What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is the use of art materials for self-expression and reflection in the presence of a trained art therapist. Clients who are referred to an art therapist need not have previous experience or skill in art, the art therapist is not primarily concerned with making an aesthetic or diagnostic assessment of the client's image. The overall aim of its practitioners is to enable a client to effect change and growth on a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe and facilitating environment
. …… British Association of Art Therapist
The Open Studio offers both group and individual art therapy sessions.
GROUP Art Therapy
People often imagine using art in therapy is only for children and that it is about interpretation of artwork. I am often asked to share my views about these artworks without having worked or seen the client. The answers to these questions are often diagnostic-based and sometimes misleading. If a group of people are asked to use colors to represent how they feel at that moment, not only will a rainbow of colors appear, myriad subject matters will also be used to represent how one feels. How then can one conclude that orange means happiness, red means anger or black means being depressed? Art Therapy is opened to many people, whether they are trying to come to terms with serious problems or wish to get to know themselves better or explore their feelings.
The OPEN Studio offers a safe and facilitating space for a group of women who wish to explore their own creative process and learn how art can enhance both their personal lives and professional work. With the support of the Art Therapist and the group, the space will provide the opportunity for women to:
- Find direction and create options
- Explore and clarify feelings
- Increase self awareness
- Express and share hope
- Increase trust and make connections with others
GROUP Art Therapy requires individuals to set aside 2 hours a week for the sole purpose of creating and connecting with others, and reclaim a part of themselves that has been so easily lost in daily life. Sessions run for 10 weeks, 2 hours each session, $40/week. Saturday afternoon groups available. Contact Jessica: arttherapy_mcc@yahoo.com
INDIVIDUAL Session
Who is it for?
Art Therapy has been successfully used with children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of needs:
- individuals going through challenging transitions in their lives
- loss of self control
- overwhelmed by anxiety, grief, or depression
- have difficulty communicating with words
- have difficulty talking about feelings
- stuck or feel hopeless
- stalled in their current talk therapy
- want to deepen their relationships with others
- want to recapture or grow their creative abilities
Work with the Intellectually Disabled:
Mental health needs are particularly acute with this client group, and particularly difficult for purely verbal approaches to work with. A non-verbal creative approach can be gentle but effective with a distressed or disturbed individual. Art Therapy can give voice to those for whom other means of communication may be limited.
How does it take place?
Art Therapy takes place within a confidential setting and uses a variety of art materials to help the client express themselves. A typical session lasts an hour. It begins with a brief conversation about what issues/thoughts you bring into the session. The Art Therapist invites you to engage in an art-making activity with the purpose to help you uncover solutions to your specific problems. Time is allocated for verbal discussion of your artwork and art experience to increase self-understanding and to integrate unconscious material revealed through art.
Confidentiality
The content of the therapy sessions remain confidential unless the therapist has serious concerns about a risk to the individual or to someone else. When information is shared with an external party, the client will always be informed. The therapist will endeavor to talk this through with the client first. Artwork made in the session is stored safely and is only shown to other people with the permission of the client.
Individual session is made available through appointment, at $85 per session.
Contact Jessica: arttherapy_mcc@yahoo.com
Jessica Koh, graduated from University of Sheffield, UK is a certified Art Psychotherapist. She currently works with children and adults with special needs specializing in emotional and behavioral issues. Prior to this, she spent a number of years in a Family Service Centre where her area of expertise brought her to work with children and family mental health issues, as well as school-based counseling for children and adolescents. She has conducted individual and group art therapy sessions to help her clients find alternative means in coping with emotional and communication difficulties. She also co-facilitates training workshops with Counselors, Social Workers and Occupational Therapists. Jessica is also the co-founder of Singapore Creative Arts Therapists Network.
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