Therapeutic Arts Practice

Benefits of Expressive Arts Therapies

Why is Expressive Art Therapeutic?

Integrative expressive art helps us to express feelings, process memories and calm our minds and bodies. It is therefore an effective therapeutic tool for counsellors and psychotherapists to use with clients experiencing the pain of trauma. When partipating in expressive therapies, you will engage in research-based expressive art experiences to help the healing process. You will use drawing, painting, Guided Drawing and Sandplay Therapy.

Expressive therapy goes beyond traditional talk therapy. It focuses on creative outlets as a means of expression. This therapy can be especially helpful for people who find it difficult to talk about their thoughts and emotions.
The therapy can promote:

self-awareness.
emotional well-being.
healing.
self-esteem.

Sandplay as an Expressive Therapy

Sand play is an expressive therapy and is used within the context of psychotherapy, counselling, rehabilitation, or medicine (Malchiodi, 2005). Shaun McNiff, writing about the connection between arts and psychotherapy, asserts that expressive therapies are those that introduce action to psychotherapy. Action within psychotherapy, he adds, is rarely limited to a specific mode of expression (1981). When two or more expressive therapies are utilised within the context of treatment, it is sometimes called an “integrative” approach (Malchiodi, 2005).

Symbol Work as an Expressive Therapy

The World Technique and Jungian Sandplay therapy originally developed by Dora Kalff, who integrated Jungian psychology and Buddhist philosophy. We have integrated the Sand Therapies tapping into a rich history of over 75 years of clinical application by therapists from around the world. It is considered one of the most potent yet safe methods, and has been found to be effective in working with a wide range of issues, from existential inner conflicts to PTSD and trauma.