"Beyond Art Therapy"

Learn the Basics of Art Therapy and Beyond:
Learn How to Become a Beyond Art Therapist Today! Learn New Beyond Art Therapy Techniques Here!

Beyond Art Therapy & Counseling Techniques for All M.H.P.'s... See Links Below:

The Animal Combination Drawing will be in my new book entitled "Beyond Art Therapy 101" by Dr. Michelle Stangline. This eBook will be available for purchase on this site by January, 2016. Please see the right hand column of this site if you are interested in purchasing this book after January, 2016.

*Disclaimer: If you are a licensed mental health professional you can do art therapy! Yes, if you are a licensed professional you can do "beyond art therapy" in your practice with clients! Do not let anyone tell you any differently.

I get a lot of hate mail about this from art therapist. Trust me, I have done my homework and sought supervision with past graduate counseling college dean, past supervisor for counseling, state board president, and head of my professional counseling association past president and asked about this topic of controversy. The key word is "licensed" mental health professional. 

Of course, ethically, you must seek training in this area. The same is true for any counseling technique you use such as play therapy and sand tray therapy. 

Basically, most therapists use paper and drawing tools. They need to learn how to use these tools properly in art therapy! The same thing is true if you have a dollhouse in your office, you need some play therapy training. Ditto for the sand tray.

Step 1: Get Your Professional License in Mental Health.

Step 2: Seek Training in the area of need. The more training the better.

Step 3: Try to get certified in the area of interest.

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Free Beyond Art Therapy Activities Below with Printable Worksheets:

Yes, You Can Do Beyond Art Therapy With Clients and Students! Let Us Show You How:

A Licensed, or Certified M.H.P.'s, realizes that they need to be able to offer an eclectic therapy approach clients the ability to express their feelings in many different ways.

Beyond Art therapy is one of the best ways to be able to do this. You don't need to be an artist yourself, you just need some professional training. The "freedom of expression" and "art therapy translation" is the most important part.

One of the ways a Creative Therapist does this is through Beyond Art Therapy & Counseling. I use this valuable tool daily on my clients and students. 

An example above of an art therapy technique that shows how a client or student views themself in the world.  "The Three Animals". See link at the bottom for directions. 

First, let me tell you about my journey as a Creative Beyond Art Therapy Counselor. I was lucky that I had studied art in college and even graduated from The Art Institute of Atlanta with a certificate in Interior Design. So, I had a small background in art that did give me an edge creatively.

Yet, as I began to practice the therapy art counseling I realized I needed more training as an Art Therapy Counselor. I called about some Art Therapy workshops and got absolutely nowhere.

I was told by one art therapist that she would not allow me to attend her workshop because I was a licensed professional counselor, and not an art therapist.

She said that since she could not be an licensed professional therapist that I could not be an art therapist. True, one does have to major in "Art Therapy" to call oneself an art therapist. But, I was a counselor who wanted to help my clients express themselves in other ways than "talking."

It was shocking to me that the art therapy door was shut. The more I learned about art therapy showed me that Art Therapy got its roots from traditional psychology.

For a while the door to learn more about incorporating art into my practice was shut. I only had the House, Tree, Person drawing, the Family Portrait, and the Self Portrait in art therapy to use with clients.

I did learn the Mandala in a workshop and that was an amazing new "tool" to show my clients. By the way, all my clients loved it.

My world in Beyond Art Therapy Counseling opened up when I began my training as a Certified Trauma Specialist. As a trauma specialist, I learned the value of "drawing the trauma out of the self."

It was an incredible way to do therapy and really helped my clients deal with the issues and grief they were facing at the time.

As a supervisor for counselors seeking licensure, I was horrified to see a child's drawing a supervisee brought into me. It was done on white paper and drawn with a blue pen.

The counselor only had blue ink pens and white paper for a child of trauma to express himself with. I was horrified when I saw this drawing as the child only had a blue pen!

Please do not be this type of counselor. We need to seek training and supervision in many areas, especially for our children clients who need more than "talk therapy."

After working with clients and students of counseling I began to call counseling with  "Beyond Art Therapy Counseling." We are counselors who utilize "The Art of Counseling", right?!

But we need to seek training in this area to make us effective. We also have the responsibility to be ethical to our clients.

As licensed counselors we need to take the time to seek training and supervision in order to be the best we can be for our clients.

Our clients deserve a counselor, or therapist, that is well trained and has many tools to offer them!

The Creative Counselor is that counselor, or therapist who can offer beyond art therapy! This website is meant to be a tool for you to use, but it is up to you to gain the supervision and training in all areas including art counseling.

You can begin this journey as a mental health professional who utilizes art therapy by:

1. Practicing the beyond art therapy techniques below (See Bottom Links) on yourself first. I add pages on this special topic throughout the year, so keep checking back.

2. Read the pages posted at Creative Counseling 101 on art therapy. 

3. Continue to seek training as a beyond art therapist mental health professional.

What do the colors mean in Art Therapy & Color Psychology? 

Shelter House Art Therapy Technique 



Art Therapy Family Portrait Drawing 



Art Therapy Interpreting Drawings 

Get More Ideas Here: Creative Counseling 101 Home 

Anger Management & Art Therapy Crinkled Paper Technique 

Art Therapy Counseling Pictionary 

Art Therapy Christmas Tree Drawing & World 

The Three Animals Art Therapy Technique

The Kinetic Family Drawing Art Therapy Technique/a> 

The Kinetic School Drawing Art Therapy Technique/a> 

String of Lights Art Therapy & Genogram Drawing Technique 

The Art Therapy Self-Portrait Technique

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The Beyond Art Therapy House / Tree / Water / Sun / Animal Technique

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See More Art Therapy Techniques on Creative Teaching Ideas and Methods Here

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See Art Therapy Yoga Techniques Here

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Adult / Child Coloring Book Page Meditation: Paradise Island Technique

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Art Therapy Meditation Game with Free Printable Board Technique

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Art Therapy Roll-A-Feelings-Game

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Art Therapy Feeling Bubbles Activity

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Copyright © 2015 Creative Counseling 101.com 

All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: This website and its content is intended for trained licensed mental health professionals and school certified mental health professionals to use for their clients / students at their own discretion.

*If you ignore the disclaimer above are using these techniques on yourself and you feel any discomfort or upset it is highly suggested that you seek out a licensed  mental health professional immediately.

"Beyond Art Therapy" is the concept from Dr. Stangline that combines all creative fields in therapy. It is not the traditional "art therapy" but goes beyond to include sand tray therapy, play therapy, mindfulness, meditation, color therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and a vast majority of other therapies.

For any other type of mental health emergency call your local 911 / Police Number immediately.

Dr. Stangline does not offer advice / suggestions to anyone who is not a professional mental health provider, or a student who is studying this field and has questions about mental health programs of study.