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Art therapy

Art therapy at Creative Pier

There’s more to it than the Zen of finger painting. “Sometimes just making an image can help you see something that you wouldn’t with just words,” says Yasmine Awais, a licensed creative arts therapist (LCAT). The practice uses artistic creation—with any kind of material—as a means of delving into thoughts and feelings that haven’t formed verbally, while taking incidental advantage of the soothing effect of working with your hands. “You have to be willing to experiment with expressing yourself,” Awais says, “not necessarily by drawing what you’re thinking, but rather feeling through colors, shapes or patterns.” Awais frequently uses a technique called “witnessing’: After creating something, the client does free-associative writing about it. “It’s almost like talking to your piece,” Awais says. “Things come up while you’re having that dialogue—sometimes the artwork answers back.”

Where to find it: Find a certified practitioner through the New York Art Therapy Association (nyarttherapy.org), or if you like the idea of channeling your problems into a hunk of clay or onto canvas—and feel capable of handling the issues without the help of a professional—spend an hour or two at the Open Art Studio (103 E 8th St at Broadway, 646-678-4002), which holds regular art-making workshops for adults ($50, six weeks $150), sans criticism. Creative Pier (833 Broadway at 13th St, third floor; 212-674-7437, creativepier.com) offers three-hour art classes ($25, includes mixed materials) with a spiritual twist. Next up: Mindful Creativity (Wednesday 30), which starts with shamatha meditation to enhance your artistic insight.