“You talk about how you wish to be taken apart by me Soft hands turn skin red and pant you beautiful hughes of blues To make you mine and do as I wish You communicate it as unaware of what power you hold over my hands and teeth To bite you would make me but a dog Untrained Broken and in need of restraint Did you mother not teach you not to feed strays as they will come back expecting more You give me access to flesh like I am not starved of it But like most mutts I don’t know

“During supervision, I created this Online Sand Tray to explore themes of safety, protection, emotional overwhelm, and hypervigilance. The wall and guarded figures represented the need to stay alert and protect vulnerable parts of myself from perceived threats or emotional harm. The contaminated water symbolised emotions or external stressors that felt unsafe or difficult to contain, while the castle represented something vulnerable and important that I was trying to protect.

“These little creations have been an exploration of emotions through my depression. Some emotions came out quickly like anger and guilt, and some took a little longer to explore such as the destigmatization of rest and gluttony. During previous therapy explorations I have always tried to cure my symptoms. They were unpleasant and ‘wrong’ and therefore had to go. This exploration through art has been teaching me of the value of sitting with emotions and symptoms, especially wh

“The depth is found through repeated action. I started with Shōga, then ink and then paint pens ending in collage, creating a depth that wasn’t evident in the first session.” This participant gave me permission to share #arttherapy #creativetherapy #artbasedcounselling #artpsychotherapy #creativeandexperientialtherapies

“These are pages from a Bible that I stained with coffee and painted over with flowers, a skull and quotes. I’ve been wanting to create something like this for a long time, and I’ve carried these quotes with me for over a year. Now I finally get to have them on my wall.” This participant gave me consent to share #creativeandexperientialtherapies #creativeandexperientialtherapist #ironyart #alteredbookart #quoteart

“I created this layered watercolour. I was inspired by an Aboriginal artist, Albert Namatjira, who creates paintings of the natural landscape. I used a white biro pen to create the highlights.” This participant gave me permission to share #creativeandexperientialtherapies #watercolourart #naturetherapy #arttherapy #outbackart

“I drew this turtle because my pet turtle, Batman, makes me feel calm and happy. When things feel overwhelming, he brings me a sense of peace. This drawing is my way of holding onto that feeling— a reminder that even in difficult moments, there are small things that help me feel safe and grounded.” This participant gave me consent to share #turtleart #safeandgrounded #creativeandexperientialtherapies #arthelps #artheals

“I drew an ice cream sundae 🍨 I like the sprinkles and the cherry on top is so cute 🍒” This participant gave me permission to share #icecreamsundaeart #icecreamsundae #cuteicecream #creativetherapy #creativeandexperientialtherapies

“Mapping today’s session beautifully held by Rae I began in the centre of the page, gently creating an orb as I storied my recent discomfort during a recent Clinical Psychology session (Let’s call the Psych Zee for this tale). As I relayed frustration around how the timing of Zee’s epic/loaded question delivered right at the end of our session (despite my explicit request asking them not to go there) I drew straight(ish) lines cascading down. My pencil almost tore through the

“This process was about going with the flow. I did this over a few sessions. I accidentally grabbed the wrong colour and it was too late to go back. I decided to embrace it and then use different colours and it became the process.“ This participant gave me permission to share #creativeandexperientialtherapies #trusttheprocess #artprocess #creativetherapy #creativetherapies

“I painted this box black on the outside to represent the front I put on when I meet people. Even though I’m a people pleaser, I put up a tough exterior. Inside, I chose a purple glittery colour because I can be eccentric, but that depends on how I am feeling. There are a few things on the inside that are on the outside, as I know some people see me how I feel about myself.” This participant gave me consent to share #insideoutsidebox #creativeandexperientialtherapies #artisth

“I forgot the principles of colour theory and didn’t expect green. Underneath is the trans flag. I didn’t plan for this outcome and had to improvise due to a lack of white. It looks like a cool parasite. Trust the process.“ This participant gave me permission to share #parasiteart #acrylicpourpainting #trusttheprocess #creativeandexperientialtherapies #acrylicpour

“This piece was made slowly, step by step. Each stage needed time to dry before I could move forward. Being patient helped me focus on one process at a time and notice the progress as it happened.” This participant gave me permission to share #creativeandexperientialtherapies #creativeexperientialart #creativeandexperiential #creativetherapy #experientialtherapy

“The idea behind this piece is a smooth, polished armor being overtaken by messy, organic elements. It represents how we can put on a mask for ourselves or others, but the things we try to hide or suppress will inevitably resurface and consume us.” This participant gave me consent to share #creativeandexperientialtherapies #creativetherapy #creativeandexperientialtherapist #creativetherapist #puppetart