Art therapy is a powerful tool that can be used to cope with mental health issues while uncovering unique opportunities for self-growth. It can even generate a passion for artwork that extends long after mental health treatment ends.
The Art Therapy Team at Sanford
We asked Stacy Lamb, MA, ATR-P, CAADC-DP; Janna Vanderband, MSAT, ATR-BC, DP-C; and Lindsey Diehl, MA, ATR-P, CAADC-DP, to describe what art therapy means to them. Their answers were fittingly, rather artful.
Collage and “blackout poem” by Stacy Lamb
Stacy Lamb, MA, ATR-P, CAADC-DP
I’ve worked in all program areas at Sanford Behavioral Health, and I’ve loved it! I was an artist first, and then I really cared about mental health in general, and had my own mental health issues that I used art to process. So, I personally recognize art’s healing power and want to share it with others. It was cool to have my psychology or counseling side mesh with my artsy side. I like to use art materials in different ways to help people process feelings and emotions that are a little bit harder to process through talk therapy.
For example, I might bring up a prompt that focuses on a specific theme, such as letting go, forgiveness, or anger management. We use various materials and methods to help clients express themselves visually. A variety of media offer deeper insight and new ways to process emotions and feelings. I use various materials depending on the prompt. If someone is having difficulty expressing emotion, I’ll bring out paint because it helps emotions flow out a little bit better. Usually, acrylic paint or watercolor helps them loosen control and express their emotions.
If they’re having trouble controlling their emotions, I’ll bring out clay, colored pencil, or pastel.
Those media are more easily controlled, which helps them express what they need to express. In contrast, collage develops problem-solving and organizational skills. Masks express the inward and outward self. I facilitate groups, but art therapy is effective one-on-one as well. In groups, our clients are creating together and sharing their artwork. Therapists ask process questions. How did you feel during the process? What was your judgment at the beginning of the group versus where you are now? How did it change your emotions? How did it change your thoughts towards yourself or others?
You Change.
All that you Change
Changes you.
The only lasting truth
Is Change.
God
Is Change’
Oftentimes, our mental health or addiction destroys our world, and making art reminds the body, soul, spirit, and mind that we are not inherently destroyers, but rather, powerful builders of our own world and perceptions. Art is a way that we can have a tangible impact on our environment. The creator is changed by their creation as the creation is changed by their creator. The more comfortable we become with this uncomfortable truth, the more we can practice acceptance and explore new possibilities. We are more beautifully human and more ourselves when we bring something into the world than when we destroy it.
Image by Lindsey Diehl created alongside clients during an art therapy group called the Bridge Drawing Assessment.
Lindsey Diehl, MA, ATR-P, CAADC-DP
First, I’m so happy to hear that art therapy is getting a chance in the spotlight, as it is often not recognized! I’ve always believed in the healing power of art, so to be able to use my education and bring that to Sanford is a true gift. Utilizing art therapy offers clients a different way to express themselves when they may not have the right words or quite understand what they’re feeling or experiencing in that moment.
Oftentimes, we become so overwhelmed by having to explain ourselves or try to find adequate wording to sum up what we are feeling that it can put us even further into whatever hole we may have found ourselves in. Using art as a means of language helps remove some of the pressure to have the “right thing to say” and instead, shows it. Giving clients a wide variety of media to explore, create with, and even experience for the first time allows us to meet them where they are and gives us greater insight into what is going unsaid. There are so many facets to art therapy that can be beneficial to a wide range of populations, but the number of substance use disorder clients we get that leave treatment, stating they have purchased their own art materials and have continued to work on different exercises they’ve learned while in art therapy, is one of the things that continues to fill my bucket. It’s why I can keep showing up to do the work day in and day out.
The Campus Concept
Sanford’s art therapists work alongside clients and collaborate with the medical and clinical teams at Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus. Mental health care is not one-size-fits-all; it evolves with each person’s needs. By bringing mental health, substance use, and eating disorder treatment together on one campus, we create a setting where treatment can continuously be reassessed and adjusted in real time. The campus concept allows for smoother transitions and stronger communication. Within this integrated approach, art therapy plays a vital role. It gives voice to experiences that might be difficult to articulate, helping clinicians gain deeper insight while providing a safe, expressive path to healing.
