Art Therapy with Children and Adolescents

Venue: The Dublin Creative Therapy Centre, No.3 Great Denmark St., Dublin 1

Commencing: September 2016

Contact: info@dublincreativetherapy.ie or 087 979 0486

This Autumn we are pleased to announce the beginning of our first art therapy children’s clinic. All children are different, and while some may experience life as an adventure, others may find they have difficult feelings that they are struggling to talk about. Art therapy is an effective therapy that aims to help children and adolescents to address emotional and behavioural difficulties. The burden of emotional issues can affect all areas of a young person’s life including performance at school, social skills and interpersonal relationships. Art therapy can offer a safe space and a creative outlet for them to explore what is going on, helping to increase their self-acceptance and confidence, thus impacting positively upon other areas of their life.

Feelings can be expressed and explored at the child or teenager’s pace in a confidential setting. As the focus in an art therapy session is on the image, and not the child, it is a safe and non-threatening approach that helps them express and integrate difficult feelings without the need for words. In art therapy the child enters into a dynamic relationship with the therapist that helps them make sense of their difficult and painful experiences.

How Can Art Therapy Benefit My Child?

Art Therapy can be used to treat a range of emotional and behavioural issues in children and adolescents. It has been shown to be beneficial in the following ways:

• Encouraging expression of complex emotions
• Developing social skills
• Building self-concept and self-esteem
• Improving communication skills
• Developing insight
• Enhancing problem solving and decision-making skills

Art therapy can address specific issues such as anger, anxiety, confidence and self-esteem, eating disorders, self-harm, ADHD, attachment disorders, autism, trauma, bereavement and loss etc.

As art making is a non-verbal form of communication it is particularly suited, though not limited, to children who have difficulty articulating their feelings verbally, speech and language difficulties, social and communication disorders etc. Through the image created in art therapy the therapist can respond and reflect back to the child helping to address their emotional needs. Feeling acknowledged in their creative process and understood can help improve a young person’s self-acceptance, self-esteem and to gain a greater sense of control over difficult emotions and life situations.

The Dublin Creative Therapy Centre is Pleased to announce its upcoming Art Therapy Process Group

Venue: The Dublin Creative Therapy Centre, No.3 Great Denmark St., Dublin 1

Date Commencing: 04/10/2016

Time: 6.30pm – 8pm

Cost: 12 weekly sessions @ €300.00

For an information/application pack please contact the office at:

info@dublincreativetherapy.ie

At the Dublin Creative Therapy Centre we offer a range of therapeutic group processes and workshops. Group art therapy offers an integral component in personal development, in both ones ability to express oneself confidently and in listening and respecting others in a safe and confidential space, which is facilitated by one of our fully trained and qualified arts therapists.

Within art therapy groups, individuals come together in the same space to create art individually, or collaboratively in the creation a of a group image/sculpture. Members have to communicate, negotiate and compromise in coming to a consensus in creating something together. There is time for both art making and for members to discuss their art and their experience. Many participants find art therapy groups less threatening than verbal groups as the focus is on the art image and not on them. The intent of working in such a fashion is to experience group dynamics and gain insight, providing opportunities for active involvement, risk taking and unique self-expression.

Group art therapy has the potential to change our perceptions of who we are and gain greater insights into ourselves and our interactions with others.

Benefits of Group Work

• Self esteem/confidence
• Insight into interpersonal relationships
• Communication Skills
• Personal Development
• Social Skills
• Opportunities for sharing with those who have experienced similar

“Every Child is an artist. The problem is how to remain one when you grow up.”
Pablo Picasso

Cost: €35pp

Combined Clinical Psychology and Art Therapy Experiential Workshop on Self-Care, Insight and development of practice for Professionals in Frontline services when Supporting Children and Teenagers through Distress.

Date: 01/08/2014
Cost: €80
Location:Dublin City Centre

This course offers an introduction to Art Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology for both individuals and groups. It also provides an overview of Cognitive Therapy techniques and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy techniques that prove effective in helping young people manage distress. The workshop gives an opportunity for insight and regeneration through a psychoanalytic approach to working with materials, enhancing self-development and personal growth as well as equips participants with knowledge on current evidence based stress management techniques. It also highlights the effectiveness of art therapy combined with psychological intervention and thus empowers attendees will gain insight and skills in this area.

The course is targeted at mental health practitioners; Psychologists, Social Workers, Teachers, Therapists and Students whom are interested in the expressive potential of art in their work and who want to gain some practical knowledge on psychological mechanisms behind stress-induced emotional and behavioural dys-regulation. The knowledge and experience gained does not enable the participant to practice as an Art Therapist or to provide psychology interventions, but offers a number of techniques that can be incorporated into their practice.

Time Table

9am-9.30am:
Meet and greet.

9.30-10.00am:
Theoretical overview of physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioural components of stress and stress associated mental health difficulties.

10am-11am:
Helping young people through distress- an overview of dialectical-behavioural distress tolerance techniques. Mindfulness practise.

11.00am -11.15am:
Tea break

11:15am-1pm
Introduction to Art Therapy experiential and theoretical practices. Implementation and use of techniques and materials in order to open nonverbal dialogue with young person, building relationships through creative processes and use of active listening techniques. Exploring the use of directive and non-directive creative processes when working with children and adolescents.

1pm-2pm:
Lunch

2pm-3pm:
Weaving a psychoanalytical framework into processes of image making, exploring concepts including containment, holding and free association.

3pm-3.15pm:
Tea break

3.15pm-4pm
The creation of a safe space, through working developmentally with materials and the group processes.

