Johnson (1985) observes that expressive therapists “have a powerful vision,
and we have emerged for a reason” (p. 238). In the same vein, the
History, Theory, and Practice 13
expressive therapies as a force with psychology and counseling have
emerged for a reason. A growing number of mental health professionals
are recognizing why expressive therapies enhance work with clients in
ways that strictly verbal therapies cannot. Additionally, there is a growing
movement in mental health to utilize “creative methods” in therapy
and medicine.
Creativity in therapy has the potential to impact clients in memorable
ways that traditional interventions do not. When therapists choose
to use expressive therapies, they give their clients the opportunity to become
active participants in their own treatment and empower them to
use imagination in productive and corrective ways. Whether through art,
play, music, movement, enactment, or creative writing, expressive therapies
stimulate the senses, thereby “sensitizing” individuals to untapped
aspects of themselves (Gladding, 1991) and thus facilitating self-discovery,
change, and reparation