Art Therapy in Schools: The Silent Voice That Needs to Be Heard

Art Therapists' Role in the Learning Environment for the Wellbeing of Students, Teachers, and Families.

In these rapidly changing and uncertain times, many children grow up under constant pressure—from educational systems, family expectations, and a world that values outcomes over learning and human development. Then, while academic education is legitimized, thinking about oneself, even understanding feelings and regulating emotions, and how to think about others and develop lasting relationships is not. Schools loudly proclaim mental and emotional well-being as important, but not alongside academic well-being.

In recent years, many alternative schools in Thailand have begun to incorporate whole-child development, supporting the mind and the emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of learning. Still, schools predominantly see their role in a reactive capacity—acting only when they see a child struggling or when there is an outward demonstration of some misunderstood feelings—rather than developing anticipatory and supportive systems of care. The art therapist's role could make a real, measurable difference, supporting emotional well-being, especially for children being educated in the sensitive stages of their development that may not be able to verbalize their feelings.

Art therapists differ from art instructors. Art therapists are mental health professionals who use creative expression as a vehicle for emotional meaning, connectedness, and healing. While art therapists expect students to create art productively, they do not expect a 'product' to be visually appealing. Rather, they use students' artwork as a 'safe' and non-verbal flight path to inform their emotional meanings. In schools, art therapists can be meaningfully engaged in a multitude of roles, including

Individual Art Therapy Sessions: for any student experiencing anxiety, stress, ADHD, depression or adjusting to the school environment.

Group Art Therapy: for self-exploration, emotional expression, and social engagement, e.g., "Knowing My Heart" for young children and "Art and Belonging" for adolescents.

Family-Based Art Activities: e.g., family art or working on collaborative drawing sessions to improve empathic responses and communication between children and their caregivers.

Systemic Consultation with Teachers and School Leaders: help educators begin to understand how student behaviors might be interpreted emotionally, combined with supporting the design and development of preventative, wellness-oriented, class-based practices.

Different countries have integrated art therapists into their school systems with great success. In the UK, the Art Room program (by Place2Be) provided group art therapy to kids exhibiting emotional and behavioral challenges. Outcomes reported a 60% reduction in aggressive behaviors and a reliable reduction in anxiety in only 10 weeks. In Australia, the government placed itinerant art therapists in schools in remote, ethnically and politically diverse contexts and reported a 25% average reduction in school absenteeism and substantial improvements in students' emotional regulation. In the US, the NYC Department of Education has a Creative Arts Therapy program that reported student academic performance improved by 15–20%, as well as classroom behavior improvements (http://schools.nyc.gov). All these examples illustrate that art therapy in schools is not an added cost—it is an impactful and cost-effective investment in the well-being of communities.

Art therapy in schools provides a safe venue for children to freely express themselves, mitigate their emotional build-up, and be valued for their unique self—outside of their behavior. Developing sustainable connections between teachers, families, and children is an important part of the process too. Overall, the long-term value of having a practical art therapist is more than just fostering whole, emotionally competent children but equipping each child for their future contributions to our communities and ultimately to society.