When Can Art Therapy Help Teens?

Modern teenagers live in an environment of constant stress, pressure, and uncertainty. For many of them, anxiety, tension, and emotional exhaustion have become familiar — yet still incredibly hard to talk about.

It’s not because they don’t want to share, but because emotional expression skills are only forming during adolescence. Many teens don’t feel safe enough to open up and doubt they will be heard or supported. If these struggles are not processed, they can carry over into adulthood.

Today’s teenagers are also the children who grew up in isolation during the pandemic and then found themselves in the reality of war. Add chronic uncertainty, constant news about danger, and the pressure of social media to their usual daily stresses, and it becomes clear how complex their emotional reality is.

And what do you think teens do most often when they are stressed? Exactly—they turn to social media. For many, it has become not just entertainment, but a way to avoid difficult emotions. According to a 2024 UNICEF study in Ukraine, 40.3% of teenagers use social media specifically "to release negative feelings."

As a result, teens are trapped: to avoid stress, they choose what intensifies it. That’s why art therapy becomes so valuable for young people who experience strong emotions but can’t always find the words to express them.

Art therapy is not about being able to draw — it’s about giving shape to what’s happening inside. When a child or teen creates a drawing, you can almost always see their inner state reflected in it.

5 Ways Art Therapy Helps Teens

1. When it's hard to express emotions in words

Sometimes teens can’t explain what’s happening to them — they may shut down, lash out, or withdraw. Art therapy gives them a way to “speak” through colors, lines, and images. Creative expression activates parts of the brain responsible for emotional regulation and helps reduce anxiety.

2. When stress or tension builds up

School, social media, and adult expectations create enormous pressure. Drawing, sculpting, or even spontaneous movement helps teenagers decompress and disconnect from stress.

3. When experiencing loss or trauma

Teens who’ve faced violence, the death of a parent, or separation often avoid talking about it. Creativity becomes a safe way to express pain and begin the healing process.

4. When self-esteem drops

Adolescents frequently doubt their worth. The creative process helps them feel: “I can do this. I’m capable. I’m creating something of my own.” This rebuilds confidence and belief in their abilities.

5. When they need to learn self-understanding

Art therapy helps teens see their emotions “from the outside.” Through drawings and colors, they can begin to understand what they feel. This is especially important at an age when identity and future orientation are being formed.

How "Chance to Change" Works with Teens Through Art Therapy

In our art-therapy sessions, building genuine connection is essential. We create a safe, relaxed space where teenagers can be themselves — without judgment or pressure. During creative exercises, we slowly introduce teens to our program, explain how we can support them, and at the same time establish trust. It’s easier for teens to open up when the interaction happens not “face to face,” but side by side — through drawings, symbols, and colors.

For children, this is an opportunity for self-expression without rules: some draw with brushes, some with fingers or hands. In creativity, there is no "you can't," and this feeling of freedom helps teenagers relax, relieve tension, and show what is usually hidden. Working with colors is not about aesthetics. It is an important diagnostic part: what the child is drawn to, how they build space, what images they create—often reveals what is not said in words. And it is also an opportunity to be in the moment, to feel the texture, movement, and breath. For many children, these minutes become the first experience of genuine presence "here and now." — Rita, psychologist at "Chance to Change"

For teens who have experienced loss, instability, or long periods of uncertainty, creativity becomes more than just a hobby—it's a way to regain control over themselves. Many of them come to the program feeling tense, distrustful, and closed off. This is normal: their experiences have taught them not to open up immediately.

Art therapy creates a bridge between "I don’t know what to say" and "I can show you what I feel."

Simple Art Therapy Exercises at Home

These exercises don't require special materials or artistic skills. They help teens reduce tension, understand their feelings, and simply switch gears after a difficult day or situation.

Art therapy is not about paint. It’s about a child being given time, space, and unconditional attention.

It's about the opportunity to finally breathe out, be themselves, feel one's emotions, and understand: "I am okay. I am heard. I matter." 

At "Chance to Change," we believe that sometimes one safe creative moment is enough for a spark of inner light to appear — and it’s from these small moments that big change begins.