groups
We design and facilitate specialised group Art Therapy and wellbeing programs for adults and young people (aged 12+).
We work with groups and communities connected by their workplace, school, shared lived experiences, circumstances and council locations.
Some examples of program focuses we have facilitated have included: mental health & wellbeing support, group bonding, play & fun, increasing social connection and psychoeducation.
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We acknowledge (and appreciate) that every group looks and feels different.
We make sure that we design programs that are relevant and accessible for every space that we have the privilege to work within.
In order to do this, we prioritise substantial communication (over phone and/or email) and often ask very specific questions to help us understand your needs.
Please note that currently we run all groups onsite at your location.
why art therapy?
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Sometimes speaking out loud (verbal expression) about our thoughts and feelings is simply not possible.
This could be because we might not know the words to accurately match what’s happening internally, or maybe words don’t even exist to describe it.
Maybe what we need to share feels too heavy, challenging and scary to say out loud.
Creating art, such as a drawing, painting, collages, sculptures, are all forms of visual expression that don’t necessarily need words (making them non-verbal-friendly).
This means Art Therapy innately broadens access to communication & sharing about ourselves.
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We feel its important to emphasise that we find Art Therapy super inclusive of queerness and neurodiversity - two elements of identity we hold close to our hearts.
Art Therapy can provide a space to explore and understand all of these important facets on our own terms and at our own pace. This can also extend to gender, spirituality, faith, culture and more.
One of the awesome things about Art Therapy (as we shared above) is that it is all about embracing your unique way of processing (meaning it can be very neuro-affirming).
As art-making provides an opportunity for non-verbal and sensory-rich expression, it can engage with different parts of yourself in ways that traditional talk therapies might not be able to.
Art Therapy usually focuses on what you're already good at. This approach emphasises your strengths and capacity for growth and resilience, rather than just addressing deficits or pathologizing experiences (in other words, Art Therapy is less interested in what you can’t do and more interested in what you can do).
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Art making can tap into our kinesthetic experiences (movements in our body) and sensory experiences (sight, smell, sound, touch or taste), which can increase our ability to emotionally regulate and experience a flow state.
A flow state in a session is cool - it’s when you’re being creative and become fully absorbed in the process.
You may experience a sense of timelessness, feeling directly focused on a task, where it feels natural, fluid and pleasurable.
Art making can help soothe, distract and control our emotions. It can help us to move away from overwhelming emotions, and move to calmness or grounding in the present moment.
We feel that playing for the sake of playing is really underrated (especially for adolescents & adults).
Play means doing something without a goal in mind, trying things out, seeing where it takes us and using our imagination.
Imagination enables us to think beyond current realities, meaning we can also be a bit more flexible when problem solving later on! It can also help emotional regulation as we can use visualisation of calming or joyful scenarios.
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This is when we achieve or accomplish something. It can make us feel competent, confident and in control.
You’d be surprised at how empowering it can feel to get creative!
Feeling in control of your creative process and making your own decisions (like what art materials you use and art directives you do) can increase your feeling of agency and autonomy.
This can spill out into other parts of life, increasing a sense of general satisfaction and competence.
Learning new skills, no matter how small they may seem, can increase feelings of accomplishment. It can feel especially good if these are art skills or techniques that you thought you’d never be able to do!
All of these feelings of mastery can help build a more positive perception of yourself and boost your self-esteem.
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In contrast to talk therapy, Art Therapy can offer a concrete representation of your thoughts, feelings and experiences with an art object that you can literally hold out in front of you.
This can sometimes help create a safe distance between our experiences and our selves, which can help us see it in a different way.
The art object can be a record of exploration and progress, like a marker in time. Looking at your collection of art objects over a period of time can almost be like reading your diary entries over the same period.
It can also be a tool to help you when communicating with the Art Therapist or even friends, family or other support people.
Witnessing yourself and your own art object can increase self-insight and awareness.
It’s also just an object that you have full control over - it’s up to you whether you want to keep it, leave it with the therapist, throw it in the bin, gift it to someone, put it up on your wall, put it in a box under your bed, or even adapt it at a later date.
why group work?
With all of the above in mind, let’s add in the communal experience of being a group.
You get some extra benefits such as:
social support
By creating in a group environment, we have the chance to share our creations with other participants, not just an Art Therapist. This offers a greater number of witnessing moments - of other people witnessing you as well as you witnessing others.
Participants can offer mutual support, encouragement and normalisation around art-making processes. Normalisation of mental health stories and experiences that come up in groups can also reduce feelings of isolation and stigma around mental health discourse. We also have the chance to develop and practise social skills through communicating within the safety of a therapeutic environment.
collaboration
Group Art Therapy opens up this incredible opportunity for collective/collaborative art-making. Collaborative art-making ignites a sense of unity, connection and shared ownership - and not just sharing with community, but creating with a community.
Creating art with others invites a deep connection through verbal and non-verbal interactions between makers. It offers all the in-the-moment and longer-term benefits of social connection generally, with the added magic of shared imagination and teamwork.
collective learning
Engaging in group Art Therapy involves a collection of individuals that will no doubt have many things in common.
Equally as important, the group will include many diverse experiences and perspectives. Having diverse perspectives allows participants to learn about the world through each other’s art-making and sharing.
In addition, we can learn from each other with a focus on art-making - this could be learning about materials, processes, techniques or styles that each of us use inside or outside of the group space.
practicality
The great thing about groups is that more people can access support from an Art Therapist and their facilitation in the one space/session, which is helpful if time, scheduling and adequate staffing are considerations.
This also means that groups can be more cost effective for participants or organisations.
It’s important to note that individuals may receive more direct interaction with an Art Therapist in 1:1 Art Therapy. However this does not mean that Group Art Therapy offers any fewer therapeutic benefits for participants.
Okay, so what’s the process to book CAYA?
Here’s what you can expect when contacting us for group programs:
You send an inquiry to us here or email us at info@cayaartspace.com.
We respond with some more questions. There might be some back & forth emails or phone calls to help clarify your needs and to see if we’re a good fit for each other. We will provide the cost of the program when we have a clear idea of what your group needs.
If both parties decide we’re good to go, we will confirm the booking, relevant logistics such as payment processes, location & follow up processes etc.
Expect to see us on the agreed day(s), time & location with big bags and baskets of art materials.
We value feedback immensely, so with this in mind, we may ask you to fill in a brief evaluation of your experience with us.
