The Healing Power of Art Therapy

CHICAGO— A young girl, who was selectively mute, wouldn’t speak to many people. She attended art therapy and during her sessions she continuously drew pictures of the same scary monster. Each session, her art therapist would prompt her to say a word and if the young girl listened, she could make art. The 9-year-old girl became more verbal and even created a life-size tree to protect her from this monster.

Mary Andrus, founder of Art Therapy Studio Chicago, is the therapist who worked with this young girl and was able to achieve these positive results.

“That’s the magic of therapy,” she says, “It was just really powerful to see her come to life and be strong enough to speak for herself … and not be so afraid of this monster that she had created in her mind.”

Andrus, who is specialized in trauma art therapy, has been working at the art studio in Wicker Park for about six years. After a high school teacher recommended this career for her, she knew it was her “life mission.”

Art therapy is a widely recognized treatment not just for trauma but many forms of emotional or psychological challenges, according to the American Art Therapy Association. Art therapy can be used to “reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being,” says the American Art Therapy Association.

Andrus’s inspiration came from her own art and ability to express herself.

“It’s not important to share myself with the world … I feel more empowered by helping others,” she says.

Andrus works from a person-centered approach where she aligns herself with her patient to work on developing goals and ways to accomplish these goals. Depending on each individual’s need, the approach varies from person to person.

“I’m attuned to their emotional needs and through the process of making the artwork, they become attuned to their own emotional needs,” she explains.

During therapy sessions, Andrus has conversations with her patients and has him/her talk about the situation. After, she invites the patient to make a piece of art about that particular event. When finished with the artwork, Andrus doesn’t interpret the artwork, but allows individuals to find an understanding of his/her situation by pointing out aspects that may have gone unnoticed by the patient.

“I think a lot of people struggle with showcasing their art to other people,” says Jackie Lohr, a volunteer at Art Therapy Studio Chicago.

Andrus stresses on the importance of a patient having someone “to reflect on their artwork with someone who is not judging but is accepting them … because with that, they will eventually accept themselves, too.”

In addition to the individual counseling, Andrus offers open studio days for individuals who are curious about art therapy and are unsure in investing in long-term therapy but want to get a taste of it.

Lohr is one of those students who attends the Art Works course at the studio.

“I don’t create art to send a message or gain approval from others, I create it for me … for a way to convey my emotions and make sense of what I’m feeling,” says Lohr. “Some inspiring work has been done in the course by people who haven’t taken an art class in years,” adds Lohr.

Andrus also works with the community by spreading awareness on current issues taking place.

“These past two days I was engaging people to make art on a ribbon … to send a message of hope to the people in Ferguson who have been affected by the violence there.”

Andrus plans to expand the art therapy studio with bigger space and more staff with different backgrounds to meet the needs of more people.

“Art takes you to that deep place really fast and if you’re open to using art to understand yourself, you may find that it is very effective, says Andrus. “Even from a little small drawing, you can learn a lot about someone.”