Creative therapy can help people access new inner resources, therapist says

Creative therapy can help people access emotions and memories that are difficult to express in words, creative therapist Epp Sussen told ERR’s Terevisioon programme. She said the process may reveal new personal resources.

Visual art therapy can suit people of all ages, from children to older adults, said Sussen, a board member of the Estonian Association of Creative Therapies. It can help people seeking greater self-understanding or considering changes in their lives, as well as those diagnosed with depression or recovering from an illness. Contraindications are rare, she said.

Creative therapy does not require people to know how to draw, paint, dance or play an instrument. Creative therapist Katre Eesmaa said some people hesitate to try visual art therapy because they believe they cannot draw. One exercise is to make 30 to 40 dots across a sheet of paper, then connect them with lines.

Drawing at an easel can help people step back and view their work from a distance, Eesmaa said. With abstract images, turning the paper around can also help them notice different shapes. The image does not need to look beautiful, Sussen said; the process matters more.

Some young people prefer to draw quietly rather than talk, Sussen said. Drawing and colouring can help them express emotions, even through simple actions such as squeezing paint from a tube or splattering it.

Creative therapists do not make diagnoses based on a person’s artwork, Sussen said. If someone paints a picture entirely black, the therapist does not conclude that the person has depression. Instead, the person explains what the colour means to them.