Cerulean Space Art Therapy

How art therapy can benefit teens? Earlier this month, Cerulean Space Art Therapy had the pleasure of facilitating art therapy sessions at the Buckley Park College (BPC) Year 10 Health Day. The BPC Wellbeing Team organised four different programs for the students, offering them a diverse range of experiential and psychoeducation resources and strategies. The art therapy participants expressed their appreciation of the creative process in helping them to relax, destress, experience calm and mindfulness in the present moment, and generate self-awareness and insights. One student shared "art can help!" Adolescence is a critical period in life, filled with changes, uncertainties, and opportunities. Year 10 can be a particularly stressful year, as students are required to start thinking about some big decisions such as university courses and career pathways. Globally, mental health of adolescents is becoming an increasing concern. The World Health Organisation estimated "one in seven 10-19 year-olds experience a mental disorder". This can in turn lead to longer term impact on one's mental health into adulthood. As an Art Therapist and mental health professional, I was delighted to see the level of wellbeing support BPC has established for their students. Offering them safe spaces to be authentic, vulnerable, and reflective; while adopting a person-centred and strengths-based approach which offered students the choice and freedom on how they want to engage with the content and experience. Thank you BPC for including me in this inspiring day. And a big thanks to all the students who leaned into the creative and reflective space, allowing art to lead the way! #arttherapy #teens #wellbeing #mentalhealth

It’s always so inspiring to collaborate with organisations that demonstrate genuine care and strong commitment to employee wellbeing. Last week I facilitated an art therapy session at Versent in their beautiful Melbourne office. The participants laughed, shared, created, and most importantly, gave themselves the permission to pause and recharge. If you are curious about what corporate art therapy is and how it can support your team’s mental wellbeing, contact Cerulean Space Art Therapy for more information. #arttherapy #corporatearttherapy #wellbeing (Photos shared with permission) 

What are the similarities and differences between talk therapy and art therapy? And is one better than the other? On a personal level, as someone who have went through my own healing journey using art, I have also benefited significantly from talk therapy over the years. On a professional level, I have worked within interdisciplinary clinical settings and witnessed clients benefiting from the complementary nature of both talk therapy and art therapy. Ultimately, putting the client's therapeutic needs first; providing them with authenticity and unconditional positive regard; and ensuring safety are fundamental across any therapeutic approaches. #wellbeing #mentalhealth #arttherapy #traumainformed

Art therapy is not glorified art and craft making. It is a person-centre mental health profession integrating art making, creative processes, psychological theories and counselling to improve the wellbeing of individuals and communities. Art therapy draws from theoretical foundations across numerous disciplines. For example, psychology, neuroscience, attachment theory, child developmental theories, art material properties, couselling and more. Art therapy practices are supported by evidenced-based research. In Australia, an art therapist must have a master-level degree in art therapy (or equivalent creative therapy degrees), which includes 750 hours of clinical placement. The art therapy profession is governed by professional bodies such as ANZACATA, ACA and PACFA. #wellbeing #arttherapy #mentalhealth

The goal of art therapy is not to make beautiful artwork! This is why I always tell my participants “you can’t be bad at art therapy!” The process of engaging with the materials; the process of creating, and sometimes destroying and transforming art objects; and the process of following your intuition (while parking you “cognitive brain”) can all lead to profound insights. Of course sometimes the final product can also be symbolically significant and meaningful. However, unlike our result-oriented society, art therapy is not just about the outcome.

Art therapy is not limited to painting and drawing, and you definitely don’t need to be good at art! Art materials and their properties play a significant role in the therapeutic process. In addition to conventional art media such as watercolour, acrylic, pastels or pencils, art therapy can also involve clay, natural materials such as leaves a branches (one of my favourite), found objects, recycled materials, textile, craft supplies, photography, and more. Follow Cerulean Space Art Therapy for more art therapy infographics. #arttherapy #wellbeing #mentalwellbeing

Demystifying art therapy (Part 3 of 6): Art therapy offers a non-verbal way to express your inner feelings, thoughts or conflicts. #arttherapy #mentalwellbeing

Demystifying art therapy (Part 2 of 6): Art therapy sessions are not art classes. An art therapist does not teach artistic skills or techniques. Instead, art therapists focus on enabling, supporting and empowering individuals to express themselves through creativity. There is no expectation or judgment, just the authentic presence and unconditional positive regard of the therapist. Follow Cerulean Space Art Therapy for more art therapy infographics! #arttherapy #mentalhealth #wellbeing

When I tell people that I am an Art Therapist, one of the most common responses I get is “so do you interpret people’s drawings?” The answer is no. An art therapist’s role is to foster a safe space for the client to create, reflect and generate insights that may emerge from the artwork, the process, and/or the dialogue with the therapist. In light of the many common myths about art therapy, I have created a this “Demistiying art therapy” series, hoping to share with the world what art therapy is all about.

Ever wondered how art therapy works? Here are some core therapeutic factors of art therapy: - Immersing in sensory and kinaesthetic interactions with art materials. - Art making facilitating meaning-making and yielding insights. - Externalising inner thoughts and feelings that are difficult to verbalise. - Being witnessed, co-regulated and supported by an attuned art therapist. - Finding flow and mindfulness in the present moment through creativity. - Engaging in creative risk taking through experimenting with different art media and art making activities. Follow us for more information about art therapy! All rights reserved. Copyright Cerulean Space Pty Ltd 2024. #mentalwellbeing #arttherapy