4pm-5pm
Caring for the carer: Use of mindfulness, self-expression and reflection through a therapeutic group exercise promoting insight and self-care.

Facilitators:

John O’Malley, Art Psychotherapist, MA, BA, MIACAT, ANCAD

John qualified as an Art Psychotherapist with a First Class Honours Masters from the Crawford College at the Cork Institute of Technology in 2010. John is an elected member of The Executive Council for The Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapies in Ireland. Previous to this he holds and BA. (Hons) from the National College of Art and Design. He is a fully registered member of The Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists. Since his training he has worked within a variety of client groups including, children within the state care system, families, mental health settings, learning difficulties, the homeless services and most recently he established The Dublin Creative Therapy Centre from where he runs his private practice.

Natalia Harding, MA ClinPsych

Natalia graduated from the University of Silesia, Poland with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. She is a member of Psychological Society of Ireland. She also completed postgraduate studies in Psychodrama at The Polish Institute of Psychodrama. Natalia moved to Ireland in 2008 and she initially worked in a managerial capacity in a residential unit for young people aged 12-17 in the care of the HSE. Through her training in clinical psychology, she gained experience across various mental health settings. She worked in an addiction treatment centre, a forensic psychology service as well as child and adolescent mental health and disability services. She has experience in conducting cognitive and personality assessments, functional risk assessments and parenting capacity assessments. Her approach to therapy is integrative and draws on CBT, DBT, Psychodrama, psychodynamic and humanistic approaches. She is currently employed as part of the Early Intervention Team and is involved in the assessment of need.

Application
For further information or an application form for this workshop please contact the office on 01 5376964 or 087 979 0486, email:info@dublincreativetherapy.ie

IACAT is a non-profit organisation that promotes Art, Drama, Music and Dance Movement Therapy in Ireland. Our aim is to support the work of our 250 member therapists who work in health-care, educational, probationary and community settings.
On 21 September, to mark Alzheimer’s Action Day, IACAT is hosting a panel discussion to discuss the value and benefit of Creative Arts Therapies for people with Alzheimer’s Disease. This discussion chaired by Sylvia Thompson, Health Correspondent with the Irish Times will feature a number of speakers including therapists and care staff. It will take place at the Dublin Creative Therapy Centre.
Context Over 1/3 of IACAT therapists work with clients with debilitating conditions, with many therapists working in hospital and care settings with clients with Alzheimers and Dementia (IACAT Members Report 2012). This panel discussion will look at why Creative Arts Therapy services are important for this client-group, and what benefits Art, Drama, Music and Dance Movement Therapy can bring to the lives and families of people affected by Alzheimers. We also aim to explore during this conversation – research, innovative service models, challenges faced by therapists, and the experiences of clients and their families.
Event Participation Details The Enriched Lives discussion will begin at 2pm, at the Dublin Creative Therapy Centre in Smithfield, Dublin. Due to space restrictions, spaces must be reserved. There is no cost associated with attending, however a donation towards IACAT work is invited. If you would like to participate in this event by attending or submitting your questions for the panel, please call Annemarie Ni Churreáin on 0871252184, or email Info@iacat.ie.

Facilitated by John O´Malley (Art Psychotherapist) and Dainne Nic Aoidh (Art Psychotherapist) MA, BA, MIACAT, ANCAD

Date: 20th of September
Time: 9am-5pm
CPD Approved: 5 points

This course offers an introduction to Art Psychotherapy for both individuals and groups. This workshop provides a valuable opportunity for insight and regeneration through a psychoanalytic approach to working with materials and the psyche, enhancing self-development and personal growth as well as group interaction and interpretation. The workshop highlights the effectiveness of this powerful therapeutic tool and empowers attendees with new insight and skills in this arena.

The course is targeted at mental health practitioners and students, psychologists, social workers, teachers and artists who are interested in and want to use the expressive potential of art making in the course of their emotional contact with the people they work with. The skills gained by participants can be adapted to and incorporated in many work spheres. The knowledge and experience gained does not enable the participant to practice as an Art Therapist.
Course Contents
An experiential introduction to art materials and art making processes and art therapy.

Exploration of a large variety of art making materials such as brought/found objects, sand play, clay, paint, drawing and collage.

The creation of a safe space, through working developmentally with materials and the group process.

Theoretical and experiential understanding of applied art therapy work with individuals and groups.

Weaving a psychoanalytical framework into processes of image making, exploring concepts including containment, holding, free association, etc.

Explorations of directive and non- directive ways of working.

Time Table of Workshop

9am-9.30am:
Meet and greet.

9.30-11.45am:
Introduction to Art Therapy experiential and theoretical practices: Implementation and use of techniques and materials in order to open non verbal dialogue with young person, building relationships through creative processes and use of active listening techniques.

11.45-12pm:
Tea break

12pm-1pm:
Experiential practice: Exploring the use of directive and non directive creative processes when working with children and adolescents.

1pm-2pm:
Lunch

2pm-3pm:
Weaving a psychoanalytical framework into processes of image making, exploring concepts including containment, holding and free association.

3pm-3.15pm:
Tea break

3.15pm-4pm
The creation of a safe space, through working developmentally with materials and the group processes.

4pm-5pm
Caring for the carer: Use of mindfulness, self expression and reflection through a group art therapeutic exercise promoting insight and self care.

Date: 20^th of September 2013
Time: 9am to 5pm
Cost: €120
CPD: 5 CPD points granted by ISWA(Irish Social Work Association)

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