Creativity can be a gentle pathway back to wellbeing. Today, you are invited to use this art prompt: Imagine hope and the possibilities that lie outside your window. Let your creative mind explore what hope means to you and how it might appear in your personal view.

Most people thrive on routine and familiarity. When the environment or our personal circumstances shift, it is common to feel uncertain, confused, and to long for a sense of stability. Whether it’s changes in politics, ongoing wars, or shifts in the economy, the world around us moves at a fast pace, which can make it difficult to keep up and understand what’s happening. This rapid change often leads to heightened stress and anxiety, as we attempt to regain a sense of predictability and control in our lives.

What types of communication and behaviours with your children are central aspect of maintaining a healthy family dynamic?

Acceptance, respect, collaboration, validation and mindfulness.

“Genuine beginnings begin within us, even when they are brought to our attention by external opportunities”. William Bridges.

Experiencing a life transition can cause confusion and pain, it is easier to blame others and situations we find ourselves in than looking at ourselves. However, self-awareness can help us find our identity, our passion and our purpose. 

Most children with ASD, like to follow the sand play activity with a painting/drawing activity. Having to choose colours and mix them can spike even more creativity! Some children choose using clay, building models, or working with different art materials. These activities improve children’s imagination and facilitate greater abstract thinking.

Extract from my Sandplay Therapy paper submitted to STANZA - Sandplay Therapy Association of NZ and Australia.

Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment, with openness, curiosity and without judgment. What does it mean?

2022 saw many children going back to school. How these children and teenagers manage these major changes in their lives is a question confronting many parents and carers. We know that change can lead to stress, and consequently some individuals develop anxiety.

It is that time of the year again when many of us think about setting goals and making positive changes in our lives. Setting resolutions for the new year is great, but from my experience, they don’t always work!

There is no such thing as being a perfect parent.

“The art of showing up”

Many people ask me this question, so I thought I will write a description of what to expect when you come to an Art Therapy session at my practice.

Lock down number 6! But this time we can feel the uncertainty more than ever. We feel the anxiety around us, but we can also see a lot of compassion and kindness.

Tree of Hope – A reflective Art Therapy exercise using the visual metaphor in which a tree represents your life, the various elements that make it up and your hopes for the future.

This poem by Wu–Men (a classic Zen poet who lived from 1183-1260 in China) is a wonderful metaphor on how our mind can find some peace when we let go of the constant inner chatter.

Rumi’s poem: “The guesthouse” gets to the heart of mindful living in the most beautiful way.

Mindful Art Therapy activity to help us stop, reflect and be in the moment. Creativity can help us during times of stress. You do not have to be artistic to benefit from engaging in a creative activity. To encourage you to have a go, use this activity to make a start.

For some of us, the thought of coming out of isolation might raise some anxieties and unexpected challenges. It’s a time to reflect and to appreciate what’s important to us. I find that this can be an important time and we can all benefit from some inner child healing.

We are experiencing strange times at the moment. And we don’t really know when this situation is going to end, or what sort of a future we will find ourselves in. However, in the meantime, we can support each other by connecting through the wonders of technology.

Children who have experienced trauma need help to build a collection of successes, rather than a list of failures. Trauma by definition, is unbearable and intolerable. Feelings of intense fear, helplessness, loss of control and threat of death characterize it. Trauma can overwhelm a person mentally, emotionally and physically.

I was recently contacted by someone to publish their writing on my website. I decided to go ahead an help out this stranger as I am passionate about equality, people with disabilities and mental health.