Mental Health: Creating a safe place with Art.

Art Therapy

Art isn’t just about making something that looks nice—it’s about giving shape to things that are often hard to say out loud. Allowing a person to express themselves in form, and maybe talking.

Creating a safe place for Art in Schools

Children often start chatting spontaneously while they create. Without the pressure of direct questioning, their thoughts and feelings surface more freely. A story might unfold through a drawing, or a passing comment may reveal something meaningful about their experiences, worries, or joys. The creative process provides a safe and comfortable space where communication feels less formal and more authentic.

 It's a place where a child can shine; if they can take ownership of something they have made and feel proud.

BUT

The curriculum and school targets are slowly moving the arts and humanities in preference to the STEM subjects (sciences, technology, maths and computer science)

According to reports from Tes (formerly the Times Educational Supplement), the provision of arts education in schools is at a "crisis point," marked by a significant reduction in arts subjects.

Here is an overview of the situation regarding the reduction of arts in schools:

The State of Arts Education

• Widespread Cuts: Research indicates that two in three school leaders reported being unable to offer all creative subjects, leading to a decline in arts provision.

• Shrinking Workforce: There has been a notable exodus of art teachers, with a 27% drop in the number working in English state-secondary schools between 2011 and 2024.

• Reduced Take-up: Since 2010, there has been a 48% drop in students taking arts subjects at GCSE, often driven by a policy focus on English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and STEM subjects over creative disciplines.

• Structural Barriers: Lower-income pupils are disproportionately steered away from "risky" creative subjects, creating an inequality in access to arts education. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Reasons for Reduction

• Funding and Resources: Schools are grappling with tight budgets, a lack of specialist facilities, and limited curriculum time, making it difficult to maintain robust arts programs.

• Curriculum Prioritisation: Increased pressure to prioritise core academic subjects has led to creative subjects being treated as secondary, a move criticised as "naive" by unions.

• Teacher Recruitment Crisis: It is becoming harder to recruit and retain specialist art teachers, with many considering leaving the profession due to workload and well-being concerns. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

  
  

The Impact of Cuts

• Stifled Creativity: Critics argue that reducing art suppresses children’s imagination, self-expression, and mental well-being, which are crucial for personal development.

• Missed Benefits: Experts highlight that arts education is essential for fostering innovation and emotional intelligence, which are critical for future employment. [1, 2, 3, 4]

For those looking to maintain arts in schools, resources are available. on Tes Teaching Resources. [1, 2]

• Art education at 'crisis point', warns parliamentary group | Tes

  28 Jun 2023 — A new parliamentary report warns there is “evidence of the downgrading of arts subjects within schools and structural barriers to ...

  Tes

• Pupils steered away from 'risky' creative subjects at school - Tes

  25 Mar 2026 — Lower-income pupils are steered away from creative subjects in schools such as art, music and drama, research suggests, with parti...

  Tes

• Arts teacher shortages hit deprived schools twice as hard - Tes

  11 Feb 2025 — In total, the survey found that two in three school leaders reported they could not offer all the creative subjects. Sarah Kilpatrick, ...

  Tes

Art as Therapy supporting Mental Health.

Regular group support provides adults with troubled lives a safe place to create and relax. Grown men come together and feel able to relax, talk about their lives, and have a laugh when thier normal lives are stressful or unsafe.

In settings like trauma recovery, special education, or mental health support (which ties in closely with the kind of work you’re doing), art therapy can be especially effective because it meets people where they are—developmentally, emotionally, and cognitively.

Art as therapy?

At its core, art therapy uses creative expression—drawing, painting, sculpture, collage—to help people explore emotions, process experiences, and communicate in ways that don’t rely entirely on words. That matters because a lot of what we feel, especially around trauma, anxiety, or grief, doesn’t come neatly packaged in sentences.

One of the biggest values is access. When someone can’t—or doesn’t want to—talk directly about what’s going on, art becomes a kind of bridge. A colour choice, a repeated symbol, even the way someone uses space on a page can reveal patterns and feelings that might otherwise stay buried.

There’s also a strong element of emotional regulation. The act of creating—mixing colours, shaping clay, focusing on a task—can calm the nervous system. It’s similar to mindfulness, but often more approachable for people who struggle to “just sit and breathe.” You’re doing something with your hands, and that helps ground you.

Another key piece is control and agency. In difficult life situations, people often feel powerless. Art gives them a space where they decide what happens. They can start, change, destroy, or rework something. That sense of choice can be quietly powerful, especially in recovery.

Then there’s self-discovery. Over time, themes start to emerge in someone’s work—recurring images, colours, or moods. Not in a “this symbol means X” kind of rigid way, but as a starting point for reflection. It can help people understand themselves with a bit more distance and less judgment.

It’s worth saying: art therapy isn’t about being “good at art.” In fact, worrying about skill can get in the way. The value is in the process, not the product.

There is a quiet power in creative activity that often goes unnoticed. When children and adults are engaged in drawing, painting, building, or making, something shifts. The focus is no longer on being asked questions or expected to give answers. Instead, their attention settles on the task in front of them—the colours, the shapes, the movement of their hands. In this relaxed and absorbed state, conversation begins to emerge naturally.

In this way, creativity becomes more than an activity; it becomes a gentle doorway into connection. It allows adults to listen without forcing, to understand without interrogating, and to build trust through shared moments of making. What might not be said in a structured conversation is often quietly expressed when a person’s hands are busy, and their mind feels at ease.