Art therapy is expanding mental health support: therapists

Not every art session is art therapy, says professional art therapy facilitator Dayaline Sivakumar from Chennai. “An usual art session could be called as therapeutic art, at best,” says her. With conversations dispelling the stigma around mental health care, art therapists and facilitators say that Chennaiites are also leaning on art therapy for support, as well as more psychologists are enrolling in one-year diploma courses in the field than before.

“For some, it is easier to express things through creative mediums that are otherwise difficult to talk about, which is one of the main concepts of art therapy,” says Ms. Sivakumar who provides from watercolours to collage and other tactile art supplies, where the clients intuitively pick what resonates with them or with guidance. “It is more about giving shape to their emotions rather than drawing itself. They could be sketching lines, a question mark or even a wheel cart. Sometimes it may seem vague with just colour on paper, but it eventually opens deeper emotions,” she says, adding that it supports people across mental health conditions including Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).