Private Art Therapy Sessions

Private art therapy classes give our teachers the opportunity to get to know clients more deeply, and for each person to have their session tailored to their requirements.  If you are looking for a more affordable option we also offer group art therapy sessions.

I am not very creative, is it worth me trying art therapy?

Yes definitely!  Your self-assessed levels of creativity do not matter, as they have no bearing in the amount of benefit you will derive from joining an art therapy session.  We will not be trying to re-create the works of great masters, or put together something that would sell in a gallery.  The purpose of the ‘the work’ is let your hands do some of the talking, to let them be a conduit through which your feelings, emotions and dreams can flow.

If I meditate, do I need to separately practice mindfulness?

In our experience , if the former occurs with an open heart, the latter will quite naturally follow. Indeed not behaving mindfully when you are away from “the mat”, can be likened to cooking a tasty meal, but not eating it. You’ve spent all that time preparing, but you’re missing the main event… And to some of us, thats just what life is, the main event, and it will happen to you, regardless of whether you appreciate or hide from it…

I am new to this, how do I get started?

All new art therapy clients receive an induction session that considers their overall wellbeing from both a physical and psychological perspective.  We will also discuss your reasons for becoming interested in art therapy, what you are looking to get out of it, as well as your expectations.   You are free to engage as deeply as you wish with the practice, some clients just like to attend a weekly session, whilst others appreciate the extra materials we can offer.

Client development is regularly tracked and a portion of time is allocated to reflect on what is working and what is not.  These adjustments are made and the changes will be evaluated at a later date.

Where does art therapy come from?  What is its history?

Professional art therapy began in the mid-20th century, arising independently in English-speaking and European countries. The first art therapists who published accounts of their work acknowledged the influence of aesthetics, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, rehabilitation, early childhood education, and art education, to varying degrees, on their practices.

Adrian Hill, the British artist coined the term art therapy in 1942.  Hill, who was recovering from tuberculosis, discovered the therapeutic benefits of drawing and painting whilst recovering.  He wrote that the value of art therapy was derived from it “completely engrossing the mind (as well as the fingers)…releasing the creative energy of the frequently inhibited patient”, which enabled the patient to “build up a strong defence against his misfortunes”.  Hill suggested artistic work to his fellow patients. This began his art therapy work, which was documented in 1945 in his book, Art Versus Illness.

Edward Adamson (also an artist), joined Adrian Hill to extend Hill’s work to the British long stay mental hospitals.  Other early supporters of art therapy in Britain included Diana Raphael-Halliday and Rita Simon. The British Association of Art Therapists was founded in 1964.

U.S. art therapy pioneers Margaret Naumburg and Edith Kramer began practicing at around the same time as Hill. Naumburg, an educator, stated that free art expression “becomes a form of symbolic speech which…leads to an increase in verbalization in the course of therapy”. The American Art Therapy Association began its work in 1969.

Art therapy has been used to help people around the world deal with a variety of traumatic experiences, including disaster relief and crisis intervention. Art therapists have worked with children, adolescents and adults after natural and man made disasters, encouraging them to make art in response to their experiences.