Find a Creative / Art Therapist

1. Australian, NZ & Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association

   MORE EXTENSIVE List of Creative Therapists by  Individual States / Closest City - Regional Centres

2. CECAT-Graduated Students: State by State

•   NSW  | •  SA   |  •  VIC   |  • QLD  |  •  WA  |  • NT  |  • TAS

3.  VIC Schools participating in Creative Arts Therapy

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What Is Art Therapy?

Art Therapy is an evidence-based intervention developed in the mid-1940s for the management of mental health disorders in both adults and children. It is widely used in Europe and the United States, but in Australia the practice of art therapy is still in its early stages.

Art therapy courses encourage self-discovery and emotional growth. Evolving from Freud and Jung’s theories of the unconscious, art therapy is based on the belief that visual symbols and images (as in dreams), are the most accessible and natural forms of communication for the human experience. Clients are encouraged to visualise and create a representation of thoughts and emotions that they may not otherwise be able to articulate.

Art therapists assist people to access their own image-making abilities. They do this by jointly exploring the meaning of their images in light of the relationships and personal experiences they encounter, which may be nurturing or distressing. The art therapist’s great advantage is being able to facilitate the client’s expression of their inner world that they may find difficult to verbalise.

The art therapist supports the processes of emotional integration and growth by providing a safe, reliable and therapeutic environment within which the client can create and use images to develop insight and achieve personal change.