WHAT IS ARTS THERAPY?

Art therapy is an established form of psychological therapy delivered by a trained Art Therapist, using creative modalities to improve and inform emotional, cognitive, physical and spiritual well-being.

Creative modalities can include drawing, painting, sculpture, drama, dance, movement, music, voice, sound, narrative and story-telling, creative writing and poetry, clay work, and sandplay therapies.

Approach

Folk n Fable uses the MIECAT form of Inquiry. The core approach is to explore our lived experiences and create actions for change. MIECAT’s co-founder Dr Warren Lett (2011), puts it this way, “our purpose is to explore the ‘what’, the ‘how, and the ‘where’ of meaningfulness in human experiencing; to make sense of our life as it is lived”.

Through integrative methods, art therapy engages the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone. Kinesthetic, sensory, perceptual, and symbolic opportunities invite alternative modes of receptive and expressive communication, which can circumvent the limitations of language. Visual and symbolic expression gives voice to experience and empowers individual, communal, and societal transformation. 

Process

This process invites the inquiry of a significant moment with a registered Arts Therapist (me) as a companion. The companion considers the inquirer (you) to be the specialist of your own life and therefore does not attempt to solve problems or impose a theory but practices to better understand your experience by listening, questioning, responding, encouraging and sharing. The companion facilitates an arts-based process using various procedures that enable the inquirer to re-experience a meaningful moment. Together, we find out what matters, what it means and make choices around other possible ways of being in the world.

Registration

Art Therapists are clinicians with master’s-level or higher degrees trained in art and therapy that serve diverse communities in different settings.

A Registered Arts Therapist (AThR) is an Arts Therapist who is registered with the Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA). To be eligible to register with ANZACATA, an Arts Therapist needs to complete a certified university course in Art Therapy and maintain their skills through ongoing professional development as approved by ANZACATA. Registered Arts Therapists are trained in creative, psychological, and psychotherapeutic methods to help individuals better express themselves and improve their well-being.