Art Therapy at TriStar Centennial Medical Center

TriStar Centennial Medical Center provides the service of Art Therapy as a part of patients’ treatment and care.

What is Art Therapy?

Art Therapy is a master’s level mental health profession that utilizes the marriage of art making and creativity with psychological theory and counseling techniques to help individuals cope with difficult life experiences. In an Art Therapy session, participants work with a credentialed Art Therapist to create their own artwork as a way to express difficult feelings, gain personal insight, or relax the body and mind. No prior training or experience in art making is necessary to participate. And here’s why. Research has begun to prove scientifically what artists have known for years, that participation in the creative arts can profoundly improve how one feels both mentally and physically.

What can Art Therapy Provide?

In multiple research studies, involvement in Art Therapy has been shown to reduce a variety of symptoms, including:

  • Physical Pain
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea & Low Appetite
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Shortness of Breath
  • Depression
  • Stress
  • Anxiety

In addition, participation in Art Therapy has been shown to improve the following:

  • Physical Strength and Endurance
  • Body Image
  • Mood
  • Overall Well-Being

Through participation in Art Therapy sessions, patients can experience profound effects in how they feel, physically and mentally, both during their hospital stay and after their discharge.

In 2016, patients receiving care from TriStar Centennial Medical Center who participated in Art Therapy sessions reported an average decrease in physical pain by 48% and an average decrease in stress and anxiety by 76% after participating in just one session.

When reporting pain and anxiety at the start of sessions, 93% of patients reported a decrease in their pain by the close of sessions and 95% of patients reported a decrease in their anxiety, both after participating in only one Art Therapy session.

To experience these benefits, no prior experience in art making is necessary.

Where is Art Therapy Offered?

Who are Art Therapists?

Art Therapists are master’s level mental health professionals who engage patients in their own art making to express themselves in a healthy way, healing mind, body, and spirit as one. Art Therapists are trained in how to practice specific interventions to alleviate patient symptoms, such as Mindfulness techniques, as well as the knowledge and expertise in what art materials will be best for their patients and what Art Therapy Interventions will be most effective for their patients’ needs. Art Therapists work in a variety of settings and with a wide range of populations, using art and creativity along with researched and evidenced-based theories and techniques of counseling to address the individual needs of their clients.

* To be an Art Therapist, one has to have a master’s degree in Art Therapy, complete 1,000 hours of supervised, post-graduate work, and pass the Art Therapy Credentials Board Exam.