Art Therapy + Telehealth

By Carla DePalma, ATR, LPC

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a form of therapy in which we use the creation or viewing of art to facilitate healing.

In-Person Art Therapy vs. Telehealth Art Therapy

If you’re meeting with an art therapist in-person, we’ll have different art supplies at our disposal for your use, and some of these supplies might be unfamiliar to you, depending on your experience with art. I may set out specific materials for you to use with a specific prompt or you may choose the ones you’re drawn to instead.

An in-person therapy session permits us to sit across from each other with ample table space for you to work. More than that, it allows me to see you and your expressions, as well as how you interact with the art materials. You might wrinkle your nose in displeasure at the texture of oil pastels or delight in the way you can blend their colors on a page. I can sit with you and make art with you in that space.

Telehealth and art therapy work a little differently together—I cannot physically hand you supplies through the computer for you to use on the other side of the internet however much I might want to, so we have to get creative.