The Person-Centred approach to therapy was developed in the mid-1900s by psychologist Carl Rogers, and is now a widespread model that has expanded into other fields including education and health.
Art is used as a tool in many different therapy modalities including the Person-Centred approach. Counsellors who work with art in this way believe it’s important to understand a person’s experiences from the person’s perspective rather than offering interpretations about artworks.
Background
Carl Rogers’ daughter, Natalie, trained as a psychotherapist and expanded on her father’s work. She founded an institute in California, the Person Centred Expressive Therapy (PCET) Institute. Her mother was an artist, so with these early influences she was able to see the importance of helping people to engage with creative arts to bring about personal growth and healing.
Since the 1980s in London another Person-Centred Art Therapy approach evolved that was pioneered by Liesl Silverstone – a tutor, counsellor and art therapist for over 30 years. Liesl consulted with Carl Rogers during the development of her approach and the Association for Person-Centred Creative Arts continues to teach it today.
Okay, so what does this all mean in practice?
I’m a registered Person-Centred counsellor (PACFA) and certified Person-Centred Creative Arts counsellor (APCCA).
Person-Centred Creative Arts counsellors are qualified counsellors who have additional certified training in working therapeutically with art.
I see clients as the experts of their lives and experiences and believe that with support they can find personal meanings in their images and artworks. I actively work to avoid interpreting or judging clients’ images and artworks, and to develop a therapeutic relationship based on trust.
But I’m not good at art
It doesn’t matter whether you believe are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at art, or have ‘artistic talent’ and drawing skills – if you can make a mark on paper or shape dough or clay in your hands, you can make something! The quality of your image or artwork isn’t important, openness to this way of working is.
Working therapeutically with art can be a way to discover insights into your current situation or a fresh perspective about issues that you might be feeling stuck with.
Online or face-to-face
The answer is both! I offer clients a choice of working therapeutically using art and talk therapy, online and face-to-face.