Draw an Anchor: What This Art Therapy Assessment Reveals
Exploring What Grounds Us—Or Holds Us Back
🎨 Why I Ask Clients to “Draw an Anchor”
As an art therapist, I’m always looking for ways to help clients uncover emotions that can be hard to put into words. One of my favorite original assessments is one I call “Draw an Anchor.”
Anchors are powerful symbols. They can represent strength, stability, and security—or, just as often, heaviness, feeling stuck, or being held back. This is why I love exploring this metaphor through art.
⚓ What Does the Anchor Symbolize in Therapy?
When I ask clients—especially children, teens, or young adults—to draw an anchor, I’m not just looking at how well they can sketch. I’m watching for clues in the story behind the anchor:
- What is the anchor attached to? A boat, the ocean floor, a person?
- Is it keeping them grounded—as in family, routines, or support systems?
- Or is it dragging, stuck, or disconnected?
- Is it holding them in place, or keeping them safe?
- What condition is the anchor in—new, old, broken, tangled?
These subtle choices often reflect a client’s current emotional state, their relationships, and what they see as either supportive or limiting in their life.
🧠 What This Reveals in Therapy Sessions
This directive helps me explore:
- Sources of support vs. sources of stress
- Feelings of stability or uncertainty
- Relationship dynamics (especially with family or caregivers)
- Identity issues—what grounds them or what makes them feel trapped
- Whether the client sees themselves as navigating their life—or stuck in place
Often, clients don’t even realize what their drawing is telling them—until we talk it through. This is the magic of art therapy: insight through imagery.
💬 Examples from Real Sessions
In one session, a child drew an anchor attached to their family, resting firmly on the ocean floor. This was a sign of feeling safe and supported.
In another, a teen drew a rusty anchor tangled in weeds, attached to nothing. This told a very different story—one of feeling lost, unmoored, and alone.
The beauty of this directive is that it opens the door to meaningful conversation and deep emotional processing, regardless of age or artistic ability.
🌊 Anchors as Both Positive and Negative
Anchors don’t always symbolize the same thing. That’s what makes this assessment so useful. In some drawings, the anchor is:
- A symbol of strength and connection
- A tool for safety and grounding
- A burden pulling the person down
- A metaphor for being stuck in the past
By looking closely at how the client draws and talks about their anchor, we can identify both helpful supports and unresolved obstacles in their lives.
📍 Using Art Therapy in Westchester, NY
At my practice, I specialize in using art therapy to support children, teens, and young adults in uncovering and working through the emotions beneath the surface. Whether it’s through drawing, puppetry, or sand play, every directive is designed to promote insight, expression, and healing.
💻 Learn more or book a consultation at: bethpatanearttherapist.com
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