Art therapy provides individuals of all ages with an opportunity to communicate thoughts, feelings and ideas in healthier, more productive ways. Often, emotions and personal experiences can be too complex or difficult to put into words. Art therapy can help you discover new ways to express yourself, find a positive outlet for growth and building skills, so you can successfully and sustainably make the changes you desire.

Art therapists work with children, teens, adults, families, couples, and groups in a variety of treatment settings. Some work in schools, clinics, substance abuse treatment programs, correctional facilities, or in private practice. Take a look at our community profiles for more information about art therapists working in your area!

Art Therapists have the education, training, and professional experience needed to effectively utilize the creative and visual arts in sessions. You do not need to be an "artist" to benefit from this approach and because art therapy is tailored to the individual, every person's experience may be different. Art therapists partner with their clients to support them in experimenting with a variety of media and materials to promote healing and facilitate expression, based on their individual needs, symptoms, goals, and personal preferences.

New clients can expect a warm, collaborative environment, within which art, play, and discussion can take place naturally. Drawing, painting, clay sculpture, poetry, collage, and photography are just some of the activities art therapists utilize in sessions. Process is often emphasized over "product"; while producing something beautiful can be a goal for some, what is most important is finding an effective way to express your thoughts and ideas.

Art therapy services provided by an LCAT can be covered under "Out-of-Network" benefits through most insurances. Many individuals choose to utilize their Health Savings (HSA or FSA) benefits to cover the cost of art therapy sessions.

In New York State, art therapists are licensed mental health professionals. A Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT) has met educational and professional experience requirements, as well as passed a comprehensive examination that also qualifies art therapists for registration and board certification through national credentialing body, The Art Therapy Credentials Board. Licensure and registration/board certification (ATR-BC) serve as measures of professional competency as well as provide standards by which art therapists must ethically practice.

Unfortunately, many of the major private insurances in New York State do not always cover clinicians with the LCAT credential, unless they work for an agency, or under a medical doctor. Other mental health professionals who fall under the same umbrella as LCAT's (LMFT's - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and LMHC's - Licensed Mental Health Counselors) may also experience insurance coverage issues in New York State. Due to these restrictions, many art therapists and other mental health providers work as private-pay practitioners. Costs for services can be considered a "medical expense" and may be reimbursable via out-of-network insurance coverage or Health Savings/Flex Spending accounts, as stated above.

Many of the therapists within the Art Therapy Buffalo community have extensive training and experience utilizing play, as well as a variety of expressive arts including dance/movement, drama, and music. Licensed mental health professionals can become registered as play therapists through the national Association for Play Therapy (APT), after meeting specialized training and professional experience requirements.

Play Therapy is a treatment approach that utilizes the process and tools of play to help young people express themselves in ways that words alone do not always allow. Play equips young people with the language to communicate with and relate to others, as well as provides an outlet for expression and release of strong emotions. This parallels what can happen in art therapy and as such, both art and play therapists will often utilize the power of therapeutic play and the visual arts within their respective practices. 

“Trauma” refers to the emotional, physical and psychological effects of overwhelming stress resulting from adverse life experiences.

Why does “trauma” matter? Trauma is not the only reason people have problems, but often traumatic reactions to adverse life experiences can be at the root of problem behaviors, difficulty coping with stress, and issues communicating or forming healthy relationships with others. Trauma therapy, or a therapist who uses a trauma-informed approach, takes into account the life experiences of a person and helps them understand how those experiences might be affecting their health. Utilizing an approach such as EMDR therapy, trauma therapists provide clients with safe and tolerable means of processing traumatic memories, as well as tools to cope with everyday stressors. When the root of problem behaviors, symptoms, and other difficulties are addressed, people can get well and maintain that wellness long-term.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy is an integrative psychotherapeutic approach to trauma treatment which relies on a structured set of standardized protocols, based on the Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP) developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro. EMDR Therapy aims to achieve comprehensive treatment safely, effectively and efficiently, while maintaining client stability.

Professionals fully trained in this treatment method are skilled at helping clients quickly learn to develop more self-awareness, tolerate increasingly difficult emotional challenges, as well as build a toolbox full of coping resources and relaxation skills to help them successfully maintain changes gained in treatment, on a long-term basis.

Many of the therapists of Art Therapy Buffalo are EMDR trained and/or certified, and find that this treatment approach integrates beautifully with art therapy, given the visual nature of art making and the impact of trauma on parts of our brain that can access words to describe and resolve traumatic experience.