Is Art Therapy Working for Me?
Free SERAPTS self-expression screening. 9 questions, 3 minutes. Validated across music therapy, art therapy, drama therapy, and dance/movement therapy.
Before You Start
- This is a screening tool, not a diagnostic test
- All answers are processed in your browser only
- No data is stored or sent to any server
- Results can be copied to share with your clinician
What Is the SERAPTS Self-Expression Assessment?
The SERAPTS (Self-Expression and Relationship to Art in Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Settings) is a purpose-built assessment for creative arts therapy. It measures how comfortable you feel expressing yourself through creative means — whether art, music, movement, drama, or writing. Unlike traditional mental health measures that focus on symptoms, SERAPTS explores the relationship between self-expression and emotional wellbeing, recognising that creativity can be both a window into how you are feeling and a pathway to healing.
Signs You Might Benefit From This Screening
You might benefit from this screening if you find it difficult to put your feelings into words, if you feel disconnected from your emotions or creative side, if you are curious about whether creative arts therapy might help you, or if you are already in therapy and want to track changes in your capacity for self-expression over time. Creativity is a path to healing — many people who struggle with traditional talk therapy find that creative expression opens doors they did not know existed.
How the SERAPTS Works
The SERAPTS asks about your comfort and engagement with different forms of creative expression, your ability to use creativity to process emotions, and how self-expression relates to your sense of identity and wellbeing. Each item is rated on a scale, and your total score reflects your current relationship with creative self-expression. Lower scores suggest greater difficulty with self-expression, while higher scores indicate a stronger capacity to use creativity as a resource.
What Happens After the Screening?
Your SERAPTS score can help guide whether creative arts therapy might be a good fit for you, and which modalities (art, music, movement, drama, writing) might resonate most. Share your results with a creative arts therapist or your mental health provider. The SERAPTS is particularly valuable as a baseline measure — repeating it during or after therapy can demonstrate growth in self-expression capacity that might not be captured by standard symptom measures.