Top 10 Art Therapy Directives I Use with Clients

By Huma Durrani.

(Adaptable for all ages)

Art therapy can open doors to expression, healing, and regulation in ways that words alone cannot. In my practice, I often turn to tried-and-tested directives that help clients explore emotions, build resilience, and discover new perspectives. Below, I share ten of my favourite directives:

1. Drawing the Breath

A somatic-based art directive for regulation and body awareness.

How it works:

• Provide chunky crayons or chalk pastels, along with a large sheet of paper.
• Invite clients to move their hands back and forth across the page, mirroring the rhythm of their breath. (If chalk pastels break under pressure, prompt the client to use their fingers or entire hands to continue to draw their breath.)
• Encourage bilateral movement—both hands moving together—as the marks follow the inhale and exhale.

Extension:

• Ask clients to notice areas of tension in the body.
• Use the crayons or pastels to apply “massage movements” on the paper, symbolically releasing the tension.
• This may take the form of circular strokes, gentle pressure, or flicking movements that radiate outward, paired with exhalation.

Why it helps:
By integrating breath with movement, this directive grounds the client in their body, promotes regulation, and offers a creative outlet for stress release. It bridges artmaking and mindfulness, making it especially effective for trauma-informed sessions.

2. Joint Artmaking in Silence

A simple but powerful art therapy activity that can be used as an icebreaker to establish a connection.

How it works:

• Sit on the floor or at a desk with a large sheet of paper and crayons, markers, pencils or paint sticks (I go with the client’s preference).
• The paper belongs to both of us: clients can draw anywhere, and I may mirror or complement their marks.
• Start at opposite ends and move closer as comfort allows.
• We draw in silence, allowing our marks to do the talking.
• Sessions typically last 10 minutes or longer.

Why it helps:
Joint artmaking provides a gentle entry point, especially for children or adults who are shy or hesitant to speak. Reflection afterward often reveals patterns of communication, comfort zones, or areas of growth.

Variation (a favourite with children): Play “tag” with a pencil or marker. Choose a starting point for both yourself and the client. One becomes the runner, moving their marker all over the paper, while the other is the tagger, attempting to catch them (often accompanied by squeals and laughter). Switch roles. The end result is a lively page of squiggles that can later be colored in.

3. Calm Space

Also called a “safe space” exercise, though I adapt the wording for clients who may struggle with the concept of safety.

Directive:

• Encourage them to draw this space, or create it within a box for added structure. The box can be decorated or furnished with art and craft materials to enhance the sense of comfort and safety for the client.
• Ask the client to place themselves within that space as part of the artwork.

Why it helps:
A calm space offers a mental anchor during overwhelming moments. I often use this as a resourcing tool in EMDR sessions, helping clients build inner strength.

4. Exploring Parts of the Self

Inspired by Internal Family Systems (IFS), this directive helps clients understand and externalize different emotional “parts.”

How it works:

• Provide foam or paper cutout figures.
• Ask clients to assign each cutout to an emotion or part of themselves (e.g., Angry Self, Confident Self).
• Base the exploration on past or recent experiences.
• Over multiple sessions, collect the parts and bring them together as a representation of the “core self.”

Extension:
Create a storybook (7–10 pages) using these parts as characters, combining text and illustrations. This helps both children and adults integrate their inner worlds in a creative, narrative format.

5. Timeline of Life

A reflective directive for exploring history and future goals.

How it works:

• Provide a long strip of paper or a folded accordion book.
• Invite clients to mark significant life events with images, colours, or symbols.
• Include both joyful and painful memories, leaving space for future goals or dreams.

Why it helps:
This exercise externalizes the client’s life story, helping them process meaning and identify patterns. It can also reveal strengths and challenges.

6. Inside Out

A directive that gives form to internal identity and hidden emotions.

How it works:

• Offer mask templates (cardstock, paper plates, or pre-made masks) and decorating materials such as paint, feathers, yarn, or collage.
• Ask clients to design the “outside” mask as how they present themselves to the world, and the “inside” mask to show what is hidden.

Why it helps:
This is a powerful directive that provides insight into identity, social roles, and inner conflict. It’s especially useful for adolescents, survivors of trauma, or clients navigating cultural identity.

7. Bridge Drawing

Based on the Bridge Drawing assessment (Hays & Lyons), adapted for therapy.

How it works:

• Ask clients to draw a bridge connecting “where I am now” to “where I want to be.”
• Encourage them to include what is under the bridge (supports, barriers) and what lies beyond it (goals, desired states).

Why it helps:
This directive illustrates transition, challenges, and resources. It’s particularly powerful during life changes, career decisions, or recovery journeys.

8. Strength Shield

A creative take on a personal coat of arms or shield.

How it works:

• Provide shield templates divided into sections.
• Ask clients to fill each section with images or symbols representing personal strengths, values, important relationships, or protective factors.

Why it helps:
Helps clients identify resilience, coping skills, and self-worth. It creates a tangible reminder of their inner resources for when they feel overwhelmed.

9. Do the Opposite

A powerful art therapy directive for perfectionism and cognitive flexibility.

Examples:

• Draw with your non-dominant hand.
• Copy a pattern while only looking at its reflection.
• Use an art material you would never normally choose.

Why it helps:
These exercises disrupt rigid patterns and highlight cognitive distortions. They also allow clients to tolerate imperfection and practice self-compassion—skills that lay the groundwork for deeper therapeutic exploration.

10. Worry Box

An accessible, hands-on strategy for managing anxiety in therapy sessions.

Directive:

• Invite clients to gently close their eyes (or keep them open if that feels more comfortable).
• Ask them to imagine a special box — it could be wooden, metal, cardboard, or completely invented — that belongs only to them.
• Encourage them to picture the details of the box with sensory richness: its size, colour, texture, how it feels to touch, whether it makes a sound when it opens or closes, and if it has a lock or clasp for safety.
• Draw the box or create it (cardboard boxes work fine).
• Write down worries, place them in the box, and “lock” them away until the next session.

Why it helps:
This practice externalizes worry, giving clients a sense of control and containment. It provides immediate relief and allows for revisiting concerns with greater perspective later.

Final Thoughts

These art therapy techniques are versatile, engaging, and adaptable across ages. Whether it’s joint artmaking to build trust, a calm space for self-regulation, or a worry box to manage stress, each directive invites clients into deeper connection with themselves.

I imagine many of you use similar techniques in your sessions—I’d love to hear your experiences or variations.