Creative therapies

Art Psychotherapy is a psychological process that helps your conscious mind to access what is happening in your unconscious mind, through the creative process, using paint, collage, modelling clay for example.

The psychological value of Art Psychotherapy explores blocks, behaviour patterns, how past relationships and experiences affect an individual’s current circumstances. Art psychotherapy is a safe and supportive verbal and non-verbal intervention in working with trauma. For this to be facilitated a trusting relationship is built between therapist and client, and the ‘creative process’ provides a form of conscious and subconscious expression so that personal development, growth and transformation can occur in a safe and supportive environment.

Drama therapy is the intentional use of drama and/or theatre processes to achieve therapeutic goals. Drama therapy is active and experiential. This approach can provide the context for participants to tell their stories, set goals and solve problems, express feelings, or achieve catharsis.

The therapy gives equal validity to body and mind within the dramatic context; stories, myths, playtexts, puppetry, masks and improvisation are examples of the range of artistic interventions a Dramatherapist may employ. These will enable the client to explore difficult and painful life experiences through an indirect approach.

Music therapy is an established psychological clinical intervention, which is delivered by Health and Care Professions registered music therapists, to help people of all ages, whose lives have been affected by emotional or physical injury, illness or disability through supporting their psychological, emotional, cognitive, physical, communicative and social needs.

Music therapists primarily help clients improve their health in several domains, such as cognitive functioning, motor skills, emotional development, social skills, and quality of life, by using music experiences such as free improvisation, singing, and listening to, discussing, and moving to music to achieve treatment goals.

All children are unique and special, but sometimes they experience problems with feelings or behaviours that cause disruptions to their lives and the lives of those around them.

Play Therapy helps children understand muddled feelings and upsetting events that they haven’t had a chance to sort out properly. Rather than having to explain what is troubling them, as adult therapy usually expects, children use play to communicate at their own level and their own pace, without feeling pressured or threatened.

Theraplay is a child and family therapy for building and enhancing attachment, self-esteem, trust in others.

Directly addressing early life trauma at the chronological age at which the trauma or loss occurred; it is a way to fill in lost opportunities in the parent-child relationship.

Appropriate for all ages – from infancy to adolescence – it can be especially effective for children who have consistently experienced care that isn’t ‘good enough’, early parental loss or the attachment deprivation of adopted children.

Based on the natural patterns of playful, healthy interaction between parent and child, theraplay is personal, physical, and fun.

Focusing on non-verbal communication, sessions create an active, emotional connection between the child and parent or caregiver, resulting in a changed view of the self as worthy and lovable and of relationships as positive and rewarding.

Our theraplay practitioners guide the parent and child through playful, fun games, developmentally challenging activities, and tender, nurturing activities.

The very act of engaging each other in this way helps the parent regulate the child’s behaviour and communicate love, joy, and safety to the child.