Arts therapy (also known as the expressive arts) is an invitation to use art materials to express oneself within a safe (supportive) setting with a therapeutic intent. It is the process of allowing curiosity to lead the art making process rather than focusing on the outcome (ie the art work itself). Arts therapy processes are gentle invitations to  to tune into ones self, to explore ones thoughts, feelings and experiences that may be difficult to verbalise and may be something as simple as squiggles drawn onto paper or a thumbprint pressed into clay. 

How we experience colour, texture, movement, sound, temperature and making process such as mess, change, size or repetitive mark making for example provides opportunity to tune in and attend to emotions, thoughts, internal scripts, needs, values and invite awareness of sensations and non-verbal responses. It’s embodied listening.

Arts processes aid self regulation and co-regulation and can be used to help identify and change the body’s experience of distress.

Using art materials in a therapeutic setting can provide opportunity to: 

• view the problem or issue from a new perspective
• integrate life experiences
• develop healthy coping skills
• set goals or tune ones focus or intentions
• explore relational patterns
• explore who you are, what you want, what matters to you and what is yours to do.

As expressing and understanding yourself through art making develops, the process has become the mentor. And what is the role of the arts therapist? Alongside-ness. Presence. Compassionate witness. Allyship. Gentle guide.

Anyone. Expressive arts therapy is particularly suited to those who:

• are struggling to articulate their experiences and feelings verbally
• those wanting to fully express an aspect of themselves that feels stuck or suppressed
• those who have found talk therapy to be ineffective / unhelpful
• don’t have the vocabulary to express themselves such as children, teens, people with disabilities, those carrying trauma
• are seeking to unleash their full creative potential

Expressive arts therapy may:

• Reduce stress
• Strengthen self awareness and self expression
• Develop interpersonal skills
• Increase communication skills
• Resolve conflicts
• Identify and clarify issues and concerns
• Work through issues in a safe, caring environment
• Increase feelings of self worth
• Explore values and beliefs
• Clarify and set goals
• Explore imagination and creativity

Read more here.

Yes and no. Yes, because expressive arts therapy is a form of psychotherapy and the arts therapist and client develop a therapeutic relationship through the arts process, with clear boundaries and shared intentions. No, because we don’t rely on talk therapy.

Expressive arts therapy does not require any artistic ability because it’s self expression, and creating an expression can never be wrong.  We centre the arts processes not the final product or outcome.

Expressive arts therapies do not rely on any artistic knowledge or skill. We invite imagination and creativity, qualities which all human beings possess, to explore and ponder our ways of being in the world and ultimately invite a more integrated sense of self through using art materials and the process of making. Creating expressions, reflections and journaling for example aids in accessing the unconscious and help move perspectives into the conscious.

No, expressive arts therapists do not interpret art work. The client and therapist work collaboratively, reflectively exploring the art, which empowers the client to discover their own meaning-making.

Absolutely. Art therapy has much evidence-based and practice-based research. 

• Art making may reduce anxiety and stress reactions as measured by cortisol (Walsh et al, 2007).
• Several studies demonstrate that art therapy enhances the psychosocial treatment of cancer, including decreased symptoms of distress, improved quality of life and perceptions of body image, reduction of pain perception, and general physical and psychological health (Monti et al, 2006; Nainis et al, 2002; Svensk et al, 2009).
• Studies indicate a reduction of depression and fatigue levels in cancer patients on chemotherapy (Bar-Sela,et al, 2007).
• Art therapy strengthens positive feelings, alleviates distress, and helps individuals to clarify existential questions for adult bone marrow transplant patients (Gabriel, Bromberg, Vandenbovenkamp, Kornblith, & Luzzato, 2001).
• Research with children with cancer indicates that engaging in drawing and painting is an effective method for dealing with pain and other disturbing symptoms of illness and treatment (Rollins, 2005).
• Research on art therapy with children with asthma indicates that it reduces anxiety, improves feelings of quality of life, and strengthens self concept (Beebe, Gelfand, & Bender, 2010).
• Evidence indicates that art therapy stimulate cognitive function in older adults who have dementia or related disorders (Levine-Madori, 2009) and may reduce depression in those with Parkinson’s disease (Elkis-Abuhoff et al, 2008). 

