Teen art therapy utilizes creative expression through painting, drawing, music, and other mediums to help teens relieve internal stress. Teenagers are often sensitive or self-conscious about their personal dilemmas, and art therapy gives them an opportunity to externalize their thoughts and emotions in a way that feels less direct than normal talk therapy.
Nexus Teen Academy is a teen residential treatment program in Arizona that offers numerous forms of mental health and substance abuse treatment, including teen art therapy. To learn more about our programs and discover how a personalized treatment plan may benefit your son or daughter, give our team a call now.
What is Teen Art Therapy?
Adolescent art therapy is a complementary form of mental health treatment that utilizes various forms of artistic expression as a way for the therapist to capture and understand the internal thoughts, dialogue, and issues of a teen in a non-invasive manner. Generally, these sessions are held in a group setting, which allows teens to also socialize and understand that they are not alone in their feelings.
Is Art Therapy for Teens Effective?
Art therapy is effective for teens dealing with depression and trauma. Other studies have shown that it can help improve healthy coping skills and decrease disruptive behaviors.
Common Art Therapy Exercises for Teens
Art therapy is conducted in many ways. Let’s take a look at some of the most common types of teen art therapy activities and techniques.
Collage Making
One common form of art therapy is making collages. By using images, words, and more from magazines, newspapers, online media, and more, clients create a collage that they believe represents them or their identity. Therapists can draw several conclusions from this and use it in follow-up talk therapy sessions.
Draw a Story
One type of exercise, the “Draw a Story” exercise, developed by Rawley Silver, involves clients choosing two pictures, imagining a story between them, and being directed to draw the story. Bypassing communication allows the client an indirect way to express emotions and for therapists to learn more about clients’ behaviors and internal thoughts.
Art Journaling
Journaling is a great practice and a beneficial mindfulness activity that combines journaling and drawing, painting, or another form of art. It allows clients to express themselves through words as well as pictures. This type of exercise provides an additional creative expression, which can help with the many benefits of art therapy.
Studies have shown that art therapy can be an effective treatment for alleviating and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Reducing these mental health-related symptoms will make other forms of treatment and therapy easier for the teen and therapist to work through.
Reduced Stress
This non-verbal expression has been shown to have many beneficial effects on reducing stress and stress-related behaviors. As teens get lost in their art, they tend to let other problems melt away for the time being.
Creative Expression
The creative outlet that art therapy provides offers clients many benefits on their own. Art therapy has been shown to help improve self-esteem, emotional expression, and self-awareness. Moreover, because these sessions are often conducted in a group setting, they allow time for social interaction.
Art therapy for adolescents is an excellent form of complementary treatment and, when done correctly, can lead to lasting improvements in your teen’s mental health.
Art Therapy at Nexus Teen Academy
Nexus Teen Academy offers art therapy in addition to several other therapeutic modalities, all designed to help your teen recover from mental health or substance use disorders. While art therapy is beneficial, it is best when used in conjunction with other evidence-based treatment offerings like teen cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, and more
At Nexus, we work to make your son or daughter’s stay as comfortable and peaceful as possible. Our amenities, staff, and treatment services all work together to ensure your teen has a safe and productive time while they go through the healing process. Moreover, a cornerstone of our program is based on family involvement. We offer family therapy, weekly family visits, and daily phone and video calls to ensure that the family unit stays present during the treatment process.
Our program is built on trust, respect, and safety. We pride ourselves on helping adolescents and teens restore their mental health and are dedicated to helping all clients who walk through our doors. To learn more about our programs and get more specifics on how they apply to your situation, call our team today.
Art Therapy for Teens: Definition, Exercises, & Efficacy
Published By nexus_admin
Published On April 18, 2025
Table of Contents
Teen art therapy utilizes creative expression through painting, drawing, music, and other mediums to help teens relieve internal stress. Teenagers are often sensitive or self-conscious about their personal dilemmas, and art therapy gives them an opportunity to externalize their thoughts and emotions in a way that feels less direct than normal talk therapy.
Nexus Teen Academy is a teen residential treatment program in Arizona that offers numerous forms of mental health and substance abuse treatment, including teen art therapy. To learn more about our programs and discover how a personalized treatment plan may benefit your son or daughter, give our team a call now.
What is Teen Art Therapy?
Adolescent art therapy is a complementary form of mental health treatment that utilizes various forms of artistic expression as a way for the therapist to capture and understand the internal thoughts, dialogue, and issues of a teen in a non-invasive manner. Generally, these sessions are held in a group setting, which allows teens to also socialize and understand that they are not alone in their feelings.
Is Art Therapy for Teens Effective?
Art therapy is effective for teens dealing with depression and trauma. Other studies have shown that it can help improve healthy coping skills and decrease disruptive behaviors.
Common Art Therapy Exercises for Teens
Art therapy is conducted in many ways. Let’s take a look at some of the most common types of teen art therapy activities and techniques.
Collage Making
One common form of art therapy is making collages. By using images, words, and more from magazines, newspapers, online media, and more, clients create a collage that they believe represents them or their identity. Therapists can draw several conclusions from this and use it in follow-up talk therapy sessions.
Draw a Story
One type of exercise, the “Draw a Story” exercise, developed by Rawley Silver, involves clients choosing two pictures, imagining a story between them, and being directed to draw the story. Bypassing communication allows the client an indirect way to express emotions and for therapists to learn more about clients’ behaviors and internal thoughts.
Art Journaling
Journaling is a great practice and a beneficial mindfulness activity that combines journaling and drawing, painting, or another form of art. It allows clients to express themselves through words as well as pictures. This type of exercise provides an additional creative expression, which can help with the many benefits of art therapy.
Benefits of Art Therapy for Adolescents
Teen art therapy offers numerous benefits that can help clients throughout their stay in a teen mental health treatment center.
Alleviating Depression & Anxiety
Studies have shown that art therapy can be an effective treatment for alleviating and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Reducing these mental health-related symptoms will make other forms of treatment and therapy easier for the teen and therapist to work through.
Reduced Stress
This non-verbal expression has been shown to have many beneficial effects on reducing stress and stress-related behaviors. As teens get lost in their art, they tend to let other problems melt away for the time being.
Creative Expression
The creative outlet that art therapy provides offers clients many benefits on their own. Art therapy has been shown to help improve self-esteem, emotional expression, and self-awareness. Moreover, because these sessions are often conducted in a group setting, they allow time for social interaction.
Want to go deeper? Here’s a full breakdown of the positive effects of art therapy on teen mental health, including real-world applications.
Art therapy for adolescents is an excellent form of complementary treatment and, when done correctly, can lead to lasting improvements in your teen’s mental health.
Art Therapy at Nexus Teen Academy
Nexus Teen Academy offers art therapy in addition to several other therapeutic modalities, all designed to help your teen recover from mental health or substance use disorders. While art therapy is beneficial, it is best when used in conjunction with other evidence-based treatment offerings like teen cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, and more
At Nexus, we work to make your son or daughter’s stay as comfortable and peaceful as possible. Our amenities, staff, and treatment services all work together to ensure your teen has a safe and productive time while they go through the healing process. Moreover, a cornerstone of our program is based on family involvement. We offer family therapy, weekly family visits, and daily phone and video calls to ensure that the family unit stays present during the treatment process.
Our program is built on trust, respect, and safety. We pride ourselves on helping adolescents and teens restore their mental health and are dedicated to helping all clients who walk through our doors. To learn more about our programs and get more specifics on how they apply to your situation, call our team today.