Child/Youth Art Therapy

Children learn how to think in symbols and images before they can express themselves verbally.

Art therapy can be a powerful tool for treating children going through difficult life experiences or emotions that are too complex to express in words alone.

art therapy for children

Art Therapy With Children (3-12)

How Can Art Therapy Help Children?

  • Young children have limited ability to label and express their emotions through verbal communication. Art helps them express themselves non-verbally first. Then they’ll have time to explore the meaning of their work. This and the time spent with their therapist will help them label and express themselves better to others.

  • Children can express their underlying emotions linked to interpersonal and behavioural issues through art, as well as other possible factors contributing to behavioural changes like family dynamics, conflicts with their peers, etc. The therapist can help the child redirect their feelings and negative behaviours through creative ways and safely address the underlying issues.

  • The art-making experience can help children increase relaxation. It can also serve as a self-regulation tool since it gives them a sense of control over the process and positive sensory feedback in the colours, imagery, or in the different art materials they use and find enjoyable to connect with.

  • Gaining control through the art-making process, decision-making over the colours or materials they use, and using the art for expressing themself, can help children increase their self-esteem. Also, the imagery in the art and meaning-making during the art-making process will help children develop a deeper understanding of themselves and increase their self-awareness.

  • After traumatic events such as abuse children may not be able to communicate verbally what they have experienced and the impacts of the trauma. The art gives them a way to explore all of this in a safe and contained space. The art can also allow them a way to organize their experiences over time, process them with their therapist, and develop tools to help them cope with the impacts of the trauma.

Art Therapists Who Work With Children (3 -12 yrs old)

art therapy for teenagers

Art Therapy With Youth (13 – 21)

How Can Art Therapy Help Teenagers and Young Adults?

Youth and teens often struggle to discuss difficult experiences with adults and professionals such as therapists. This is why art therapy can be an effective treatment method for youth and teens. The art gives them a safe place to explore and express themselves and choose what parts they want to share with their therapist.

  • The art-making experience and the interaction with different materials can help youth or teens relax their mind and body, giving them a sense of control over the process. On the other hand, interacting with the art materials can also increase energy levels, brain activity, and just be an overall positive experience which can result in uplifting low moods associated with depression.

  • Sense of self or identity formation is central to a youth/teens developmental process. The artwork can act as a mirror to their internal world, validating their experiences and improving their sense of self and self-esteem. Additionally, art can be a safe place to explore different parts of self/identity that are newly formulated.

  • At this age of life, there are a lot of internal and external changes happening. This may be hard to process or deal with. The emotional responses to these changes or other life experiences now or in the past may be overwhelming for them.

    Our therapists can help teach different ways to use art to express and interact with these emotions in a constructive way. The youth or teen can then use these methods in other aspects of their lives.

  • Youth or teens may experience relationship conflicts at school with their peers, intimate partners or with their teachers, and/or family members. It is difficult to know how to respond to conflict or ruptures in relationships at such a young age.

    In art therapy, they can express their emotions and reactions to these conflicts, understand their responses and find alternate ways to respond or react to these situations in the future. They will also learn how to express their emotions and needs in different and healthier ways.

Art Therapists Who Work With Youth (13 - 21 yrs old)