What are some of the benefits of attending art therapy?

It allowed me a safe space in which I was able to explore my forgotten creative side.

It gave me purpose and structure into my routine, which up til that point had not involved a lot of activities for the previous few months.

It allowed me to build up a relationship with the therapist, one upon which there was a lot of trust and feeling safe to just go for it creatively. She supported me to see how a picture can represent what may being going on inside my head.

“It made me realise the importance of ‘art’ in my life. It also gave me the space to talk about things as I was drawing/painting.

I came to accept that what I produced is part of a process and that I should not be judgemental of it. This was freeing and has encouraged me to draw more without over-judging my work – but accepting it for what it is – which in turn has improved my drawing”.

“While attending art therapy at the BHWC I experienced a deepening of my emotional resilience as I felt strongly supported by a space in which I could explore my feelings and experiences in a way that was unfettered by the roiling narratives to which I have become accustomed. The space provided by Saskia allowed me to be present to parts of myself that I had thought lost before. In art therapy things started making sense in ways which had totally eluded me in other forms of therapy”

Thinking about how you felt before starting art therapy – have you noticed any changes or improvements that you feel relate to having art therapy?

To go for things even if I am apprehensive.

That even if I can’t control the environment/process of what I am doing e.g. painting, it doesn’t mean what I have done is ‘wrong’, I have become less harsh on myself for what I perceive to be wrong down on paper and instead more open to the process of just letting it be and to believe that whatever the outcome is it is still beautiful and it is still my creation and that I am as capable as anyone in creating something.

Believe in myself more and also in my creative side.

To remind myself that there are things I enjoy in life and to explore that.

I started a printing course during the course of art therapy and as a consequence of doing the art therapy I found it helped me enormously in letting go and just going for it (creatively), I also had improved confidence in doing such a course and my concentration was a little better.