Art therapists at Riley Children's Health provide mental health counseling through creative experiences that promote emotional health and physical healing. Combining psychotherapy and artmaking, they serve pediatric and maternity inpatients through individual and group therapy sessions, providing support to patients of all ages and their families.
Why Art Therapy?
Sometimes, words are not enough, and art can become a vehicle to express feelings. Riley art therapists help people process challenging circumstances and emotions during their hospital stay. Patients and caregivers can enhance their own mental, physical, and emotional wellness by exploring their natural capacity for artmaking.
Art therapists use the creative process to:
- Process physical and emotional healing
- Express feelings about illness, medical treatment, or traumatic experiences
- Provide a sense of choice, control, and mastery
- Reduce fear and anxiety around medical experience
- Provide grief and bereavement counseling
- Reduce anxiety and depression while building resiliency
- Foster self-awareness and increase self-esteem
- Increase positive coping and problem-solving skills
- Enhance the overall quality of life
Art Therapy Staff
Art therapists are credentialed mental health professionals who hold master’s-level or higher degrees. They are educated in both art and psychology and specially trained to use artmaking as a form of therapy to treat anxiety, depression, and psychosocial and emotional difficulties related to illness, trauma, and loss.
Requesting Art Therapy
Art therapy services are available to patients and caregivers currently inpatient at Riley Hospital for Children. If you feel like you or your child could benefit from art therapy services while hospitalized, please ask your care team to put in an order for art therapy. Our team accommodates most consults within 2 business days, so we ask that your child's length of stay be longer than 3 days. If you have additional questions you are encouraged to email us at rileyarttherapy@iuhealth.org.
Related Educational Opportunities
Related Educational Opportunities
The Art Therapy Program at Riley Children's Health currently offers internships only for second and third-year art therapy graduate students. Shadowing opportunities are not available. Prospective interns can send their application materials (PDF) to rileyarttherapy@iuhealth.org.
Related Resources
Related Resources
The Art Therapy Program is housed within the Creative Arts Therapies department, which also includes the Music Therapy Program and the Dance/Movement Therapy Program.
For more information about the field of art therapy, please visit the website for the American Art Therapy Association. This organization for art therapy professionals publishes a fact sheet that explains how art therapy can enhance health and wellness.