Art Therapy
Hello! My name is Imojjen and I am an art therapist! I love making art and helping other people to tap into their own creativity to express themselves and explore aspects of who they are. I strongly believe that you do NOT have to be “good at art” to be creative - everybody is creative and has stories to tell. I believe that art is one of the best ways to express things that are hard to put into words or which mean a lot to us. This is why I am passionate about showing people what Art Therapy is and that it can benefit almost anyone.
What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy which uses art materials in order to help people express themselves. It involves a therapeutic relationship between the art therapist and the participant and can be used to address a wide range of mental health and emotional challenges. It uses creativity as a tool for growth and healing.
What do you do in Art Therapy?
In Art Therapy, you spend time with the art therapist, individually or in a group, making art that expresses something about you or your experience. Sometimes that will mean making an artwork, a series of artworks, or even just an experiment with the materials!
Creating a pretty masterpiece is NOT the point of Art Therapy! It is about giving you the space to express and process different aspects of your life. During or after your artmaking, the art therapist might assist you in reflecting on your work. You may have goals or themes that you are working on with the art therapist which might be relevant to your artmaking. Sometimes these reflections lead to strategies or goals for the future, and sometimes they may reveal something to you which you weren’t aware of before.
The Art Therapy room is a safe place where everything is discussed with confidentiality and non-judgement, just like any other therapy space. What you make in Art Therapy belongs to you and you can choose to keep it, dispose of it, or leave it to be cared for by the art therapist.
What are the benefits of Art Therapy?
Art Therapy has a wide range of mental, social, and even physical benefits. These include:
Providing a safe environment for self-expression and exploration
Facilitating emotional awareness and expression
Reducing stress
Developing social skills and awareness
Strengthening identity
Reducing stress
Boasting self-esteem
Activating the senses
Processing information or experiences
Complementing other forms of treatment for mental health conditions
Fostering relationships (in group therapy).
What does artmaking look like in Art Therapy?
During Art Therapy sessions, artmaking can take many forms! It may be what we ‘traditionally’ think of as ‘art’ - drawing, painting, sculpting - or it may be something a bit different, like cutting up pictures to create your own, using materials from nature, or constructing something out of Lego or cardboard.
The key aspect of Art Therapy is that the artmaking explores some part of who you are or what you experience - the materials you use to do that are just a tool! The art therapist will be able to guide you to use materials that best suit your needs if you don’t know what to do, as different materials are helpful to express different things for different people.
What does an individual Art Therapy session look like?
It might start with a check in with the art therapist. You may want to share something that you have experienced or felt since the last time you came to therapy, or the art therapist may use a quick check in tool to gauge how you are going.
Then you may spend a large part of the session creating an artwork or a series of artworks, or maybe just experimenting with art materials in a new way. The art therapist may provide you with a prompt for your artmaking that has to do with any goals you are working towards, or maybe you have something in mind that you want to explore.
During or after the artmaking, the art therapist will assist with reflecting on the process of your artmaking. They may notice aspects of your work that are interesting or unique and these things can be used to prompt reflection and discussion around certain concerns, events, or goals.
At the end of the session, you may want to take your work home or leave it to be cared for by the art therapist. This work can be returned to at any time.
What does a group Art Therapy session look like?
An Art Therapy group might start with a group check in. Sometimes an object or prompt may be used to make people feel more comfortable and to allow group members to learn about each other in a non-threatening way.
The art therapist may then introduce a theme or prompt for the artmaking or will simply encourage the group members to create some art from the materials available. The group members may then spend time creating in a way that responds to the art therapist’s invitation.
At the end of the artmaking time, the group may come back together to share and reflect. Members of the group who feel comfortable to share may talk about their work, what it means to them, and the process of making it. Other group members may respond to this and feel like sharing their own process and thoughts.
Group Art Therapy may be a one-off session or it may be a series of sessions. In the case of an ongoing group, members may form a group bond and support each other with a growing knowledge of each others’ lives and experiences.
What Art Therapy services are available at Bluebird Psychology?
Imojjen is currently available for individual Art Therapy appointments at our space in Castle Hill.
Bluebird currently runs the group Crafty Birds monthly on a Monday night. It is a group for adults with an emphasis on wellbeing through guided art-making. Art is used as a tool for personal reflection and growth. Click Here to read more about Crafty Birds!
In upcoming school holidays, Imojjen will be running the Wild Birds groups for kids and teenagers. These will be a series of groups which explore self expression, emotional awareness, and social skills. If you would be interested in attending one of those groups during the school holidays, please contact us or click here to complete an expression of interest form.
Imojjen is looking to keep expanding the Art Therapy services offered at Bluebird Psychology, including individual and group therapy availability. Please let us know if you have any areas of interest or services you would like to see!
How do I book in an Art Therapy session with Imojjen?
To book a session with Imojjen you can contact us on:
02 96595696
email@bluebirdpsychology.com.au
Or use our enquiry form: Click here