30 Art Therapy Activities for Individual or Group

CEUs are available for this presentation at AllCEUs

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Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes PhD, LPC-MHSP, LMHC

Executive Director: AllCEUs Counselor Education

Host: Counselor Toolbox Podcast

Objectives

• Identify 30 art therapy activities and the goals and benefits for each

1. Collage

• Medium (2 or 3-D)

• Picture

• Bulletin Board

• Book or Notebook Cover

• Scrapbook

• Photo Blanket

• Quilt

• Website (Canva, MineCraft)

• Materials

• Odds and ends (buttons, keys, material, yarn)

• Nature

• Pictures from magazines, online, wrapping paper, greeting cards, food bags/boxes

• Paint

• Stamps

• Macaroni/Beans

• Benefits

• Fine motor coordination

• IRL: Scissor use, turning pages, gluing

• Virtual: Typing, mousing, photoediting

• Visual expression

• Problem solving/creativity “How can I depict…”

1. Collage

• Uses

• Before and After

• Layered with Goals

• Most Important

• Happiness (or other emotions)

• My Accomplishments

• Tribute/Memory

• Nature (with leaves, feathers, sticks…)

• Positive Affirmations

• Superhero (anxiety)

• Friendship

• My Happy Place

2. Sculpture

• Medium

• Clay

• Playdough or salt dough

• Paper Mache

• Pinata / Piggy Bank

• Wadded Newspaper

• Scarecrow

• Multimedia (jars, foam balls, felt, popsicle sticks, pipecleaners, paper towel tubes, plastic shopping bags, cardboard from boxes)

2. Sculpture

• Benefits

• Fine motor skills

• Creativity and problem solving

• Visual self expression

• Uses

• Superhero

• Family

• Memory

• Self-Portrait

• Emotion

3. Puppets

• Material

• Socks

• Felt finger puppets

• Pipe cleaner finger puppets

• Popsicle stick puppets

• Brown paper bag

• Toilet paper roll

• Benefits

• Fine motor skills

• Verbal communication

• Creativity

• Uses

• Giving a voice (What I wish I could say)

• Addressing the anger/monster

• Observation (What does the alien see)

• Angel vs. Devil

• Teach interpersonal skills (Sally is sad, what should Sammy do???)

• Team work

4. Gratitude Tree

• Medium

• On the wall

• On paper

• With sticks and tags

• Materials

• Paper cutouts

• Paint (finger, brush, pens)

• Sticks and gift tags or cardboard “leaves”

• Uses

• Remember things that are going right (depression, frustration)

• Help remembering to focus on the good (negativity)

• Gratitude in grief

5. Wind chime

• Materials

• Keys

• Buttons

• Beads

• Silverware

• Bamboo pipes

• Shells

• Chandelier crystals

• Bells

• Terracotta pots

• Feathers (and bells)

• Cookie cutters

• Decorated soda or tin cans

• Soda bottle tops (metal)

• Benefits

• Fine motor skills

• Creative expression

• Uses

• Grief

• Favorite things

• Happy memories

• Mindfulness

6. “Stained Glass”

• Materials

• Shrinkable plastic sheets or ornaments (Shrinky Dinks)

• Benefits

• Find motor skills

• Creative expression

• Uses

• Mindfulness

• Memory window or attach to LED Christmas light strand to make a garland

• Things that make me feel…

• Things that remind me of (grief)

• Things that inspire me (goals)

7. Flag

• Medium

• Solid color nylon flag (~$8)

• Cut a king sheet and sew or glue edges

• Large piece of cardboard (large shipping box or appliance box). Fortify edges with colored duct tape

• Hint: Take a picture of the flag and print it out or have it added to water bottles for each person to have a miniature version

• Ben