Drawing Within Art Therapy & Counselling Service Ballarat

Services Offered

One on One Therapeutic Consultations for Adults

Offering Therapeutic Creative Arts Therapies including Sandplay, for NDIS participants who are Plan managed or Self- managed and also privately funded clients.

These are some examples of Group Art therapy I can facilitate.

(a) Team building and Professional development days with specific themes for agencies

Maximum15 participants in a group at your location, or 10 paticipants if you come to my studio. With the latter you also have access to my therapeutic garden and its benefits.

I consult with you to discuss what your organisation's needs are and work out some goals.They may e.g.include: relaxation, mindfulness, collaboration, opportunities to be creative with co-workers.

(b) Community Arts and Well-being Group for parents/ caregivers.

Focus on providing Community Arts & Well-being groups at local Ballarat Primary schools.

Target Audience
Past and present parents, grandparents, guardians, carers of children@the school. 
Wider Community members and folk from neighbouring Ballarat towns.
Anyone who loves being arty or creative.
Child free, so adults are able to have some “You Time”.

What we can do each week?
Unwind at the end of the week.
All kinds of creative work and have fun experimenting with lots of different art forms, as a way of enhancing positive mental health and well-being.
Mindfulness/Relaxation,chatting,making new friends over shared morning tea.
Participate in monthly creative nature excursions around Ballarat, to awaken our senses to creativity and being present.

(b) Supporting those with blindness or low vision

5 years experience creatively supporting Vision Australia clients, who were blind or had low vision. It was a priviledge to support this resilient group with all kinds of art mediums but especially clay, while also witnessing their stories and transitions from sighted to non- sighted, partial sightedness, or being blind since birth.

The cornerstones of our work were offering deep listening and presence, which built safe and trust-filled relationships. 

I very much welcome NDIS participants or privately funded clients, who would like to explore a creative arts journey with me.

(c) Ageing Gracefully

Creative expression through Art therapy promotes healthy ageing, improves mental health and prevention of depression.

It is important to give people with dementia new opportunities to be creative and try new skills. Learning can take place in a nurturing environment.
When one engages with the arts, mind, body and spirit are connected.

Why the Ageing Gracefully Art Therapy Program works.

This person centred, holistic approach to care, provides creative expression for aged residents in residential care who:

May find it difficult to express themselves through words

Already have an interest in art or being creative

Need the chance to relax, feel calmer, more centred if they can be creative in small groups.

(c) Close to the Bone, Cancer Support

Group work supporting both survivors and carers who have walked the journey with cancer.

Opportunities to share with others who have gone through the same experiences

Time out just to be: renew, recuperate, regenerate

(d) Clients with ABI (Acquired Brain Injury), TBI ( Traumatic Brain Injury) or complex needs

Personal one on one consultations taken at the client's pace,facilitate the most growth for these clients

Encouraging them to express their buried or unexpressed feelings, through art modalities that they are interested in experimenting with.

(e) Mandalas/ Mask Workshops/ Intensive days

Mask Making -explore the different faces and roles that make up who we are and who we would like to be.

Mandala is the Sanskrit word for sacred circle. Inside the safety of a Mandala, where you draw within the boundary,one can create a repetitive design. It can be a tool for meditation, therapy or to while away time.

Mandalas draw you within, they have a calming and centring effect on whoever does them. After the Mandala is completed, the finished work becomes an instrument for further reflection.
It is an ideal way to combine a love of colour and symbol ,with much needed quiet time in our hectic world.

(f) Women's groups- Refugee or family violence survivors

Clinical Art Based Supervision for Counsellors & Professionals in the Education ,Welfare and the helping sectors- Face to Face or Zoom

I am a registered professional Supervisor with the Australian Counselling Association- College of Professional Counselling Supervisors and have met the following requirements:

Level 4 ACA Member.

Completed ACA Accredited Clinical Supervision Training Course.

Complete 25 Points of ACA approved Ongoing Professional Development per annum of which a minimum of 10 hours must be directly related to Supervision.

I provide Art based supervision to Counsellors, Art Therapists, Sandplay Therapists, Teachers and Case Managers, Support- Coordinators, Disability Support workers, including trainee and beginner counsellors. I work hard to build a supervisory alliance between myself and my supervisees, which is grounded in honesty, trust, openness and professionalism. I provide safety and support for my supervisees and am comfortable with any strong emotions they may have. My ability to be totally present makes my supervision sessions very affirming and nuturing .

As a counsellor/Art therapist and supervisor myself, I fully understand the issues which counsellors and Art therapists face, who live and work in regional and rural cities of Victoria, or other states of Australia. These may include:

Isolation,

Travelling long distances for face to face professional development. 

The pitfalls of therapists in private practice without peer support.

With this in mind I offer an empathic approach to all my supervisees, especially those who are starting out and may be daunted by all the ethical and legal responsibilities practitioners must abide by, or supervisees who just want to touch base about a challenging client.

My goals for a supervision session are to:

• Listen to my supervisee’s needs
• Provide Art based techniques and processes to help supervisees explore and set goals
• Encourage self-reflection
• Give constructive feedback
• Build confidence and trust in the supervisory bond, which then transfers to the counsellor /client relationship of the supervisee.

Please note my services are for supervision sessions only, not to train you in Art therapy processes.If you are really interested in Art therapy, I encourage you do some formal study and experiential training, to acquire the necessary skills at either the Miecat Institute Melbourne, Latrobe university or IKON.

I offer:                                                                                                                         

• I hour face to face, phone and Zoom
• Written authorisation of supervision hours for annual ACA, ANZACATA registration.
• Fees are negotiable      

Contact and More Information
If you are tired of 1-1 talking therapy and need a different approach, try Creative Arts therapy.

If you are a therapist, case manager or professional who needs mentoring or supervising, why not choose a supervisor like myself?
I will actively encourage you to creatively explore cases and issues using figurines or art modalities to elicit new meaning to your work.
Now is the time to transform your life or your work practice, and experience the power of Creative Arts Therapy.

Contact me on 0409 954 703 or email : drawingwithin@yahoo.com.au to make an appointment,I would love to hear from you.♥