What is Art Therapy?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is a mental health therapy which combines the studies of the arts, psychology and psychotherapy/counselling. Art Therapy uses art materials and creativity to support people to explore, express, communicate and understand themselves and their emotions better and work through personal challenges.
What is a Registered Art Therapist?
Registered Art Therapists (AThR), with ANZACATA (the peak body for Creative Arts Therapists in Australia), are Masters trained mental health professionals who can provide therapy to those with trauma, mental health conditions, illness and disability.
How long are your sessions?
Sessions are 1 hour long.
Is it just art making? What does a session look like?
Each session is tailored to your individual needs to help you process and reach your mental health goals. Art Therapy combines art making, counselling and psychotherapy and each client will naturally need to process things differently. As a Masters trained Art Therapist I can help to be a guide to what to explore or express in therapy so you can feel at ease in our sessions or you can just freely talk about what is important to you in the moment and make art. I will be ultimately always be guided and responsive to you and your needs in each session.
Read more about Art Therapy in my blog posts.
Do I need to be an artist or know how to use art materials?
Absolutely not, some clients I have seen who said they hadn't touched art materials in decades and previously had no interest in making art and yet have received so much value from trying Art Therapy. Art Therapy is not about making works of art that will hang on walls, it is about using creative methods to express, communicate, self-discover, process, connect to your body and senses, and more. Someone's level of technical ability with using art materials is never a barrier to experiencing the benefits of Art Therapy.
Do I need to bring/buy anything?
No, at sessions in our studio all needed art and craft materials are supplied! I have paints, pencils, pastels, markers, paper, clay and lots of craft materials to be used. Clients are welcome to bring in personal items or materials that may support them in therapy.
Online clients can purchase a starter kit of basic drawing materials from me to be posted to your home.
Who is Art Therapy for?
I believe that Art Therapy can be for everybody of every age and every ability. No art skills are required to participate. Due to less reliance on verbal-communication, Art Therapy broadens accessibility of mental health therapy to the disability and neurodivergent community.
Do you take Medicare mental health plans?
Unfortunately Medicare mental health plans do not yet cover the valuable work of counsellors, psychotherapists and creative therapists such as myself. I can however offer a concession rate to those in need to help make my services affordable and accessible. Some find this concession fee to be similar to the out of pocket costs patients still have to pay after receiving the Medicare rebates after seeing a psychologist.