Art therapy for moms
Creative support for the inner journey of becoming and being a mom - rooted in psychology, grounded in lived experience
Creative expression helping women navigate one of life’s biggest transitions
Becoming a mother - or growing into one over the years - is one of the most profound identity shifts a person can go through. And it still rarely gets the space it deserves.
There's so much focus on the practical: the birth plan, the shopping list, the logistics of keeping small humans alive.
The inner experience - the grief, the wonder, the confusion - often gets pushed aside until it starts speaking louder in the language of pain and frustration.
That's where art therapy comes in.
It creates a structured, safe space to turn inward. Not to fix anything instantly, but to understand it and witness it. To process what's been accumulating. To reconnect with the parts of yourself that get quiet under the weight of caregiving.
What is art therapy?
And how it helps
Art therapy isn't an art class. You don't need talent, experience, or even a particular affinity for making things.
It's a way of using simple creative activities (such as drawing, clay, collage, writing) to access what's hard to reach through words alone.
When we're going through something complex - and motherhood is certainly a complex experience - our minds tend to go in circles.
We get exhausted by worrying, not knowing, trying to deal with the past and predict the future. We think and overthink, analyse and overanalyse, even talk about these things, but can’t seem to get relief or real answers that are true to us.
Art-making engages the body and the unconscious alongside the mind. It helps surface feelings that have been building up, reveal patterns that are hard to spot from the inside, and make sense of experiences in a new and empowering way. It works even - sometimes particularly - for people who would never describe themselves as creative.
The benefits of art therapy in pregnancy and beyond
In addition to personal experiences shared by moms and moms-to-be of how engaging in art-making helped them process this profound shift, there is a growing body of research on what art therapy can offer during this profound transition.
Here is what the evidence points to.
Group art-based activities help women:
express complex emotions
foster a sense of connection
strengthen personal resourcefulness
Crane T, Buultjens M, Fenner P. Art-based interventions during pregnancy to support women's wellbeing: An integrative review. Women Birth. 2021 Jul;34(4):325-334.
doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2020.08.009.
Social benefits
community and peer support
reduced feelings of isolation
time just for mothers
Emotional benefits
fun and enjoyment
relief from worries and anxieties
relaxation and calm
Psychological benefits
discovery of new skills for motherhood
increased self-esteem
easier bonding with the baby
Cluderay, ER., Barnes, C., Collard-Stokes, G. et al. Arts-based interventions for maternal well-being: a systematic review. Current Psychology 44, 4614–4633 (2025).
doi: 10.1007/s12144-025-07496-6
Some studies show:
reduced anxiety symptoms
reduced depression symptoms
with art-based interventions seeming interesting, safe and cost-effective for women in the perinatal period
Qian J, Sun S, Wang M, Sun X and Yu X (2023) Art-based interventions for women’s mental health in pregnancy and postpartum: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Frontiers in Psychiatry 14:1112951.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1112951
Hi, I’m Eva.
A psychologist, trained art therapy facilitator, and a mom of 2, based in Amsterdam. I support moms at all stages - from the transition into motherhood to the years of being deep in it.
I offer group workshops and individual sessions, both designed to be accessible to anyone regardless of creative background. My approach draws on art therapy, psychology, and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) - but in practice, it simply feels like a warm, guided space to pause, explore and find answers from within.
These sessions create something that's rare and precious for most moms: uninterrupted, nourishing time that's entirely their own.