01
In The Session
A prompt, a material, and a clinician who knows when to talk and when to let your teen work quietly.
Art Therapy For Teens
Art therapy is a clinician-led session with paint, paper, or clay, offered to teens who find it hard to begin a conversation. Drawing something can sometimes feel easier than saying it.
- 30-90 days
- Ages 12-17
- Private
What this is
Drawing Can Feel Easier Than Saying It
This is a clinician-led hour with paint, paper, clay, or collage. It is not a craft class or a portfolio, and we do not teach technique or grade anything your teen makes. It often comes first when shame, trauma, or a certain thought is hard to put into words in talk therapy. Individual therapy still leads the treatment plan.
Why this is in the week
- 01
They Go Quiet In Therapy
Shame, or a thought your teen isn't ready to say out loud, can go onto paper first, before anyone asks them to explain it.
- 02
Hands That Need Something To Do
Teens with ADHD or a lot of restless energy often think more clearly when their hands are busy, so working with clay can help the hour begin.
- 03
Trying On A Version Of Themselves
Making something can give your teen a chance to try a different way of seeing themselves before they have to explain it at the dinner table.
- 04
Grief With No Words Yet
Loss, or a hard year your teen can't describe yet, can show up as an image long before it arrives as a story.
- 05
They Say They Can't Draw
That is fine here. Making a mark is the work, and artistic skill isn't the point of the session.
- 06
Parents Who Want To See The Pictures
You hear the themes from the clinician rather than seeing the sketchbook itself, unless something raises a safety concern.
How it works
Where Your Teen Makes Something
The art session, the individual therapy room, and the house itself, with none of it turned into a performance.
02
In Individual Therapy
What comes up in the artwork often belongs with the primary therapist that same week, and the work itself stays your teen's.
03
In The House
A personal sketchbook is allowed in the house. Displaying a piece for everyone in the common room is not part of the method.
Our approach
How The Session Works
Making it first, then talking with the primary therapist, and skipping the session when the materials feel like too much for your teen.
- Core of the plan
Making It Before Explaining It
Your teen can show what is hard to say, and we do not ask for an explanation before they are ready to give one.
A Clinician, Not An Art Teacher
Shame can hide inside a drawing, so the hour stays clinical. The materials are simply the way in.
Connected To Individual Therapy
The primary therapist knows the themes that come up. We do not run a second, separate therapy in the art room.
Alongside Peers, Sharing Optional
Some teens can only join the household this way at first, and they do not have to explain what they made.
- When needed
Skipped When It Feels Like Too Much
Materials can feel like too much for some teens. If there is a safety concern or a clear no from your teen, we skip the session.
Your part
Your Teen's Sketchbook Stays Theirs
You hear the themes in family sessions, and you are not asked to be a critic of something your teen made in treatment.
Can I see what they drew?
Ask What The Session Worked On
Parents hear the themes rather than see the sketchbook, unless your teen offers to share it or safety requires it.
We'll wait until they feel like talking.
Discussing The Themes In Session
Family sessions cover what the hour was about, and there is no gallery in the hallway afterward.
They can draw at home if they want.
Planning A Private Way To Keep Making
Before discharge, we help name a private way for your teen to keep doing this, so it doesn't turn into a performance.
Length of stay
30
days in residence, by progress
These sessions run alongside the 30 to 90 day stay rather than ending on a set date.
90
How This Fits Into A Stay
These sessions happen inside a 30 to 90 day stay as one clinical tool among several. They do not replace individual therapy, and we skip them when the materials feel like too much for a teen or they say no. Aftercare points to a next therapist, not a studio membership.
- The first two weeks are for finding a material that works for your teen, without pushing for a breakthrough on paper.
- Most teens finish the stay in one to three months, and some stay longer when the work isn't finished yet.
- Aftercare means a next therapist who already knows the themes, rather than an easel waiting at home.
When to call
Call Us. We'll Tell You If This House Fits.
If your teen has trouble saying it, or finds it hard to sit through a talking session, call Aaron Earnest and the admissions team. They will be honest about whether this house is the right fit. If sound appeals more than drawing, our music therapy page may be the better match.