Expressive Arts Therapy

Expressive arts therapy refers to a combination of dance, writing, visual arts, drama, music, or any other creative outlet used to help a person in their healing journey. Healing and confronting our trauma by using the expressive arts is a process that engages our senses and emotions and leads to development and growth. This allows us to use verbal and nonverbal forms of expression to creatively connect our body and mind actively or visually.

In June of 2022, CHOOSE 180 will add the expressive arts modality to our counseling program. We are combining this type of therapy to our counseling program as an alternative for youth who are curious about trying something new or might be hesitant to start talk therapy. This person-centered approach is aimed at helping our young people discover an internal unique way of processing trauma, confront their inner critics, and learn healthy (and fun) ways to express themselves.

Through creating art and reflecting on the art processes, studies have shown youth experience increased awareness of themselves and others. They develop improved coping skills related to stress and traumatic experiences and a positive gain in self-control, self-esteem, and self-awareness.

Expressive arts therapy is not creating something perfect that needs to be displayed or analyzed. It is the process of discovering ourselves through any art form, we call this act the “creative process”. The creative process is about the creation of the arts, movement, or expression. This is what is restorative and benefits our young people. We invite them to use the arts to let go, to express, and to release. 

I came across expressive arts in grad school during an hour-long session that gave a quick overview of it. I realized that I wanted additional training in therapeutic practices before I started to see clients one on one. I love art and without knowing it I had used music, and paint in the past to work through painful moments in my life. I found an expressive arts training program in Seattle and I fell in love with the concept of using the arts as therapy. I had a hard time with talk therapy because when I was a youth my therapist suggested my parents send me to a teen boot camp in another state. This was a toxic place that caused me more grief and self-hatred on top of the other issues that I had been going through. I became a social worker and began to work with CHOOSE 180 due to their apparent support and uplifting nature of how we interact with our young people. I wanted to be the therapist that I needed at that time for our young people. 

This program is available free of charge to any young person associated with CHOOSE 180. We’ve offered care primarily virtually through a telehealth platform, and we are open to providing more care in person in the future. We recently completed our first virtual group session that was made up of six CHOOSE 180 participants across multiple internal programs. These groups were aimed to create a youth led space where they were actively leading conversations and creating positive connections with each other. We are currently able to receive community referrals (for services for youth and young adults from age 13-24) from individuals, schools, and community partners, and will serve as many people as our staffing capacity allows. 

Daicia D. Mestas, MSW, LSWAIC
Pronouns: she/her
Therapist, CHOOSE 180

Additional Content: Types of art projects

This was the first time that I did a structured art project with one of our clients. We met on ZOOM, so I was looking for something to do using that platform and that would also be fun. 

I found an activity where each of us could pick a song and put on paper what the music produces within us. I then invited my client to share her pictures if she wanted to. We found that one of our pictures was similar and that we used a similar technique of moving our markers to the beat of the music. The last thing we drew was how "LOVE" made us feel. We put on some chill calming music and shared what we created after. She really liked this activity and it was so great to see her wanting to color still after our session ended. Here is what I drew during this time.

After doing this session I would add an additional exercise where we would use the same song and I would invite the client to pick a lyric that stands out to them in the song. We would discuss why this lyric stands out to them, what they think it meant to the artist, and what it means to them. This is a way for a clinician to see what is going on currently in a client’s life, learn more about the client through what song/lyrics they choose, and begin a conversation that can help the client identify emotions related to the song.

Project example 2- Tree of Life: A Metaphor for an Exploration in Self-Identity from a Strengths-Based Perspective

This is an hour-long session where I ask the client to draw a tree of life that represents themselves. This session starts with a guided meditation and then different prompts are read to them about each section of their tree. Here are some examples of the prompts and a completed picture of the tree:

Roots. Our roots are not only where we lived when we were growing up, but also the kinds of experiences that we had, the traditions we held, the foods we ate, the people we shared our early life with, and even a sense of which of those childhood roots became the strongest part of who we are. As you think back to your formation as the beginning of a tree, what are the things that you remember that were the ones that gave you the strength to grow into a fully formed tree? Maybe this will include those who have taught you the most in your life, those who have loved you and contributed to your life in a positive way, your favorite places, songs or dances from childhood, things or symbols that have given you strength, elders in your community who have shared knowledge with you. Perhaps there is a root or two that connects you to art.

Fruit or Flower. Some trees bear fruit or flowers, which come from the combination of the nutrients growing up through its roots, the environment around it, the nature of its trunk and branches, and the types of leaves that are a part of its cycle of life. For this metaphor, can you imagine the gifts of character that have come from your tree’s life history? These are gifts that you bring to your community and the world and that make you, you.