Arts Therapy
"Arts therapy or art-making as a way of therapy and exploring self, encourages us to perceive in a different perspective. It focuses on asking "what has happened to you?" and "how did we get here?"
- Gabor Mate
Arts therapy is an experiential therapy that assists people to explore, identify and process their emotions, using art. It uses creative processes to help clients explore and express unconscious material that is often difficult to articulate in words.
"Contemporary neurobiological research into trauma suggests that trauma has a powerful physical component and thus the first step in addressing trauma should attend to embodied trauma responses. Because the creative arts therapies are based on body awareness they can effectively address trauma and emotional and physical dysregulation. Creative arts therapies can increase resilience by improving the sense of agency and self-understanding through the ability to express feelings symbolically. This can give new perspectives on oneself and on one’s world view, which is essential in the recovery process."
- ANZACATA
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Other therapists may use art in their practice, however, an Arts Therapist is specialised in the process of making art and how this impacts a person’s emotional wellbeing. Because Arts Therapy focusses on the process of arts-making, rather than the product, anyone can participate, regardless of their artistic experience.
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Creative Art Therapy is often used to support people who are challenged by distress, anxiety, depression, relationships, or life transitions. Creative Art Therapy is also known as Expressive Art Therapy. It refers to using many forms of creativity, such as visual arts, sound or music, movement, gesture or drama, sandplay, poetry and writing. In art therapy sessions, Janel utilises any and all forms of creative expression in sessions, depending on your individual interests and needs.
Janel Gibson is influenced by the MIECAT Framework, which values walking alongside others to help them discover what is most useful for them in their context. The MIECAT Framework was initially developed by Warren Lett.
MIECAT values Intersubjectivity, Emergence, the Lived Experience and Multimodality. You can read more about MIECAT by clicking here.
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For more information about what happens in Arts Therapy and how Arts Therapy works, see our FAQ page.
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Intersubjectivity
Intersubjectivity is a process of sharing experiences.
It is a co-creation of knowing and
arriving at approximations to meaning together. Intersubjectivity involves intuition and presence.
Emergence
Emergence relates to staying with whatever arises for someone. This can mean the therapist is willing to be flexible to adapt the session based on what feels resonant and meaningful for you at the time.
Lived Experience
This involves identifying individuals' life experiences as valued knowledge. This knowing can be found experientially, by inquiring into the "here and now" and noticing what's embodied or felt.
Valuing Lived Experience refers to the therapist taking a non-interpretative stance, as individuals are the experts in understanding their own experience.
Multi-modality
Multimodality refers to welcoming all forms of exploration and expression. Such as, drawing, painting, movement, writing, music, voice, texture, sand-play, drama, and poetry.
Discovery Call
Individual Arts Therapy
Group Arts Enquiry
Personalised Group Workshop