Art Therapy Directives

If you're like me, I can't get enough resources and ideas to use as directives for my art therapy groups and individual sessions. Some ideas come from pure brainstorming, but I have found that idea sharing from mentors and colleagues has been an invaluable source of art therapy exercises. I am including some of mine here that (as far as I know) aren't already published or copyrighted, or they are a synopsis on a topic with the websites or credit given. I hope that you find them helpful, and if you have ones you'd like to share, please do!

Anger management exercise using sculpture

Assertiveness skills resource

Autobiography

Bridge Drawing Exercise
(several to cut up for groups)

Coat of Arms
(information about heraldic symbolism for creating personal shields)

Create your own comic strip

Deep Muscle Relaxation Script

Family Portrait as Animals

Interview Questionnaire
(I use this as a group icebreaker, dividing members into pairs, and have each interviewer depict the information they gather in a piece of art to introduce their partner)

Create your own invention

Mandala Friday
(regular group - thanks to Lauren Hayes)

Therapeutic Journey - Past/Present/Future

Self-Esteem Mini-Journal
(thanks to Lauren Hayes)

Self-Forgiveness Resources

Stress Management

Support Sculpture Activity
I use this with families--parents create support sculpture, child makes creature sculpture--separate from each other, then bring together to see how supportive the parents' sculpture is to the child's piece
(thanks to Emmy Lou Glassman)

Supports, Strengths, and Abilities Pyramid

Three Wishes

Trust Activity

Holidays:

New Year's

Valentine's Day

St. Patrick's Day

Thanksgiving
(I use this in conjunction with depicting what the client(s) is thankful for)