Children and adolescents naturally find ways to express themselves and to communicate through art activities. Through mark-making and symbolic play, reality takes tangible form and fantasy becomes less confusing - the child begins to understand and comprehend their world. Its important for the therapist to respond in a way that accommodates and facilitates the expressive processing of childhood life experiences. Art provides an alternative way to communicate ideas, fantasies, beliefs and experiences. Art therapy offers an opportunity to safely process an array of confusing feelings that may emerge in childhood and adolescence. Children and young people often lack the verbal sophistication to express or to even comprehend what they are experiencing. Through creative art processes what could not be said finds external expression that can lead to reflective distancing and cognitive clarification of thoughts and feelings that may otherwise remain confusing and unclear.
Art-making is a liberating experience that enhances an innate urge to make marks in their external environment, to engage in the process of play, and to explore developmental issues as they arise. Visual expressive techniques can also reveal impasses, blocks, and disturbances in thinking and feeling as difficult issues start to surface in the therapeutic process.
For teenagers, art provides opportunity to reconnect with a core sense of self, to redefine a sense of identity as they begin to separate from the family, and experience and be influenced by peers and new relationships, sexual awareness, physical changes and a growing sense of autonomy. Art can connect to childhood memories in an acceptable form of expression in the adult word.
This workshop establishes ways to use art with children and adolescents to examine growth and developmental milestones, provide interactive techniques and learn ways process symbolic messages with different age groups. Art activity offers an alternate way to express strong emotions and provides an area of transition from childhood to adulthood that is developmentally more familiar for the child or young person.
The workshop provides both theoretical and practical learning opportunities that enhance the confident application of art-based interventions when providing assessment and treatment in therapy and counselling. There is also provision to develop skills in designing art intervention tasks in response to content provided by the child or young person. Participants will leave this workshop with a greater understanding of ideas and boundaries around safe practice of art therapy techniques in health and community settings. Artistic skills are not required to benefit from this workshop.
Registration fee includes an art kit large enough for use on the day and for use with clients thereafter.
Feedback for Annette’s recent training presentations:
“…best investment…in my professional development, and that includes my psychology degree…helped me reclaim the language of metaphor…led to a depth of emotional expression (that) has benefited myself, my wife and my clients …”
“valuable information, resources and professional insights…highly recommended”
“gave me confidence to go ahead in the profession”
“Offers an excellent basis in understanding theory and practice from Australian and overseas perspectives”
“…fun, informative, inspiring…”
“made me more aware of my inner feelings and self-worth…gave words when I may not have used any”
“a unique experience for the development of both professional skills and tapping into a personal creativity – awesome!!”
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Presenter slides (3.7 MB) | Available after Purchase |
Annette Coulter is an art psychotherapist, art educator and published author as well as an accredited (IDT) Interactive Drawing Therapy practitioner, trainer and supervisor. She is a Clinical Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapy (AAFT), and a Clinical Registrant and Accredited Supervisor of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA). Her background includes working in child and family mental health, art education, child/adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy and family/couple therapy. Through the Centre for Art Psychotherapy she provides consultation, supervision, education and customised training for family therapists, relationship counsellors, art therapists and group leaders. She pioneered art therapy in Australia, Britain and south-east Asia and is a founder of the Australian and New Zealand Arts Therapy Association (ANZATA) and the International Networking Group of Art Therapists. Publications include: The Introductory Guide to Art Therapy: Experiential Teaching and Learning for Students and Practitioners, 2014; Art Therapy ‘Down Under’: Perspectives on the Profession from Australia and New Zealand, 2015; Australia - Family Art Therapy: Dots, Meaning and Metaphor, 2015; Contemporary Art Therapy with Transient Youth, 2012; ‘Came Back – Didn’t Come Home’: Returning from a War Zone, 2008; Couple Art Therapy: Seeing Difference Makes a Difference, 2007.
Learning objectives of this training:
“The art maker does not see things as they are, but as she/he is.” Annette Coulter
How will you benefit from attending this training?
Morning Session (includes a short break)
Afternoon Session (includes a short break)
Evaluation and quiz - your payment includes a quiz which when completed with a minimum of 80% correct answers, will enable you to download your Attendance Certificate.
To complete the quiz, please log into your account at pdp-catalogue.com.au and click the orange "Certificate" button under the program's title.
For live webcasts, post-tests must be completed within one month of viewing the program.
This presentation is appropriate for Therapists; Counsellors; Artists; Educators; Childhood & Adolescent Workers; Aboriginal & Refugee Support Services; War Veteran Counsellors; Grief and Loss Counsellors; Hospital Staff.
COVID-19 AND YOUR SAFETY
Our venue is registered with Service NSW as a 'Covid Safe' venue.
You will be required to checkin via our QR code and to abide by the safety measures current at the time and in line with public health orders. These will be advised in your pre-event reminder/information emails.
In the interest of everone's safety, PDP reserves the right to deny entry to any participant who chooses not to follow the current COVID safety plans.
ACCESSIBILITY
This venue offers wheelchair access from the Brown Street entrance.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
4 minute walk from Chatswood train/metro/bus interchange
PARKING
Links to reasonable early-bird parking close to the venue:
https://www.secureparking.com.au/en-au/car-parks/australia/new-south-wales/sydney/lower-north-shore-and-northern-beaches/zenith-centre-car-park
NOURISHMENT
All day tea, coffee and chilled water are provided.
If you have not ordered lunch with your registration, we have a fridge and two microwave ovens should you wish to bring your own food.
The venue has a cafe on the ground floor and is surrounded by cafes and restaurants including an extensive foodhall above the Chatswood Interchange.
ACCOMODATION
Mantra Hotel is next door to the venue: website here
Meriton Suites is a 4 minute walk from the venue: website here
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