“This is King Duck (he/him) is the King of the Pond. He has a memory like a goldfish and floats in circles. He has too much bouncy to swim but he does dive for food.“ This participant gave me consent to share #creativetherapy #arttherapy #playtherapy #imaginativetherapy #narrativetherapy

“Created during a first in-person session after a journey from Alice Springs, this painting found a second life as a puppet. After seeing the transformation, a dream about making colourful iceberg puppet ls was shared. Some creative threads seem to weave themselves together in unexpected ways. Before long, this colourful companion will be making the journey home.” This participant gave me consent to share #puppettherapy #creativeandexperientialtherapies #creativetherapy #pupp

QUESTIONS I OFTEN ASK IN A FIRST SESSION: “What previous therapy experiences have you had, and what was helpful and/or unhelpful for you?” “What are your intentions, hopes, and/or needs for our therapeutic journey together?” “What are you hoping to get out of creative and experiential approaches to therapy?” “What is your relationship to creativity, and how does it show up in your life?” “What feels most important for me to understand about you and your reasons for coming her

“After taking about intrusive thoughts with a car lighter. I had a visualization of a car lighter on the tongue. I made a template of the mouth and cut it out in cardboard. I layered the cardboard and paper mached the lips for dimension after hot gluing toilet paper. I also layered cardboard for the car lighter. I used soft air clay to form the tongue.“ This participant gave me consent to share #creativeandexperientialtherapies #intrusiveart #intrusivethoughtsart #intrusiveth

“Amongst the chaos, where shapes collide and colours push against each other, there is always one small constant — my cat.” This participant gave me permission to share #amongstthechaos #mycat #creativetherapy #creativeandexperientialtherapies #arttherapy

“Haze (he/him) is a fallen angel who is stuck in a maze with his twin sister Iliana (she/they). He has a love interest who he currently hates with his entire being. I still don’t know how they will fall I in love…” This participant gave mr consent to share #creativestoryart #narrativeart #creativetherapy #healingthroughstorytelling #narrativetherapy

“This artwork is of a new day, a new life. It is the 3rd painting in the series of unknown numbers, which highlights the progression over a period of time. It represents a change in life experiences; experiencing tumultuous relationships, developing as an individual person outside of relationships and discovering yourself again. Sometimes you just have to wake up and smell the flowers.“ This participant gave me consent to share #creativetherapy #creativeandexperientialtherapi

“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

I’m loving playing with Stickikubes Neon Brights in sessions lately as a simple, low demand tool for grounding and focus. They can be stacked, sorted, built, or just fiddled with, and tend to invite calm, playful engagement without any pressure or structure. Found here: https://amzn.to/48qEaPr #stickikubes #playtherapy #creativetherapy #toolsintherapy #therapytoys

I love making kinetic sand! There’s something therapeutic about the process. Mixing, adjusting, noticing texture, and responding to what it needs. It invites experimentation without pressure to get it “right.” Recipe: • 2 cups sand • 1 cup cornstarch • 1 tbsp silicone oil • Food colouring • A touch of slime Mix dry ingredients first, then slowly add the wet until it’s soft and mouldable. Simple, hands-on, and regulating. There’s no perfect formula, just noticing what is neede

“Tree Ornament for the Disturbed: I turned an intrusive thought into a Christmas ornament.” This participant gave me permission to share #treeornament #intrusiveart #intrusivethought #christmasornament #creativetherapy

“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

“Something soft returns A black hole hovers. I see a butterfly— the darkness loosens, and something soft returns.” This participant gave me permission to share #creativeprocess #trusttheprocess #healingart #artheals #creativetherapy

“I drew Miffy. Miffy the bunny is a white rabbit. She is a fictional character and she is very cute.“ This participant gave me permission to share #miffy #miffythebunny #miffytherabbit #miffyart #creativetherapy

“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

“The day is a blur, but my hands kept moving. Brick by brick, I built something colourful when I felt none. Now this little truck holds proof — even in my lowest moments, a small part of me still shows up.” This participant gave me consent to share #legotherapy #brickbasedcounselling #creativetherapy #legocounselling #playtherapy

“Art doesn’t have to forced or planned. You can just let it emerge. I just drew some lines and then saw a reef which informed my colouring.“ This participant gave me permission to share #emergentart #trusttheprocess #digitaltherapy #creativetherapy #digitalemergence

“This was a long project that taught me patience and taking things slow. I had found this teapot in hard rubbish and was told to throw it away because “it was broken” but I recycled it into something better. It reminds me of a small library for a mouse or some other small creature.“ This participant gave me consent to share #creativehealing #creativelessons #creativejourney #creativetherapy #creativetherapies

This Mad Mattr set with Lego style moulds is one of my favourite tools right now, playful, regulating, and quietly powerful, supporting focus, emotional expression, and problem solving through squeezing, shaping, stacking, and rebuilding, and through choosing when to connect, pull apart, or start again without needing words. A beautiful hands on way to think, feel, and regulate at any age. Found here: https://amzn.to/4c15er4 #madmattr #playtherapy #creativetherapy #sensorypla