Art Therapy
For Kids & Teens
Children and adolescents experience a wide array of difficult situations throughout their everyday life. Through our social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, the art facilitators at OSP address many of the common issues young people experience that influence their physical and mental wellbeing.
The SEL work we do through this curriculum is a significant influence on our therapeutic work with kids and teens. This program provides our therapists with a framework to promote choice and autonomy while in a clinical therapeutic setting.
If you think your child might benefit from our art therapy services, please email us at arttherapy@openstudioproject.org.
Some concerns our child and teen clients might seek art therapy for:
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- General anxiety or depression
- Academic or social burn-out (including school refusal, attendance issues, etc.)
- Uncomfortable or concerning adjustments to transitional periods in the person’s life (social, family, or academic)
- Trauma or other long-term stressors (caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or another specified traumatic event)
- Dysregulated emotions
- Issues associated with communication (verbal or otherwise)
- Technology dependency
- Substance dependency
- Lack of autonomy
- Poor self-esteem or self-image
- LGBTQIA+ issues
- Behavioral concerns in the classroom, at home, or in social settings
- ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or other forms of neurodiversity (note: this includes building self-acceptance and confidence, not correcting or changing the individual’s neurological patterns)
- Concerns related to physical or cognitive disabilities
For Adults
Open Studio Project has a long history of facilitating artmaking as a therapeutic exercise for adults who are interested in practicing mindfulness and the creative process. By incorporating OSP’s established studio methodologies and philosophies with clinical psychological perspectives, our art therapists can address specific therapeutic goals and treatment tactics with adult clients.
If you think you might benefit from our art therapy services, please email us at arttherapy@openstudioproject.org.
Some concerns our adult clients might seek art therapy for:
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- General anxiety or depression
- Professional, academic, or social burn-out
- Discomfort with transitional periods in life
- Anger issues and unwanted impulsivity
- Various forms of trauma and other long-term stressors
- Issues with autonomy and sense-of-self
- LGBTQIA+ issues
- ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or other forms of neurodiversity (note: this includes building self-acceptance and confidence, not correcting or changing the individual’s neurological patterns)
- Grief processing
- Family dynamics & concerns with life transitions
Some techniques we utilize:
The environment created by the OSP community, along with the careful and empathetic delivery of services by our art therapists, provide a safe space for people from all walks of life to heal and grow.
What is Art Therapy?
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- An integrative approach to improving and maintaining one’s mental wellbeing through artmaking and discussion.
- The creation of artwork in a judgment-free environment alongside a qualified art therapist can uncover repressed emotions, reveal hidden narratives in one’s life, and allow one to reflect on their aspirations and goals.
- A skilled art therapist can facilitate conversations between the artwork and the artist, forging a meaningful relationship between the two.
Visit the American Art Therapy Association’s website for more information about the profession and practice of art therapy.
How Does it Work?
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- The unique combination of clinical psychological theory and creative artistic practice that exists in art therapy has proven to be helpful in alleviating a variety of challenges experienced throughout life.
- Calming and mindful aspects of artmaking in a therapeutic environment can ease anxiety, depression, and other common psychological concerns.
- A creative therapeutic process can act as a catalyst for introspection and initiate a shift in regular thought patterns, moving one into a more creative headspace that allows for self-acceptance, compassion, and empathy.
- Art therapy allows space for nonverbal communication with those who might benefit from it.
- Utilizing creative processes with conventional therapeutic interventions makes therapy less intimidating and can make the therapeutic space more accessible and welcoming for neurodivergent and non-verbal individuals.
Our Perspective
At Open Studio Project, we approach the therapeutic process from a strength-based and client-centered theoretical perspective. In using an open studio style of facilitation, we provide our clients with the space necessary to make their own creative decisions, while being available for assistance when necessary. Promoting choice in this way leads to an increase in autonomy, confidence, and sense-of-self.