By: Amy Maricle

Hello Wonderful, Creative You:

You may recall my podcast interview with art therapist, Sara Roizen of Art Therapy Spot a few weeks ago. She talked about the ache she feels to create, how it heals her, and how she became an art therapist.

She also recorded an interview of me that day, and I really wanted to talk about why I think art therapy works. There’s a lot of discussion lately about getting more scientific data on how art therapy works. There are some researchers working on figuring that out, but in the meantime, those of us who are intimately familiar with the healing power of art can share our personal, soul-filled, non-scientific insights.

Sara and I are hoping that these interviews will be a great resource for education and awareness about art therapy, as well as inspiration about using art for personal healing. I’d love to think that we’ve touched other art therapists too. One art therapist commented on my conversation with Sara, saying, “it reminded me why I became an art therapist.”

I think we all need those reminders that our work IS meaningful, and it DOES matter. Let’s face it, we don’t feel effective every day, burnout and secondary trauma are real risk factors for therapists, and we have to work to keep ourselves grounded. I hope that this can help in some small way. Would you let me know in the comments?

It’s a pleasure to be featured on Sara’s wonderful blog, Art Therapy Spot. You can find the podcast there, as well as her gorgeous, soulful art and many other interesting posts. I’d be delighted if you’d help spread the word by sharing this post on social media too.

Creatively Yours,

Amy