Telehealth Art Therapy Activities

Remote art therapy is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the creative process in a relaxed, informal environment that seamlessly fits into your schedule.

Today, we've created a list of potential virtual art therapy activities, whether you're looking for ideas to kick-start a healthy therapeutic routine or need inspiration for the best ways to engage with clients on their schedules.

 

Tips for Remote Art Therapy Sessions

The ideal telehealth art therapy activity is structured and organised. Starting a program without a plan can mean you spend more time trying to decide what to do than creating art.

For art therapists, best practices suggest that you:

• Set goals and plan a session ahead of time.
• Explain the activity, address anxieties, and allow time for questions.
• Decide what each task is designed for, whether that's to prompt a discussion about specific topics, teach coping skills, or blend with other mindfulness exercises.

Once you have created your next telehealth activity, it is important to encourage clients to participate, ensure they have the tools they need, and let them know they can call on you for help if they're unsure.

Remote art therapy is most successful when it is supported. If you decide on a digital creative process, each attendee should have access to the technical resources required to participate.

 

Examples of Telehealth Art Activities

Online therapy is an opportunity to stay connected, wherever you may be. The growth of new creative platforms such as text-to-image AI art generators opened up a new world of expression for art therapy.

 

Virtual Art Classes

An online art class takes place in a digital classroom, where anybody with a webcam can log into a virtual meeting space, such as Zoom or Google Hangouts.

Online art classes can be themed and involve as many students as you can comfortably manage. They can include any creative outlet, such as knitting, drawing, modelling, or painting.

 

Creative Apps

Art therapy apps are a good option if you are keen to attract or work with younger clients who tend to be more excited and invigorated by digital technology than an in-person art session.

The beauty of digital art therapy is that each person can create independently and then later share their work with their therapist or group—or store it as part of the therapeutic journey.

 

Digital NFT Art

NFT art is perhaps the most inclusive form of art therapy available and goes beyond the physical limitations applicable to many forms of creative expression.

Participants use images, words, sentence strings and other forms of input to develop their creations, without requiring any manual resources or access to a canvas, paint, or pencils.

As with creative apps, each person can choose to share their creations, and discuss how they link to their ongoing therapy.

 

Drawing to Music

Combining art therapy with music can be beneficial, especially for teenage or young adult service users who have a strong emotional connection to their musical tastes and preferences.

A diverse selection of music, of different moods and genres, allows participants to use music to inspire different responses and self-analysis.

 

Digital Collages

Finally, let’s remember that art therapy isn't always about creating one standalone drawing or piece of artwork.

It can be useful to include collages as a medium so participants can gather pictures they love, images that inspire growth, or graphics that align with their feelings.

A digital collage can even be developed as an art therapy group session, where everybody can contribute and collaborate to learn teamwork and communication skills.