Heartspace Counselling and Art Therapy
compassion connecting creativity
Frequently Asked Questions
I am considering to start counselling; how should I begin?
If you feel ready to take the next step in your counselling journey, I warmly welcome you to book a 20-minute complimentary consultation with me.
In this virtual session, I will guide you throughout, starting with an introduction and painting you a picture of what to expect in sessions.
I will also invite you to share (as little or as much as you'd like):
what you are looking for
what worked or didn't work for you if you have previous counselling experience
other curiosity questions you may have for me or my approach
You might want to consider the following based on your preferences and needs:
counselling goals
treatment modality
online/in-person sessions
If at any point in our time together we realize we are not a good fit, I am happy to provide you with referrals free of charge.
If you would like to proceed, we will then cover:
your rights as a client
understanding consent and confidentiality
session structure and expectations
goals
closing and review
I am interested in art therapy but I am not sure if it is right for me?
Note that you do not need any art skills or experience before doing art therapy.
Art therapists are trained practitioners who underwent two years of education in both Psychology and Art Therapy. During an art therapy session, the art therapist will guide you from using materials to completing prompts to processing to debriefing (sharing about the experience, creation, and meaning-making).
Using lines, shapes and colours is simply another way of self-expression that is non-verbal and embedded with layers of benefits like self-exploration and emotional regulation that is suitable for any age. (Not just children!)
If you come in saying you want to try art therapy in a session and then later change your mind, that's absolutely okay! Know that as a client, you have the right to say yes, no, I don't know, skip or goodbye. It's important for you to share where you are at and for me to know how I could support you best.
For more information and FAQ about Art Therapy, please click here.
What is your own journey with art?
I connected naturally with art as a child but as I grew older, I focused less on the possibilities that creativity and imagination have to offer and more on developing artistic skills - it then became more of an uphill climb. It wasn't until high school that I rediscovered the therapeutic power of art and how truly freeing and healing the art-making process is (this is known as "Art as Therapy").
I reconnected with art in new ways when I pursued Art Therapy both personally and professionally. Even now, I continue to challenge my Inner Critic and Perfectionist parts through different forms - be it paint, clay or pottery, and also as a self-compassion practice to nurture my inner child.
My favourite mediums include watercolours, ink pen, collage and (found) poetry and more recently taking joy in bujo and junk journalling as a community practice. You may see examples of my completed art prompts on this website and Instagram page (@art.therapy.heartspace).
