How We Work

We provide personalised, therapeutic, arts based support by qualified practitioners. Arts therapy is not an art class and no artistic skills or art experience is required. The art materials and creative process are centred, a loose session structure is offered and curiosity is given free range. The end product of the arts exploration is not the focus.

The tactile and sensory experiences provide images, words, colours, symbols, feelings and sensations as intel. These embodied verbal and non-verbal cues scaffold awareness of patterns, relationships, struggles and resources.

Awareness builds capacity to navigate difficulties, increases ability to stay grounded and calm with the unknown and cultivates confidence and clarity as a response to stressors. Ultimately a therapeutic alliance of arts therapist, the expressive arts and the client provides shifts towards values aligned living, a re-sparking of joy and a sense of aliveness.

At our core we hold curiosity, courage & creativity.

Therapeutic framework

Our framework is trauma informed and includes: circle of capacity, the Expressive Therapies Continuum, intersectionality and feminist theory.

MIECAT* values shape our work: emergence, lived experiencing, multimodality and relationality. 

Therapeutic Toolbox

• painting & drawing, bi lateral drawing
• textiles: weaving, slow stitching,  , tie dyeing
• paper: collage, gelli print making
• nature: printing & dyeing with nature, cyanotypes, natural pigment and ink making
• working with clay
• movement: rhythm, large scale art making, walking in nature
• remembrance jewellery
• poetry & story.
• expressive art journaling is my specialty area
• sand therapy & symbols: sand tray is a therapeutic intervention using a tray of sand and mini figurines & objects. Individuals are invited to create, explore and manipulate scenes or sand worlds. It is an intervention effective for both adults and children.

*Melbourne Institute for Experiential and Creative Arts Therapy