{"id":55,"date":"2022-05-16T08:36:48","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T08:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55"},"modified":"2025-08-21T10:21:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T10:21:15","slug":"what-is-art-therapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55","title":{"rendered":"What is art therapy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Art therapy is a specialised form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication and expression.&nbsp;In art therapy, art is used as a way of&nbsp;addressing emotional issues which may be distressing or confusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Art Therapists work with children, young people, adults and older adults. Clients may have a wide range of difficulties, disabilities or diagnoses. These include emotional, behavioural or mental health issues, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting and neurological conditions and physical illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-296\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Art therapy is not a recreational activity or an art lesson, although the sessions can be enjoyable. Clients do not need to have any previous experience or expertise in art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although influenced by psychoanalysis, Art Therapists have been guided by theories such as attachment~based and Jungian psychotherapy, and have developed a broad range of client~centred approaches such as psycho-educational, mindfulness and mentalization~based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/paintbrushpalette.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/paintbrushpalette.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/paintbrushpalette.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/paintbrushpalette.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/paintbrushpalette.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/paintbrushpalette.jpg?w=1328&amp;ssl=1 1328w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British Association of Art Therapists website has lots of useful information about what art therapy is and what art therapists do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-secondary-background-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/baat.org\/art-therapy\/\">What is art therapy?<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Art therapy is a specialised form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication and expression.&nbsp;In art therapy, art is used as a way of&nbsp;addressing emotional issues which may be distressing or confusing. Art Therapists work with children, young people, adults and older adults. Clients may have a wide range of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-55","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is art therapy? - Hackney Art Therapy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is art therapy? - Hackney Art Therapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Art therapy is a specialised form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication and expression.&nbsp;In art therapy, art is used as a way of&nbsp;addressing emotional issues which may be distressing or confusing. Art Therapists work with children, young people, adults and older adults. Clients may have a wide range of [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hackney Art Therapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-21T10:21:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/?page_id=55\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/?page_id=55\",\"name\":\"What is art therapy? - Hackney Art Therapy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/?page_id=55#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/?page_id=55#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-16T08:36:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-21T10:21:15+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/?page_id=55#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/?page_id=55\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/?page_id=55#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/?page_id=55#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is art therapy?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hackney Art Therapy\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Hackney Art Therapy\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/HAT-logo.jpg?fit=302%2C176&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/HAT-logo.jpg?fit=302%2C176&ssl=1\",\"width\":302,\"height\":176,\"caption\":\"Hackney Art Therapy\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hackneyarttherapy.space\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is art therapy? - Hackney Art Therapy","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is art therapy? - Hackney Art Therapy","og_description":"Art therapy is a specialised form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication and expression.&nbsp;In art therapy, art is used as a way of&nbsp;addressing emotional issues which may be distressing or confusing. Art Therapists work with children, young people, adults and older adults. Clients may have a wide range of [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55","og_site_name":"Hackney Art Therapy","article_modified_time":"2025-08-21T10:21:15+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55","url":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55","name":"What is art therapy? - Hackney Art Therapy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg","datePublished":"2022-05-16T08:36:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-21T10:21:15+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/graphitemarks-e1662483596948-1024x576.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/?page_id=55#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is art therapy?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/","name":"Hackney Art Therapy","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/#organization","name":"Hackney Art Therapy","url":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/HAT-logo.jpg?fit=302%2C176&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/HAT-logo.jpg?fit=302%2C176&ssl=1","width":302,"height":176,"caption":"Hackney Art Therapy"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356,"href":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55\/revisions\/356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackneyarttherapy.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}