Creating collages that express positive and negative feelings. Drawing pictures that tell stories people find hard to put into words.

Art can be used by licensed counselors to assess client behavior, as well as encourage people to express unrecognized emotions. Graduate students studying art therapy at the Adler School of Professional Psychology learn about many types of art assessments to use when working with their clients. Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Debra Paskind leads the class in this integrative therapy at the Adler School.

Assessements can match the creation of a collage, for instance, to assess behavior and emotions. Sometimes the art heals or opens doors for discussions patients have been unable to verbalize, said Paskind.