Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses creative expression such as drawing and painting to help people express and understand themselves in a way that may be difficult to do with words alone. Art therapy is an evidence-based therapy. A 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) review concluded that arts-based interventions play an important role in health promotion, disease prevention, and the management and treatment of mental and physical health conditions across the lifespan.
As an accessible form of psychotherapy, art therapy is particularly well suited to a community-based counselling service. It provides a safe, non-verbal approach that can bridge language barriers and support children, adolescents and adults who may find traditional talk-based therapies difficult to engage with.