Painting is a kind of ancient human expression art, painting art psychotherapy as a new, simple operation, wider audience of psychological therapy technology in the treatment of emotions, trauma experience, social disorders, mental and cognitive, cancer AIDS and other clinical processes have achieved unique efficacy. The negative emotional experience of college students has been widely studied and applied in mental health education in China. This paper makes a comprehensive overview of the beginning, development, theoretical basis, mechanism and application of painting art psychotherapy, and puts forward the corresponding research deficiencies and prospects, aiming at providing more research references.