What is creative therapy exactly? It may be a term you’ve heard in passing, but learning the deep meaning behind it, will help you to realise its benefits. The practice of this therapy is not just limited to one thing.
Creative therapy can consist of painting, drawing and creating things and is an encouraged practice for people facing drug or alcohol addiction. Currently, art therapy is recognized as a profession in several countries and is integrated into the health, educational, social and community systems.
These creative activities are a positive experience and this is an excellent way to identify, convey and manage your emotions in an original way.
Regular creative therapy helps reprogramme the subconscious mind and helps regulate your behaviour and intrusive thoughts. Creative therapy is often run alongside other medical psychotherapies at rehab and has multiple proven benefits.
Emotions can sometimes be difficult to express through words, and therefore using creative outlets and processes can help you express your feelings. Your emotions are able to be expressed through artistic means and this is widely used in rehab therapies today.
Some major benefits are:
Things that are buried within your deep emotional subconscious must come to the surface during rehabilitation. Drug and alcohol rehab focuses primarily on healing the mental health of the addict. A lot of times addiction is caused by a pre-existing or new mental health issue.
This may include depression, anxiety, PTSD, childhood trauma and more. When creative therapy is applied in conjunction with other treatments, it often complements it nicely. This means that it can enhance your treatment, and give you a new outlet alongside your sessions.
At Nova Recovery, we will work with you collaboratively to address every issue that may have led you to addiction. Certain psychotherapies, such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), and counselling sessions will be greatly complemented with alternative types of treatment.
Creative therapy is an outlet in which you can explore your emotions, thoughts, fears and more through art, and this can evolve towards more complex forms, such as craftwork.
Therapies are the number one proven method to treat alcohol and drug addiction. Getting to the core of issues allows you to learn about them, understand the issue and adapt as needed. Being dynamic and evaluative in each situation you face, will allow you to make the best decision every time. Certain therapies that you may encounter in rehab are:
CBT is a structured form of treatment, where you and a psychologist will agree on your objectives and the practicality of treatment for you. Once this has been established with our friendly team, you will learn techniques that will allow you to solve psychological issues.
CBT focuses on current problems and the factors that keep them in the present moment. You will learn to make the best possible decisions at the moment, analyse the outcomes and become adaptive. You will learn new strategies and these can be practised outside your rehab in real-life situations, which you can talk to your therapists about after you leave drug rehab.
We will continue to assess your mental health following your stay with us. CBT will give you the tools to implement these techniques in a therapeutic way and learn to change your way of thinking, feeling and behaving.
There is numerous scientific support supporting its efficacy and in cases of addiction, you will be armed with numerous ways to behave and critically think every time you have the decision to make regarding your addiction. CBT will aid you in your long term sobriety and prevent relapses.
The focus of counselling is assisting your self-awareness and healing traumas associated with your addiction. It will serve as an individual coping mechanism, offering you support and flexibility during your healing. Talking openly about a problem is an important step in addiction recovery. Hiding emotions and hidden traumas can play a role in delaying your recovery.
That is why counselling in group or individual sessions is ideal to provide you also with planning, decision-making, coping support tips and finding new resources away from rehab.
At Nova Recovery, you may have some sessions with our therapist, who is also a 12-step coordinator. Our team members can accommodate family therapy afterwards and assist you in speaking with your family and sharing your journey with them. We want you to feel like you are part of a community. Community is what builds support.
When you have finished rehab and returned home, your living environment will feel different to you. You’ll now have the strength you need to adapt and counselling will guide you through these difficult times. Call 01475 303998 to learn more about our treatments and therapies.
At Nova Recovery, we offer multiple therapies, including creative therapy, yoga, physical therapies, nutrition sessions and meditation.
Alongside these, we offer world-renowned psychotherapies and counselling led by professional care workers, including mental health nurses, psychiatrists and educational therapists that work with you to create the foundations of a healthy and happy lifestyle.
We want you to regain your independence and confidence, and committing to a rehab programme will offer you plenty of advantages. If you would like to get in touch to visit us, or simply chat over the phone, we are happy to advise.
We are available 24/7, so please do not hesitate to give us a call at 01475 303998. It’s time to take back control and we want to help you achieve it today.
John Gillen
- Author
- Last updated: August 1, 2025
John has travelled extensively around the world, culminating in 19 years’ experience looking at different models. He is the European pioneer of NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) treatment to Europe in 2010; and recently back from the USA bringing state of the art Virtual Reality Relapse Prevention and stress reduction therapy. His passion extends to other metabolic disturbances and neurodegenerative diseases. The journey continues. In recent times, John has travelled to Russia to study and research into a new therapy photobiomudulation or systemic laser therapy working with NAD+ scientists and the very best of the medical professionals in the UK and the USA, together with Nadcell, Bionad Hospitals own select Doctors, nurses, dieticians and therapists. Johns’ passion continues to endeavour to bring to the UK and Europe new developments with NAD+ Therapy in preventive and restorative medicine and Wellness. In 2017 John Gillen was made a visiting Professor at the John Naisbitt university in Belgrade Serbia.
Alcoholism often carries a stigma, but one of its most insidious forms is high functioning alcoholism. Many people with this condition manage to maintain careers, relationships, and a semblance of normalcy, all whilst struggling with their dependence on alcohol. If you suspect that someone you know and care about is…
Read Blog
In recent years, ketamine, an anaesthetic and pain relief medication, has gained attention as a potential breakthrough for treatment-resistant depression. Depression is a complex and often debilitating condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Traditional treatments like antidepressants and therapy help many people, but we also have cases known as treatment-resistant…
Read Blog
Scotland is about to open the UK’s first-ever drug consumption room. It’s a controversial move aimed at addressing the ongoing drug crisis, but it has divided opinions across the UK. This is a significant shift in how we approach drug use, as it focuses on harm reduction rather than punishment.…
Read Blog
Call Now