What is Art Therapy? – Information for service users

Art therapy involves using art and discussion with an art psychotherapist. Using art materials can help you to express your thoughts and feelings and it can provide another way of communicating when it is hard to talk. You do not have to be good at art as the aim is not to improve your skills.

In art therapy you will have time to talk and think about your difficulties with the art psychotherapist and it may help you to understand yourself better, gain insight and for change to occur.

Art therapy focuses on your feelings and how they affect your life so it can make you feel emotional during and after a session.

Art therapy takes place as individual one to one sessions or within group settings.

• It may help you communicate when you cannot talk about your feelings and difficulties
• Taking part in creative activities can improve self-esteem and confidence
• Making artwork about how you feel may help better understanding of your emotions, and how you might cope with them
• Through discussion with the art psychotherapist, you may gain a better understanding of yourself, your strengths and the challenges you face
• It can improve your relationships
• It may help you make links between past experience and what is going on for you now

The artwork made in art therapy and any information shared with your art psychotherapist will be treated as confidential.

Your art psychotherapist meets with other professionals within the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and they may discuss your artwork in these meetings and with their clinical supervisors. These people also have a duty of confidentiality.

Your art psychotherapist may talk with you about the need for written reports, letters, and summaries of the work to communicate with others involved in your care.

All information regarding your treatment is held in accordance with the Caldicott principles, which protects the use of information about service users.

Some details of your care may be recorded either on paper or on computer systems; this information is strictly governed by the Data Protection Act and only accessible by authorised personnel. If you would like more information about this please ask your art psychotherapist.

There may be times when we need to share information that you have shared in art therapy without your consent. This would only occur if you or another person may be at risk.

In the Community
Please contact your Care- Co-ordinator, who will be able to check if there is an Art Psychotherapist in your area, and then make a referral if appropriate.

Whilst in hospital
Please speak with any of the inpatient team and they will be able to advise you if there is an Art Psychotherapist in the service and arrange an initial meeting.

Following your initial meeting you may meet for several session on an assessment, or a ‘taster’ basis. This is so the Art Psychotherapist can assess your current needs and together you can decide if therapy is appropriate and if so, identify the difficulties you would like to work on in art therapy.

When beginning an art therapy assessment, you will be encouraged to explore the art materials.

You may identify some goals of therapy with your art psychotherapist. You will also negotiate together how frequently you will meet, and how long sessions will be.

Inpatient Care
When you are discharged from hospital your art therapy may end. Sometimes you may be offered some follow up session in the community, however it depends whether there is an Art Psychotherapist in your area. The art psychotherapist will try to discuss and plan this with you and your care team before you leave hospital.

Community Care
If you have art psychotherapy sessions in the community, there is usually more of an opportunity to discuss with your art psychotherapist and plan when you will be discharged from Art psychotherapy.

In both setting discharge from art psychotherapy may also come about if you frequently fail to attend appointment without notice.

On discharge your art psychotherapist may provide you with a letter, or report summarising the work done in art therapy. This may also be shared with other members of your care team.

The artwork you make in art therapy is yours, although the Art psychotherapist may suggest that it be stored securely on a CNTW site while therapy is in progress.

When the art therapy ends it is your choice to take your artwork with you or leave it with the art psychotherapist.

If you choose to leave your artwork it will be confidentially disposed of.

You will be able to get financial help with your travel expenses if you are travelling to attend art therapy in the community or at The Hadrian clinic, and you receive one of the following benefits:

• income based job seekers allowance
• income support
• working families tax credit
• disabled persons tax credit

For more general information about art therapy visit www.baat.org/art-therapy

British Association of Art Therapists www.baat.org

If you want to make a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint you can:

• talk to the people directly involved in your care
• ask a member of staff for a feedback form, or complete a form on the Trust website
• telephone the Complaints Department on 0191 245 6672
• email [email protected]. Please note that information sent to the Trust via email is sent at your own risk

We are always looking at ways to improve services. Your feedback allows us to monitor the quality of our services and act upon issues that you bring to our attention. You can provide feedback in the following ways:

• the quickest way for you to do this is to complete our short online survey at www.cntw.nhs.uk/yourvoice
• complete a Your Voice survey, available on wards, reception areas or from staff
• other options for sharing your feedback and experience www.cntw.nhs.uk/yourfeedback

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
PALS provide confidential advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns that you may have about any aspect of your or your loved ones care.

We act independently when handling patient and family concerns, liaising with staff, managers and, where appropriate, relevant organisations, to negotiate prompt solutions. If necessary, we can also refer patients and families to specific local or national-based support agencies.

North of Tyne
Telephone: 0800 032 0202
Email: [email protected]
Post: FREEPOST PALS

South of Tyne
Telephone: 0800 328 4397
Text: 07825 061 035
Email: [email protected]
Post: Patient Advice and Liaison Service, Garden Lodge, Hopewood Park, Ryhope, Sunderland, SR2 0NB

9am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday

An answerphone is available at all times for you to leave a message. A member of the PALS team will aim to return your call as soon as possible.

Further information about the content, reference sources or production of this leaflet can be obtained from the Patient Information Centre. If you would like to tell us what you think about this leaflet please get in touch.

This information can be made available in a range of formats on request (Braille, audio, larger print, easy read, BSL or other languages). Please contact the Patient Information Centre on 0191 246 7288.

Published by the Patient Information Centre
2025 Copyright: Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Ref: PIC/478/0125 January 2025 V7

Website: www.cntw.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0191 246 7288

Review date 2028