Frequently Asked Questions
Why Art Therapy?
Therapeutic Arts Practice creates this sense of being alongside and provides occasions of shared experience and focus that often allow feelings and conversations to feel more accessible than in a ‘talk therapy’ dynamic.
How do I get started?
Getting started is simple. Contact me to make a time to talk on the phone or schedule a session.
Art Therapy, Creative Arts Practice, Therapeutic Arts Practice what’s the difference?
I use the term Therapeutic Arts Practice as it expresses the dynamic of working alongside, rather than the power implied by a ‘therapist/patient’ relationship. My role is to support your exploration, to draw your attention to moments that arise so that together, we can explore their meaning and significance to you and your experience of your life and relationships. This may involve identifying areas that you’d like to change, or it may simply involve gaining understanding and awareness of how and why you experience life and relate to others as you do.
Is it just counseling with doodling?
How do children benefit?
Arts-based expressions can sometimes communicate a feeling or experience better than words. During TAP, these expressions carry equal weight with spoken communication.
More importantly, sometimes during the process of creating an arts-based expression, new understandings become apparent and are allowed time to emerge without having to ‘find the right words’.
As they grow, children are learning to regulate their emotions, gain control over their actions, build independence and forge relationships beyond their family. Therapeutic Arts Practice can offer children lots of benefits along the way. This may be noticing feelings and what things within and outside their control have an impact on these. Children sometimes feel that their feelings might be hurtful or a burden to those closest to them, and benefit from having someone to share these with who is ‘just for them’. Where experiences have interrupted the progression of childhood development, engaging in Therapeutic Arts Practice can provide opportunities to revisit these stages and enact missed milestones.
Yes, if Art Therapy is an approved therapeutic option on your plan, sessions are covered.
Therapeutic Arts Practice is not about creating a ‘work of art’. It is about engaging in reflective practice while moving and making. You definitely don’t need to consider yourself as ‘artistic’ to be able to get a lot out of it.
Are sessions covered by NDIS funding?
What if I’m not ‘Arty’?
You will need to check with your provider whether Art Therapy is covered by your policy.
Can I claim on private health insurance?
How long are sessions?
Sessions are usually 50minutes.