Creativity in Therapy

Inspiring therapists and counselors to be more creative

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Listening to Your Feelings and Needs — Art Therapy Ideas

I recently got a great handout from a training, and I have been using it in a lot of my sessions as a starting point for discussion, a tool for clients to take home, and a prompt for art therapy interventions. The handout is a list of feelings and needs from www.wiseheartpdx.org and is used as part of the Non-Violent Communication method. I haven’t received more than a brief introduction to NVC, but this handout seems to be a great tool for anyone to use as a way to enhance identification and … [Read more...]

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How to Talk to Kids About Their Art

 If you’re like most caring adults, when a kid shows you their artwork, your natural response is to say something nice to them about it – “Good job!” or “That’s so beautiful!” As well-intentioned as these comments are, they actually NOT helpful if we want to encourage creative expression in kids, both at home and in therapy. If you’re surprised by this, here are a few things to consider… Children should make art based on their own ideas, interests, and creativity. Providing praise … [Read more...]

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Make An On-The-Go Art Kit for Travel

By the time this post goes up, I’ll be on vacation in Canada. As I was preparing to pack (and thinking about what to write in advance for this blog), I decided that I would share about my travel art kit. If you’re a creative therapist, you hopefully make some time for your own art-making in your life. So, you may have occasion to be packing some traveling art supplies, either to bring on a trip or to carry around in your bag to use when you have free time. (If you’re not making art, you … [Read more...]

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Coping Skills & Creativity

Coping skills…they are so essential to work on in therapy but it can sometimes be hard to know how best to approach this with clients. Some people seem to naturally learn positive ways to cope with the stresses and challenges in their life. Others muddle through, not quite aware of what they are doing to manage and what is really working. And others get stuck in a pattern of negative coping that they find hard to change. Seeking Safety is an evidence-based practice (EBP) that focuses on … [Read more...]

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Create A Sensory Self-Soothing Kit

Our senses can be powerful emotional triggers. A certain smell can quickly fill us with memories and their accompanying feelings…a soothing touch can help us to feel safe and calm…the right music can energize, fill us with peace, or move us to tears. Even though we’ve all had these experiences, we don’t always think to consciously harness the power of our senses to help ourselves feel better. And while some of us have learned over the years how to soothe and calm ourselves when upset, not … [Read more...]

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