Art therapy is intended to use people's natural creative ability in order to express, or come to terms with, difficult or painful emotions and thereby to improve their wellbeing.

The people who practice art therapy are called art therapists.

Art therapy may be done in several different ways. Usually it involves giving people the materials to do drawings, paintings or sculptures to help express what they are feelings about themselves and their illness. The art therapist will then talk about these with them to try and release and explore the emotions and tensions behind the work they have produced. These discussions can often help to explore complicated or unpleasant ideas and, by doing this, easing tension and anxiety and helping people to cope with their problems more easily.

Another type of art therapy is to give people groups of pictures or objects to look at and talk about and say what they mean to them. In this way the therapist can again begin to find out about difficult emotions and talk them through.

Art therapy may be done in groups or on a one to one basis.

Art therapy has been used a lot in many situations like eating disorders, sexual abuse and addiction and has proved very helpful. It is increasingly being used to help people with cancer come to terms with their illness and the problems it causes in their lives.

At the moment art therapy isn't widely available in hospitals in the UK but it is something which is on offer at most hospices.

So art therapy isn't a treatment for cancer but can help people cope with the stresses and worries that result from their illness.