Art Therapy
Art is your primary language
When words are simply not enough………
“The arts have been used by humans for thousands of years as a way to communicate not only experiences of beauty, but also those of struggle, crisis and trauma. In this sense, art is an evolutionary behaviour that has been used in times of trouble and is available to everyone as a way to convey what may not be possible with words alone.”
- Cathy Malchiodi
Tell me more ….
People benefit in seeking support from various types of helping professions at different times in their lives. Many of us are used to being the experts of our own problems and generally access this knowledge through cognitive brain and talk about the ‘problem’. Surprisingly, only 7% of communication in humans is expressed verbally…. so there are enormous benefits in adding an extra expressive modality such as art making to the therapy journey.
Diving Deeper
Art making in therapy can provide a conduit to our thoughts, beliefs and feelings that are buried very deeply and help us to access and work with those in new ways. Through the making of imagery it is possible to externalize experience, which then allows us to try and understand that, walk around it and re-imagine our stories so that envisage change or new endings.
The Imaginal Realm
As humans our brain sees in images, that’s how we create our internal world. When I ask you to think of “water”, you are unlikely to see a word, instead you will see an image of waves, or a drip, or a waterfall etc. We can also use symbol and images to illustrate ambiguous concepts, such as pain. We can use words to describe a pain, yet there are many times when words are just not available or accurate or not enough. When we ask someone to draw or paint that pain, this can lead to the stories around the pain, the depths and extent if that the residual fallout affecting the rest of the body and we can locate that pain, zoom in on it, try and make friends with it, communicate with it, possibly understand and eventually heal it. Recent trauma research indicates that this kind of pain is stored in non-verbal parts of our brain, so making art can be key in offering a pathway to identify, explore, and reduce the symptoms associated with unresolved pain.
Witness Perspective
When you create with an art therapist and share an investigation of the art making together, you are taking what is called a "witness perspective". This allows you to observe challenges without being embroiled in the emotion of the experience. This allows a new understanding of feelings, patterns and beliefs that are impacting actions and choices.
The goal in art therapy is to try and understand someone’s lived experiences in as many dimensions as possible. The three-way relationship between the therapist, the client and the art provides the context for this to happen. My sessions allow time and space for people to focus on the process of creating art and then with guidance we explore the meaning contained within the images. The focus is always on the meaning and story of the image rather than on the technical expertise.
What Does This Look Like?
I currently work with adults, teens and children on a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, eating disorders and body dysmorphia and grief and loss among others. These private art therapy sessions are conducted one to one and are fully dedicated to you. You are given the time and space to create art and then have the time to pause and reflect on it with my guidance and input. My work is informed by my training in Art Therapy, Mindfulness, and Focusing Oriented Practice. My approach is client centred which means being deeply respectful of your thoughts, feelings, and experience. We participate in a collaborative process that nurtures and values your own felt experiences. My goal is to provide a safe atmosphere and container for that journey as you take steps towards self-integration and healing. I believe that this approach will facilitate deeper insights as you grow to trust in the process, discovering that art can be a profound way of healing and reconnecting with the self.
Book an Appointment
We begin our journey with a free 30 minute zoom or face to face conversation to make sure that Art Therapy is the right modality for you and that you and I feel like the right fit. We then plan a schedule of sessions that is appropriate. I often suggest a series of 6 x Art Therapy sessions, before we review how therapy is going.
Adult sessions are 75 minutes and the charge is $1,200 per session.
Child Sessions are 60 minutes and the charge is $1,100 per session.
Please contact me Katie Flowers for a chat and an initial free consultation.