Creativity in Counseling

As a counselor who works with children, preteens, teens, and emerging adults, I constantly struggle with finding creative and engaging ways to provide therapeutic services to my clients. I have a background in art and play therapy, so I am almost always found with art materials and things to play with — either in my portable therapy kit or in my office.

Creativity in counseling can be very crucial when it comes to making an impact on the therapeutic relationship and experience for yourself and your clients.

Medicalnewstoday.com says that "Creative therapy uses art forms — such as dance, drawing, or music — to help treat certain conditions. Trained therapists can administer creative therapy to help people experiencing a range of mental, emotional, and physical issues."

Importantly, creative therapy does not require a person to have any sort of artistic ability. Part of creative therapy is helping a person channel their thoughts and emotions through artistic expression. For these reasons, creative therapy may be especially beneficial for people who have difficulty expressing their feelings verbally.

Once a person has created a piece of art, they can discuss their choices with the therapist. Talking about their creation can help the person process how they are feeling.

According to the American Art Therapy Association, people can use creative therapy to:

• Improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions
• Improve self-esteem and self-awareness
• Enhance social skills
• Build emotional strength
• Encourage insight into situations that are causing issues
• Resolve conflict or distress

Research also suggests that creative therapy can be useful for:

• Helping a person build relationships
• Helping a person have a better understanding of themselves
• Providing a distraction from pain or illness
• Giving a person a sense of personal achievement
• Providing relaxation or empowerment

In 2018, researchers looked into studies about creative therapy and stress. They found that in 81.1% of the studies, taking part in creative therapy significantly reduced a person's stress levels.

There are many types of creative therapies:

• Music therapy
• Dance therapy
• Art therapy
• Poetry therapy
• Drama therapy

In my own practice, I like to use sand trays and dramatic interpretations as two of my primary interventions. The sand tray allows clients to create a three-dimensional world that represents their inner experience — without needing to find the words.

I love this exchange from a podcast interview with Sam Gladding, a leader in the field of creativity in counseling:

Interviewer: "What drew you specifically into creativity in its role in counseling?"

Sam Gladding: "I never planned to really be creative. I think it was experiences with my clients when I realized that while I practiced theories and techniques that are mainstream in counseling, there were other times where I needed to do something different. That 'something different' was often something that we would consider 'creative' — because creativity is useful and new and socially appropriate."

And on why counselors should be interested:

Sam Gladding: "I think creativity can help people who are stuck get unstuck without becoming unglued. More people, when they come to us in counseling, are in a rut rather than in a groove. If we can help them see life from a different perspective, their world view is going to change and they're probably going to do better than they've ever done before. Creativity can help people see things differently, do things differently, and feel things differently."

From the American Counseling Association:

1. Don't limit yourself by thinking "I am not a good artist." Remember, it's about the process, not the product.
2. Invite clients of any age to exercise their creativity. No matter what age we are, we can be stuck in our typical ways of solving problems.
3. Seek supervision, research, and consult on the appropriateness and effectiveness of your method.
4. Ask clients to try only those activities that you yourself feel comfortable experiencing.
5. Be aware of the depth that the creative process may lead a client to experience. Always leave time at the end of the session to help your client transition back into everyday reality.
6. Tie creative interventions to evidence-based practices and have a solid case conceptualization.
7. Seek out resources. They're out there to help you.
8. Do not judge or assess clients' work. Take on the role of witness, not critic.
9. Do not force any clients to "create" if they are not ready or invested. Even children should be able to make choices about their therapy time.
10. Don't underestimate your own creativity and ability to develop creative interventions.

There are so many reasons why being creative in counseling is valuable. If you're a counselor looking to expand your toolkit, or a parent wondering whether creative approaches might help your child, I'd love to talk.

Reach out to schedule a session — let's explore what's possible.