What Is Art Psychotherapy, What Is Art as Therapy, and How Do Both Support Wellbeing?

People often arrive with a quiet but important question:“Do I need to be good at art for this to help?”

The short answer is no — but the longer answer opens up something far more meaningful. Art, when used thoughtfully and ethically, can support emotional wellbeing in different ways. Two terms that are often used interchangeably — art psychotherapy and art as therapy — are related, but not the same. Both are valuable. Both can support healing. And often, they intersect in powerful ways.

This article aims to gently unpack the differences, the overlaps, and how each can support a person’s overall wellbeing.

What Is Art Psychotherapy?

Art psychotherapy is a form of psychological therapy delivered by a professionally trained and registered art psychotherapist. It integrates psychotherapeutic theory, psychological assessment, and the creative process to support emotional, relational, and psychological wellbeing.

In art psychotherapy, the artwork is not created for aesthetic outcome. Instead, it becomes a means of communication — particularly helpful when experiences are difficult to articulate with words alone. Images, symbols, colours, and materials can hold emotional information that may be preverbal, complex, or overwhelming.

A key feature of art psychotherapy is the therapeutic relationship. The therapist does not interpret the artwork for the client, but rather supports meaning-making collaboratively, at the client’s pace. The focus remains on safety, consent, attunement, and clinical responsibility.

In Singapore, art psychotherapists undergo postgraduate-level training and practice within ethical frameworks aligned with professional bodies, healthcare standards, and safeguarding expectations. Art psychotherapy may be offered in private practice, hospitals, schools, community services, and multidisciplinary settings.

What Is Art as Therapy?

Art as therapy refers to the therapeutic benefits of engaging in art-making itself. This might include drawing, painting, journalling, collage, sculpting, or other creative practices used for self-expression, regulation, reflection, or enjoyment.

Many people intuitively use art in this way — sketching to calm the nervous system, painting to process emotion, or crafting to create a sense of control and mastery. Research shows that creative activity can support stress reduction, emotional regulation, mood, and overall wellbeing.

Art as therapy can be:

• Self-directed

• Facilitated in workshops or groups

• Used in wellness, educational, or community contexts

Importantly, art as therapy does not involve clinical assessment or psychotherapy, and it does not require a mental health diagnosis to be beneficial.

Where Art Psychotherapy and Art as Therapy Intersect

Although distinct, art psychotherapy and art as therapy often meet in the middle.

In art psychotherapy sessions, there are moments where simply engaging with materials — the sensory experience of paint, clay, or movement — can be regulating and grounding in itself. At the same time, many people using art as therapy find that deeper emotional themes naturally emerge through their creative work.

The difference lies not in the art, but in the intent, containment, and clinical responsibility around the process.

Art Psychotherapy	Art as Therapy
Delivered by a trained therapist	May be self-led or facilitated
Embedded in psychological theory	Focused on wellbeing and expression
Relational and process-focused	Activity and experience-focused
Includes assessment and formulation	No diagnosis or clinical goals required

Both approaches honour the human capacity to heal through creativity. Neither replaces the other — instead, they can complement one another across different stages of support.

Supporting Whole-Person Wellbeing

Wellbeing is not only cognitive or verbal. It is embodied, emotional, relational, and often symbolic. For some people, talking is enough. For others, words come later — or not at all.

Art offers a way to:

• Externalise internal experiences

• Reduce physiological stress responses

• Build emotional awareness and tolerance

• Support identity, agency, and self-understanding

Whether used within formal art psychotherapy or as part of everyday self-care, creative expression can support resilience and integration over time.

You do not need to be “creative” to benefit from art-based approaches. You only need curiosity, permission, and safety.

For some, art as therapy may be enough. For others, art psychotherapy offers deeper relational and psychological support. Both are valid. Both have a place. And when thoughtfully held, they often work best together.

References

• American Art Therapy Association. (2017). What is art therapy?https://doi.org/10.1037/e509562013-001

• Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Weihs, K. L. (2016). The bodymind model: A platform for studying the mechanisms of change induced by art therapy. Arts in Psychotherapy, 51, 63–71.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2016.08.006

• Haeyen, S., van Hooren, S., van der Veld, W. M., & Hutschemaekers, G. (2018). Measuring the effectiveness of art therapy in adults with personality disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 226, 26–32.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.002

• Kaimal, G., Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). Reduction of cortisol levels and participants’ responses following art making. Art Therapy, 33(2), 74–80.https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2016.1166832

• Malchiodi, C. A. (2012). Handbook of art therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118510067

• Schouten, K. A., & de Niet, G. J. (2019). Art therapy for stress reduction: A systematic review. Arts in Psychotherapy, 63, 75–86.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2019.03.003

• Slayton, S. C., D’Archer, J., & Kaplan, F. (2010). Outcome studies on the efficacy of art therapy: A review. Art Therapy, 27(3), 108–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2010.10129660

  
  

• Singapore-specific context and professional standards

• Art Therapists’ Association Singapore. (n.d.). Professional practice and training standards.https://atas.org.sg/

• Ministry of Health Singapore. (2023). Allied health professions and mental health services framework.https://www.moh.gov.sg