29 Jan 2022 | Online Workshop | Online Art Therapy Groups: from the inside-out

A creative and reflective CPD workshop integrating therapeutic art making with guided mindfulness practices.

After a year of the pandemic, and over a year of this transition delivering art therapy online, this workshop will provide time to reflect, explore and develop our work in this area, specifically focusing on online art therapy groups delivered via Zoom.

We will be considering our own experience of attending sessions online, alongside our own experiences when delivering them, hence the investigation: ‘From the Inside-Out’. What can we learn about relationships and reactions that occur via a screen? We will be wondering together how to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms and processes of offering online group art therapy.

The day will involve experiential practices and will include short mindfulness practices, body-based awareness, image making; group enquiry and reflection.

You will learn one specific technique to share and see images as a group, which can heighten people’s immersion and which helps keep the art central to the process. Some of the new and developing theory in this area will be described, along with safe practice, ethical issues and data protection considerations.

Some of the questions we will be wondering about together will be:

• What is your experience as a participant of an online group?
• What are the losses and gains of online art therapy groups?
• How can we deepen our understanding of what is happening online versus face-to-face?
• When would we choose online rather than face-to-face in the future?

This workshop is aimed at therapists currently offering online groups, or considering offering online groups. The examples given will focus on work with adults, however, you are welcome to attend if you work with children and there will be a space provided to share knowledge/expertise with others.

You are welcome to attend if you are a beginner, or more experienced, to either mindfulness and/or art making.

This workshop will be delivered online via Zoom. You will need access to a confidential space to make art, and at least two art materials of your choice.

Facilitator/s:

Nicky Roland: HCPC registered art therapist; mindfulness teacher. Nicky has been integrating art therapy and mindfulness since 2014. She qualified as an art therapist in 2008 and a mindfulness teacher 2014, and her passion is bringing the two modalities together. During the COVID-19 pandemic Nicky moved her private practice online and now offers a weekly online art therapy and mindfulness group. She is a supervisor and trainer, and offers CPD training with the London Art Therapy Centre and British Association of Art Therapists. She has previously worked within the NHS and the voluntary sector.
For more information about Nicky’s experience of online groups please see.