Online Therapeutic Art Group

A fun and affordable fortnightly drop-in group run by art therapists Ellen and Rose.

UPCOMING GROUP DETAILS AT A GLANCE
(scroll down for more detailed information & FAQ)

Every second Thursday

VIC/NSW/TAS/QLD - 6PM - 7:30PM AEDT
SA/NT - 5:30 - 7PM
WA - 4PM - 5:30PM

$30

May 9th, 2024: “I Am” Collage

Create a collage using found words and images exploring the prompt "I AM".

This might be an aspirational “I am”, exploring aspects of yourself that you’re growing into, or not quite there yet, or who you are in the present.

As usual, we will offer guidance and direction, but there are no rules in art group - so you get to do what feels the best for you. If you don't feel like collage, you're welcome to write and draw your own words and images.

You will need (you’ll also receive this list via email):

  • Magazines to cut up.

  • Scissors & glue.

  • Some paper to glue your collage onto (either loose sheets or in your art journal).

  • Something to draw with if you'd like to add drawn elements - some suggestions are markers, coloured pencils, crayons, watercolour paints - whatever you have at home is great.

  • Journal and a pen for reflection if that's something you'd like to do.

No art experience is necessary - we look forward to creating with you!

Upcoming dates & themes:

May 23rd, 2024: Self As A Mountain

June 6th, 2024: Map Making - Drawing Your Emotional Landscape

After some more details? Read on…

Hello!

For these online Therapeutic Art Groups, I’ve joined forces with my good friend and colleague Rose, who is also an artist and art therapist. She’s been running art therapy groups and doing 1:1 work with clients since 2015 so she has a lot of creative wisdom to share.

It will come as no surprise that as we’re both artists and art therapists, we have a love of doing creative things to keep us feeling happy and keep life feeling good. For us, art is a way of staying sane - getting out of our heads and finding a beautiful creative flow state where time disappears (very different to sitting on the couch scrolling, another activity that tends to eat time).

And unlike scrolling, making art has the added bonus of feeling really satisfying when you practice it a lot and see your repertoire of creative skills growing and your art journal pages filling up.

But it’s often hard to know where to start - what do you draw, when you could draw anything? And what do you draw, when you’re not even sure you can draw? Sometimes it’s just really nice to not have to think, and to have someone else tell you what to do so you can follow along.

Kind of like going to a yoga class - yeah you can do yoga at home, but sometimes it’s nice to be in a room of people who are also doing yoga, and to have someone up the front tell you the poses so you can switch your brain off and follow the movement.

So if you’ve been wanting to be more creative, or you’ve ever wanted to give art therapy a go, or you’re a beginner who doesn’t know where to start, or you’ve had some experience and you just want someone to give you the process so you can turn your brain off for a while, our new fortnightly online art group is for you.

Here are the logistics:

WHAT: Fortnightly Therapeutic Art Group where you will be guided through a different art process each time. We follow the same loose structure each week - time for a hello and a check in, then an hour or so exploring the week’s creative goodness, followed by some processing time to see what wisdom our creation has for us.

WHEN: The art group runs fortnightly on Thursdays for 90 minutes.

VIC/NSW/TAS/QLD - 6PM - 7:30PM AEDT
SA/NT - 5:30 - 7PM
WA - 4PM - 5:30PM

This is a drop in group - no long commitment needed (though we hope you have fun and keep coming back!), and no worries if you can’t make it some weeks.

HOW MUCH: Cost is $30 - click here to book online to save your spot. If you have self or plan managed NDIS funding it can be used. If you need an NDIS invoice, please contact Rose on 0493 050 468 or creativehealingjourneys@mail.com and she will take care of that for you.


NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! And there’s also no need to go out and buy any fancy supplies - you’re encouraged to use what you have at home (although if you DO feel the need for more art supplies we totally get it). Come as you are with what you have (I’ve had people in some of my art therapy workshops who have had a black biro and post it notes, and that worked just fine - with a bit of creativity we can make most things work).

WHAT TO BRING:

This is a general list - check your confirmation email when you book your spot for a list specific to the group you’ve booked into.

  • Some paper (either loose sheets or in your art journal)

  • Something to draw with - some suggestions are markers, coloured pencils, crayons, watercolour paints - whatever you have at home is great.

  • Scissors and glue are sometimes handy - we won’t use these every week but sometimes we will.

We hope these groups will be a fun space for you to come and try different art processes, relax and let go of stress, create something, maybe learn something new about yourself and meet and connect with like minded people.

We look forward to seeing you there and making some art with you!

FAQ

I’m not really creative/ I don’t really know how to draw - is this for me?

Yes! You don’t need to see yourself as creative or know how to draw to benefit from therapeutic art making. This kind of creativity isn’t really about the end result - it’s about the process of doing it, and what you learn about yourself along the way. We find that many people surprise themselves, and Rose and Ellen will be guiding you every step of the way. You are welcome here.

I have self managed or plan managed NDIS funding - can I use that for the group?

Yes! You certainly can.

Please contact Rose on 0493 050 468 or creativehealingjourneys@mail.com and she will organise an invoice for you.

I’ve never used Zoom before! How do I join the group?

Not to worry! Zoom is a free app that is easy to download and use. Here’s a link to the Zoom help page which tells you everything you need to know to install Zoom on your phone or your computer. Once it’s installed, all you need to do is click the link in your confirmation email to join the group call.

Click here to access the Zoom help page on downloading Zoom,

I can’t make the group I’ve booked, can I have a refund?

We don’t offer refunds, but you are very welcome to transfer your attendance to a later group. All you need to do is reply to your confirmation email and let us know and we’ll switch your attendance over.

Got questions that aren’t covered here?

Please email Ellen: ellen@ellenmay.com.au or Rose: creativehealingjourneys@mail.com and we will find you some answers.