Art Therapy for Addiction: Benefits, Techniques, How to Find a Therapist

After adding paint to paper with lots of water, use a thin tube to blow toward the painting to create various color spots and mix the colors. Paint positive memories or moments in an abstract art form. Create a portrait series of yourself over time. By drawing self-portraits of yourself over time, you create visual representations of how you’ve changed. Use a coloring book, or create your own drawings and outlines to color.

Use our resources and the power of art as a means of managing this challenging situation and find joy in the process. Art therapy sessions with a trained art therapist in your community, whether solo or in a group setting, can be a valuable way to reflect on your SUD, its causes, and your recovery. The goal art therapy for addiction ideas of art therapy for addiction is to find an alternative form of communication that allows those in addiction recovery from substance abuse to express their experiences. One of the most used art therapy techniques for working with substance abuse patients is a five-part project called The First Step Series.

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An art therapy literature review published in Frontiers in Psychology (2018) looked at studies conducted between 2000 and 2017 to examine the efficacy of art therapy with adults. While working with adults, you will likely come across a wide variety of issues. From anxiety to PTSD, to grief to substance https://ecosoberhouse.com/ use, therapy with adults covers a broad range. But there are some issues that are universal. Many adults struggle with things like unresolved loss, life transitions, identity development, and conflict in relationships. And there are some art therapy activities that work well with these common issues.

Pick up a pencil or paintbrush and create an image of yourself as that strong warrior. Create a portrait of your future self. Create a visual representation — a drawing or painting — of how you wish to see your future self.

Provides a Healthy Outlet for Self-Expression

Container exercises are wonderfully versatile art therapy activities for adults and kids alike. Containers provide an excellent metaphor to work through a number of issues, including anxiety, unresolved grief, family secrets, and childhood trauma, to name a few. This art therapy activity for adults explores “unfinished business”, using the container as a metaphor for repressed/buried/unresolved feelings, regrets, goals, dreams, etc.

This project is ideal for individuals who may feel lost, overwhelmed, and even isolated. The lighthouse activity is designed to give participants hope for their future. As individuals are on the road to recovery, they may have a lot of gratitude toward others who have helped them get to where they are today.

Using Art Therapy Activities with Adults

The more you tap into your creative process, the more comfortable you’ll feel with how you choose to express yourself through artistic methods. In the video below, expressive arts therapist Natalie Rogers uses the two techniques mentioned during a therapy session with the same client. Expressive arts therapists are proficient in interpreting creative expression, rather than arts practitioners who have trained in a specific form of therapy. In this article, we will discuss expressive arts therapy by explaining the interventions used and the difference between expressive arts therapy and creative arts therapies.

A profound realization many of us have when utilizing art as therapy is that you can express yourself in many different ways. You’re not limited to pencil and paper. While art therapy typically incorporates visual media like drawing, painting, and sculpture, art can take many forms. If you like to sing or play an instrument, you can compose songs that illustrate how you’re feeling. If you’ve always dreamt of being an actor or actress, you can write your own script and create characters that represent your struggles. You may feel ashamed that you’re meeting with a nonprofit or a treatment center.