The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) provides a theoretical model for art-based assessments and applications of media in art therapy. The three levels of the ETC (Kinesthetic/Sensory, Perceptual/Affective, and Cognitive/Symbolic) appear to reflect different functions and structures in the brain that process visual and affective information. Assessment of the formal elements in an artwork can help a therapist determine how a client is processing information via the different levels of the ETC. Treatment planning can identify stepwise transitions between the ETC levels as well as horizontal transformations within each level. The author posits that these same transitions reflect the different structures and functions of the cortex that are involved in processing visual and affective information. Understanding of the ETC, thus, can enhance art therapy interventions and further studies on art therapy and the brain. (Contains 1 table and 8 figures.)