Have you ever hear the term expressive therapy? Or ever been asked to draw a feeling? Expressive Therapies are strategies a therapist or social worker may employ that provide the opportunity to communicate your world and emotional struggles through the use of creative outlets. These include (but are not limited to) play therapy, sand tray therapy, art therapy, music therapy, dance/movement therapies and clay therapy. In these circumstances, feelings or experiences are expressed through or projected onto materials in order to create a safe environment outside of the person to discuss and problem solve. Because they do not often have the words to explain what they are feeling, these therapeutic methods are most often used with children. That being said there are many situations where adults could benefit from expressive interventions including processing past trauma experiences.
Posted by Sarah Jones, LCPC
