About Us
What to expect in a typical session
All Art Therapy sessions are different, because all people are different, but there are some things that might be good to know before you get started.
To begin I will offer an initial phone call to gather information and assess whether Art Psychotherapy might be suitable for your child.
This phone call is followed by an initial meeting. This meeting is with the parents/guardians and the child present. In this meeting you can see the space, meet me and ask any questions you may have. I will let you know all about what to expect and tell you about the practical aspects of the sessions.
Art Psychotherapy sessions are a maximum of 60 minutes per week. Sometimes the session will be shorter when working with children as some children can find therapy to be intense and tiring and it depends on their capacity on that day. The session will be at the same time each week in the same place. Continuity is important for therapeutic engagement.
In the sessions the client is always the guide and I am there to support them on their journey through therapy. I offer person centred therapy which means that
I believe that each client has the ability to fulfil their potential when given the appropriate resources to thrive. All of my clients are the experts of their own experience and I work in such a way that this is valued in the sessions.
An Art Therapy session may be almost 60 minutes of art making or none at all. The content of the sessions is guided by the client, and they may wish to make art in different amounts throughout the sessions. You do not need to be ‘good’ at art to be in Art Therapy. Doodles, splashes of colour, collage or torn paper are great. Your artwork is never judged in Art Therapy. I provide a variety of art making tools, including clay. I am trained to be able to explore these materials with my clients if unsure of how to use them, if this makes them feel more comfortable. We usually have a check in at the beginning of the session and a check out and grounding at the end of the session each week.
I always suggest a trial period of three sessions for us to get to know each other and to see if we are suited to working together.
After these three trial sessions if we agree to proceed, I set goals with my clients for the sessions. This can be a useful focus to return to each week and remind ourselves of what the aims for the therapy were. Of course, these goals may change over the course of the therapy.
Typically, I see people between 3-6 months (12 -24 sessions) but it can be more, or it can be less. Sometimes something surfaces in the therapy which alerts me to the child or young person needing a longer therapeutic intervention than first thought or they may need a greater period of support. If this happens, I will contact you and discuss this as far in advance as possible and we could look at all possible options together.
Please visit www.baat.org for more information about Art Therapy.