Arts Psychotherapy with Raphael

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Arts Psychotherapy with Raphael Arts Psychotherapy sessions with a highly trained therapist. I work with NDIS clients and independent clients. What is Arts Psychotherapy? Who am I?

I do not have a fixed practice space - I travel to clients and work in homes and community centres. Arts Psychotherapy is psychotherapy through art instead of talking. What that means is that my clients create things about their issues rather than talking about them. There are many issues that are very difficult to talk about, or confusing, or seem impossible - this is where creativity is particularly useful. We can express so much more through colour, line, shape, size, proportion, symbol, metaphor, movement, dance, poetry, song, and storywriting than through talking. I don’t analyse or judge what’s created, and what a piece looks like isn’t the point. It’s about the process and there’s no wrong way to do it. Also, Art Psychotherapy isn’t the same thing as colouring books. While art is therapeutic in itself, it is not psychotherapy. The way a session goes is, we’ll chat about what’s going on for you and I’ll be listening closely so I can choose a creative process that brings out the full experience of this issue. Then we’ll explore what has been created. If it’s a drawing or painting, we might look at in different ways and I’ll ask questions about it. If it’s a movement or pose, I might ask you about how it feels in your body - and I’ll do it too and reflect what I notice. If it’s a poem or song, I will have reflected key words to you to inform the creative process. As sessions progress, different creative processes will allow you to explore your issues in deep and different ways, and the insights gained from this exploration lead to further creative processes that consolidate this into resolutions, choices, and change. From an early age I was always drawing. After studying psychology and learning about art therapy I realised that I had been using art as an emotional outlet my whole life, and pursued a career in Arts Psychotherapy. I am deeply interested in people, our behaviours, and in interactions – as individuals, as families, as communities, and as societies. I like to find out what makes us ‘tick’. Some of my interests which I like to read about include society, culture, the neuroscience of creativity, the brain and brain development, the philosophy of consciousness and science, and existential philosophy. Curiosity and compassion drive my art therapy practice. I am always learning more about the vastness of human experience, symbols, and consciousness, and integrating this into my approach as a therapist. I am highly trained, qualified, and registered as an Arts Psychotherapist. I have a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (psychology) and a Bachelor of Arts (sociology), and a Graduate Diploma of Arts Psychotherapy. While training I did three supervised placements working with individuals and groups, and have worked over the last several years with clients of all ages and abilities. I am a member of ANZACATA, the peak professional body representing creative arts therapists in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia/Pacific region, and I have ongoing clinical supervision as a part of this membership. I have mental health first aid training and current DCSI and police clearances, and Reporting Abuse and Neglect training.

The government has made a decision which will affect all NDIS clients receiving art therapy or music therapy.To say that...
26/11/2024

The government has made a decision which will affect all NDIS clients receiving art therapy or music therapy.

To say that clients will still have access is a untrue. All qualified art therapists will be wiped out by this. Being paid $67/hr for client-facing time while having to pay for NDIS registration, professional association membership, professional indemnity insurance, materials for sessions, ongoing professional development, venue hire/rent, etc - it is not possible to maintain a business. When this plan goes into effect, NDIS clients will not have access to art therapy because there will be no art therapy businesses left.

My clients often give me feedback about how my sessions have changed their lives and opened them up to new ways of seeing things, and given them new life skills. Part of the difficulty of getting the government to recognise the legitimacy of art therapy is that the government requires a clear systematisation of the methodology - but art therapy is complex and client-focused. It is not a simple process applied to all scenarios, like CBT for example. Art therapists have a wide variety of therapeutic skills and different therapists follow different processes based on their skills and strengths. Art therapists and clients can endlessly tell government that art therapy gets results and how, but that may not fit into specific government requirements.

I am qualified as an Arts Psychotherapist - this is a form of psychotherapy that uses creative means to get results rather than talking. Arts psychotherapy is not merely doing art activities with the hope that the client will find them therapeutic. Putting Arts Psychotherapy in the category of community participation is an insult to the clients I work with who are, right now, continuing to get psychotherapeutic results.

The professional body for art therapy was not consulted, NDIS clients were not consulted, art therapists were not consulted. There are many ways the government could have gone about preventing rorting the system, while making sure art therapists are qualified and getting results. This decision reflects an ignorance of the nature of art therapy, the state of our profession, and the reality of daily life for NDIS clients.

Please share the attached post and add your comments to it.

You can also call the minister's office to complain and/or to say how art therapy has benefited you: 0262777200

And lastly, please sign this petition: https://www.change.org/creativetherapiesNDIS

Here's one for the parents and carers. Tantrums come from feeling out of control and overwhelmed, so responding with cal...
29/09/2024

Here's one for the parents and carers. Tantrums come from feeling out of control and overwhelmed, so responding with calm is an important step.

Interested in doing some free art therapy sessions?
18/09/2024

Interested in doing some free art therapy sessions?

I am just putting "feelers" out there for anyone that might like 8 to 10 FREE Art Therapy sessions at the studio in Clarendon, or to come to a FREE "Come and Try Arts for Wellbeing group" for approx 6 to 8 weeks. Also at Clarendon, between now and the end of the year.

We have a wonderful student, Makaela, completing practicum here with us at InsideArts and want to offer something to others for free, and give the Makaela the chance to learn from our wonderful clients/connections.

Let me know if you or anyone you know might like to help us out.

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