Introduction: What is Expressive Art Therapy?
Expressive Arts Therapy (EXA) is a creative, integrative therapeutic approach that engages multiple art forms, including visual arts, music, movement, creative writing, drama, and nature-based activities, to support emotional healing and personal growth. Through this process, individuals are able to express and explore inner experiences that may be difficult to articulate with words or in conversations.
As explained by our Expressive Arts Coach, Libby Ellison, B.A., rather than talking about problems directly, the expressive arts therapist invites participants to engage with the creative process as a way to access emotions, discover inner strengths, and cultivate imaginative solutions to stressors and life challenges. As described by Georgia O’Keeffe, “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way–things I had no words for.”
No technical skill or artistic experience is required; instead, simple materials and a focus on the process—not the product—make this approach accessible to everyone. Expressive Arts Therapy can be used in individual, group, or community settings, offering a safe and empowering space for exploration and self-discovery. Creative expressive arts therapy can be very effective for mental health challenges, in addition to personal growth and emotional healing.
Who Can Benefit from Art Therapy?
Expressive Arts Therapy is effective for people of all ages and abilities. It is not limited to child art therapy or creative therapy for teens. Libby Ellison, B.A., Aspiring Families Expressive Arts Coach explains that when individuals are given space to express themselves safely and openly, they often gain greater self-understanding and the ability to process complex emotions and experiences.
Children
Children benefit from being able to express emotions in non-verbal ways, especially when language may not fully capture their inner world. The creative process helps them feel safe, seen, and empowered.
Teens
Teens often find Expressive Arts Therapy helpful for identity exploration, emotional regulation, and empowerment during a critical period of growth.
Adults
Adults can use Expressive Arts Therapy to navigate life transitions, manage stress, cope, or reconnect with parts of themselves that feel blocked.
The creative process engages both the body and mind. According to current neuroscience research, this integration can have a deeply healing effect—reducing stress and building resilience over time. Kurt Vonnegut advises us: “To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” Hence, Expressive Arts Therapy can be utilized in conjunction with traditional talk therapy or solo for many mental health challenges, including the following:
- Anxiety and depression
- ADHD
- PTSD and trauma
- Eating disorders
- Developmental and Spectrum disorders
- Stress and fatigue
- Loss and grief
- Selective Mutism
Our Approach to Creative Healing
At Aspiring Families, Libby Ellison, B.A., Expressive Arts Coach, takes a relational approach to Expressive Arts Therapy. This means that she begins by establishing a foundation of trust, safety, and attunement. Each individual is supported to explore at their own pace, with respect for their unique experiences and comfort level.
During sessions, the therapist gently guides clients through different artistic modalities, based on their interests. The goal is not to create a masterpiece, but to slow down, engage the senses, and express oneself in alternative, meaningful ways.
Often, a client will create something they are struggling with or want to work through. Based on this, the therapist will offer an open-ended prompt to support creative exploration. The process is non-prescriptive and individualized—designed to help clients connect with their inner world in a way that feels safe and empowering.
During and after the art-making, the therapist and client reflect together. The client leads the interpretation process, with the therapist asking gentle questions to guide meaning-making.
Techniques We Use
Since Expressive Arts Therapy is a creative and collaborative process, a multitude of modalities can be utilized and implemented in the creative healing. Individuals have an array of choices to select from, so they have ownership and control over their senses and creativity. Music, paints, clay, journaling, acting, dancing, crafts, and song writing can be meaningfully integrated into expressive arts therapy. In the process, individuals are triggered and learn to access and express in non-verbal and verbal ways, their deeper underlying conflicts and challenges. Once these vulnerabilities come to light, the therapist gently walks them through collaborative observations, interpretations, coping, resilience, and healing.
Success Stories & Outcomes by Libby Ellison, B.A., Expressive Arts Coach at Aspiring Families
An older elementary school child with autism and selective mutism found comfort and creative power in developing characters who, like her, didn’t speak—some even had no mouths. These characters became symbolic vehicles for storytelling and world-building through comics and imaginative play. In their invented worlds, the characters made friends, navigated challenges, and communicated in non-verbal, emotionally rich ways. Over time, the client not only grew more confident in her creative and verbal expression, (as she began to verbally communicate in sessions and at school), but also became less critical of herself and more social. Her self-esteem and emotional awareness grew alongside her artistic voice.
A young girl struggling with intense sibling conflict began exploring her emotional experience through drawings. She created a family map using animal characters; she then designed and named a shadowy creature—a black cloud that symbolically represented her overwhelming feelings that flooded her during conflicts. By drawing her emotions and challenges, she gradually developed insight and emotional regulation. As her artistic understanding grew, so did her sense of compassion and collaboration—for herself and her sister. The conflicts at home decreased, and she expressed feeling less shame, more self-control, and more connected to the family.
An adult client began expressive arts therapy feeling trapped—stuck in a relationship dynamic where words felt inaccessible and emotional expression seemed blocked. Through a sequence of free painting, collage, and reflective writing, he discovered personal imagery that spoke volumes: an animal in a cage, broken pottery. These visual metaphors helped him name unspoken emotions and explore new perspectives on his life. As he connected more deeply to his inner world, he described feeling “more spacious” and less emotionally stagnant. He began approaching his relationship with renewed curiosity and compassion.