There is no right or wrong way to attend art therapy. Everyone has unique needs. Some people attend individual art therapy sessions only, some attend individual sessions plus group sessions, while others participate in group sessions only. The answer to the question, ‘Which is better: group or individual therapy?’ is actually ‘Neither.’ Both have advantages and disadvantages for different individuals and for specific issues. Please contact me if you are unsure what will suit you so we can work out the best therapy care plan for your individual needs.

Please note that group sessions are not usually recommended for acute crisis.

Kaleidoscope therapeutic focus group sessions are designed to target a specific issue, such as depression, anxiety, or grieving and loss. Other group sessions are for increasing overall wellbeing by rewilding, improving self awareness, communication skills, exploration and articulation of feelings, increasing social skills, and unleashing creativity or building confidence.

Some Workshop and Focus Group information is available here.

Individual sessions are 60-75 minutes in length.

Group sessions run for 90 -120 minutes.

Workshops may run from 2-4 hours.

First Time Clients to Kaleidoscope Expressive Arts: Please pre-fill in the confidential client form before you arrive or arrive 10 minutes early to fill it in before your expressive arts therapy session.

We are client centred, so how you do therapy is entirely up to you. There is no right or wrong way to do therapy. Our first sessions begin developing our therapeutic relationship, getting to know each other, understanding expressive arts therapy, navigating the space we inhabit together, exploring art materials and seeking a focus or intention. Many clients book fortnightly sessions to invite  rhythm and flow. Collaboratively we map the best care plan for your individual needs and goals.

You can make a booking for expressive arts therapy without any referral.

You can book direct with me through the contact me page or my mobile 0402 577 556

Your artwork is your creation and belongs to you. There are many options around what happens to the art expressions such as:

• taking it with you to: keep, give away, dispose of or continue working on it
• leaving it with your therapist to never see it again
• leave it with your therapist for later sessions for reflection or continue its creation in another session
• changing it or disposing of it in some way during a session such as by shredding, burning, burying, or pulping it

Your arts therapist will not show your artwork to anyone without your permission. The code of ethics followed by expressive arts therapists is to safeguard a client’s artworks the same way as all other client information and as such it is kept confidential and subject to mandatory reporting.

My practice as an expressive arts therapist is built on a strong foundation in the wellness sector, 22 years of teaching art and creativity, as well as formal qualifications:

• Masters in Therapeutic Arts Practice (MIECAT)
• Registration with the peak professional arts therapists body ANZACATA
• Advanced Diploma – Transpersonal Art Therapy (IKON)
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
• Advanced Diploma in Health Science – Naturopathy
• Advanced Diploma in Health Science – Herbal Medicine
• 2 of 4 years Bachelor of Social Work
• Blue Card Holder

My clinical experience is primarily children, adolescents and women in both group work and individual sessions. All are welcome at Kaleidoscope Expressive Arts, I am an 🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ ally.

More about me here.

The word "kaleidoscope" originates from Ancient Greek, combining "kalos" (beautiful), "eidos" (form/shape), and "-scope" (an instrument for seeing). Therefore loosely translating as “seeking the beautiful.”

Looking through the eyepiece of a kaleidoscope ,colourful patterns appear and change as if by magic. Loose pieces of coloured transparent shapes (usually pieces of glass or beads) are held between two glass discs with multiple mirrors that when the tube is rotated, causes ever changing, infinite mosaics as the coloured glass or beads spin and fall randomly.

The kaleidoscope for me resonates deeply with the complexities and beauty of life. I see reflected within it my layered sense of self as well as how I am in the world:

Messy, unpredictable yet yearning for control, order and peace.

Free flowing, ever changing & swirling in patterns. Also me: rigid & stuck.

I often find myself holding both joy and sorrow.

A rebel. Nothing is going to hold me back.

A feminist with a pathological aversion to conformity.

Embracer of light & the shadows.