A.R.T T.H.E.R.A.P.Y

💯 Inspiring Art Therapy Moments: Personal Stories MESSY PLAY is a multi-sensory experience for < Little Messy Champs >, and when the parents join together, it fosters positive bonding and interaction and encourages communication and expression.  "Excuse the mess; the children are making memories."  It was an exciting experience to plan and prepare for this "messy party" (the way my participants called it) tailored to children as young as 3-year-olds to 9-year-olds, as well as their parents. As it was my first time organising the event from scratch, there was a mixture of excitement, anxiety, anticipation, and fear of making mistakes. Days before the event, my mind was restless. I kept going through the flow of the programme, checking if all the materials were enough and if the activities were age-appropriate. To be honest, it was not easy to plan alone, but I was glad that the party was a success. The parents were very encouraging and wished to have more i

  💯 Inspiring Art Therapy Moments: Personal Stories The Power of Being with the clients: Therapist's perspective The struggle was real when you had clients who are quiet and not responding to any art-making. I recalled the first time I met a young client of mine who refused to do anything and only wanted to stand near the door. She had a bad childhood trauma and was constantly anxious about being around people. Drawing is her favourite activity. For her to reject drawing in the classroom suggested her discomfort. I had to reassure and validate her feelings and allow her to get comfortable with the room and the centre. I realised that my over-talking may also add to her anxiety, hence I decided to stay silent after informing her that I was going to draw a little and show her after I completed it. I then invited her to join me when she was ready. I felt relieved when she nodded her head upon understanding my invitation. I noticed that throughout my art-making, she never once had her

Journey , 2022, mixed media on a canvas    I truly enjoyed the process of creating at the moment and slowly witnessing the emergence of symbols with significant meanings.      I created Journey from the mid of August to early September 2022 as a part of my self-care and a reflective piece towards my clinical practice. During this time, I was on the verge of burning out, hence needed to get away from work temporarily. At the corner of my cabinet, I noticed the long-forgotten canvas and I thought to myself "How about painting on it?".       I started by simply selecting the colours that best represented my moods at that time and exploring the wet-on-wet technique on the canvas. Looking at how the paint flowed and merged with other colours provided me with an outlet to express spontaneously which regulated my feelings and calmed my thoughts. I repeated this process until I felt it was good enough for me - that my feelings and thoughts were normalised.      Next, I at

Breaking expectations , 2021, acrylic paints and collages on an A5 paper      I was feeling slightly frustrated and angry after my session. However, I was unsure of why I was feeling so. I created " breaking expectations" to explore my emotions. I cut the artwork I created during the session into smaller pieces and remake it into a collage. Both these processes of cutting and pasting somehow created a sense of repetitiveness and henceforth brought me into a state of calmness and a here-and-now moment. Looking at the artwork, I felt stuffy as if I was shut inside those tiny pieces and was unable to escape. I included the collage phrase "break expectations just for a moment" because it really resonated with my emotions. After careful introspection and reflection, I learnt that the feelings I felt were due to the expectations I had for the session. The process of making this piece provides a deeper insight. Through the creative process, it offers a way to v

  A short, self-directed video to introduce art therapy.   🌼 Ling In 🌼

     The art itself is powerful and carries many therapeutic potentials, as the saying goes "Pictures speak a thousand words". Art can act as a container for personal emotions, memories, and experiences, and it serves as a tangible form to capture the moments of our conscious and unconscious. Art itself contains personal metaphors and symbols, and which through reflection and introspection allow an in-depth understanding of our inner and outer world. The process of creating art involves the holistic process from body, mind, and soul, which through exploration and experimenting of art materials provides a channel to release and process excess tension, stress, and lethargy. There are more advantages I could go on with the listing, but simply put, above all, engaging in one's own art-making, and when practicing regularly is beneficial and therapeutic. I personally found that my art allows me to be aware and compassionate towards my emotions, serve as a channel to express mys