* No prior art experience or skill is required. In art therapy, all children and parents are invited to freely explore self-expressions.
OUR ART THERAPY SERVICES INCLUDE:
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION INCLUDE:
SUMMARY OF SERVICES:
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a masters level, mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages including children/teens/adults. Art therapy enables you to explore your self-expression, and process of art making and the resulting artwork allows you to look into your feelings, to help you understand and reconcile your emotional conflicts, improve self-esteem, reduce anxiety, find coping skills, and restore normal function to your lives.
What is an Art Therapy session like?
In an art therapy session, your child has options whether s/he starts creating art, play, or talking as s/he feels like. For instance, the child can begin expressing his/her feelings and as s/he is discussing what happened the other day, s/he can draw images that come up to his/her mind. It can be concrete images, symbols or may be abstract shapes in different colours. In other ways, the child may sculpt clay to depict his/her bodily senses s/he is experiencing, make a collage by selecting photos and words to explore emotions that s/he had difficulty talking. During art-making process, or when the child finished creating your artwork, we may talk about any part of art-making process or finished artwork(s) so that the child can reflect his/her own emotions and gain awareness of his/her inner-world, which may lead him/her to find deeper understandings of challenges and develop positive changes.
Instead of conveying feelings with words, my art therapy sessions invite your child to have opportunities to clarify and reorganize his/her experience and feelings through metaphoric expressions, symbolic images in a creative way. Your child can explore these steps in a safe and supportive environment with me in order for him/her to enhance self-esteem, gain strengths, and discover ways of coping in a healthy manner.
Who can benefit from Art Therapy?
Art therapy is an effective way for people who face difficulty verbalizing their feelings. Children, adolescents and adults; all ages of individuals can benefit from creative process through art therapy.
You may choose art therapy because your child is experiencing challenges to describe his/her feelings about issues of anxiety, depression or any other painful life events such as grieving, severe illness since these can be too hurtful to put in words.
Further, children/ adolescents with autism, intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities, can gain therapeutic outcomes from art therapy. For children with special needs, exploring art with Noriko's assistance can promote their attention span and a sense of achievement. The process of creating art can assist children/teens in communicating their thoughts and expressing their feelings, which can often be difficult through speech or writing. Through a playful and creative process, art therapy increases a child’s awareness of the world around them, others, and themselves. Noriko guides children to build a wide variety of skills such as communication and problem-solving skills. The diverse sensory experiences involved in art-making are enjoyable. Those who have difficulties expressing themselves in words can experience a sense of joy, fulfillment, and accomplishment by creating art with or without verbal expression in art therapy with Erica.
OUR ART THERAPY SERVICES INCLUDE:
- Individualized therapy
- Child group activities
- Sibling activities
- Family dyad therapy (caregiver & child therapy)
- Family dyad group therapy
- Consultations for home, school, daycares
- School and daycare visits
- Education and training for caregivers, educators, and other professionals
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION INCLUDE:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Preschool/ school age behavioural and emotional delays and disorders
- Social, emotional and sensory difficulties
- Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
- Learning Disabilities
- Intellectual Disabilities
- ADD/ADHD
- Fine/Gross motor
- Sensory integration
- Visual perception
- School and play skill development
- Communication skills (*non-verbal & verbal)
- Self-expression (e.g. Express emotions and thoughts through art-making and play)
- Self-image
- Self-esteem
- Problem-solving skills
- Abstract thinking & Imaginative and pretend play skills
- Autonomy/ Independence
- School and home conflicts
- Grieving and loss
- Trauma (including PTSD)
SUMMARY OF SERVICES:
- Evaluation – An assessment of a single session: 1 hour (including 10 minutes cleanup time) or a double session: 2 hours (including10 minutes cleanup time) with the child to complete art therapy (and play therapy) based clinic observations and interview when appropriate. (*For a family dyad session, the caregiver joins the session with the child.) The evaluation includes a follow up discussion with caregiver(s) at the end of the session. The discussion can be arranged on the phone and the time for the phone conversation will be allotted accordingly. The art therapist discusses the results of clinical observations, explaining in detail the links between observations and theory, and includes the established treatment objectives and plan. A written report is an option to add upon request.
- Infant Evaluation – An assessment visit of 1 hour with the infant and caregiver(s) to complete interview and art therapy (and play therapy) based clinical observations. Includes initial recommendations and establishing treatment objectives and plan.
- Intervention session – A treatment session typically lasts for 60-minutes (including 10 minutes cleanup time). The parent(s) will be given an opportunity to have dialogue with the art therapist at the end of the session.
- Treatment sessions are also available in a daycare and school environment.
- Consultation session – The art therapist visit to a home, daycare or school is possible to assist in evaluating and providing support in the child’s environment.
- Evaluation and treatment times and objectives can be tailored on a case-by-case basis if there is a need. Please contact the clinic for more information.
- Group/Sibling Activities – Art therapy group intervention sessions are available for a variety of treatment objectives, such as social skills, anxiety, mindfulness, self-image, and grieving.
- Family Dyad (caregiver & child therapy) / Family Dyad Group Activities – Art Therapy family dyad and family dyad group sessions are available for families for a variety of treatment objectives, such as family conflict, parenting, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, and bereavement.
- Training – Various ateliers will be offered throughout the year for parents, teachers, daycare workers and other professionals. Please see training page for upcoming workshops. Therapists are available to book a training on a specific topic for your group, please contact the clinic for more information
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a masters level, mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages including children/teens/adults. Art therapy enables you to explore your self-expression, and process of art making and the resulting artwork allows you to look into your feelings, to help you understand and reconcile your emotional conflicts, improve self-esteem, reduce anxiety, find coping skills, and restore normal function to your lives.
What is an Art Therapy session like?
In an art therapy session, your child has options whether s/he starts creating art, play, or talking as s/he feels like. For instance, the child can begin expressing his/her feelings and as s/he is discussing what happened the other day, s/he can draw images that come up to his/her mind. It can be concrete images, symbols or may be abstract shapes in different colours. In other ways, the child may sculpt clay to depict his/her bodily senses s/he is experiencing, make a collage by selecting photos and words to explore emotions that s/he had difficulty talking. During art-making process, or when the child finished creating your artwork, we may talk about any part of art-making process or finished artwork(s) so that the child can reflect his/her own emotions and gain awareness of his/her inner-world, which may lead him/her to find deeper understandings of challenges and develop positive changes.
Instead of conveying feelings with words, my art therapy sessions invite your child to have opportunities to clarify and reorganize his/her experience and feelings through metaphoric expressions, symbolic images in a creative way. Your child can explore these steps in a safe and supportive environment with me in order for him/her to enhance self-esteem, gain strengths, and discover ways of coping in a healthy manner.
Who can benefit from Art Therapy?
Art therapy is an effective way for people who face difficulty verbalizing their feelings. Children, adolescents and adults; all ages of individuals can benefit from creative process through art therapy.
You may choose art therapy because your child is experiencing challenges to describe his/her feelings about issues of anxiety, depression or any other painful life events such as grieving, severe illness since these can be too hurtful to put in words.
Further, children/ adolescents with autism, intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities, can gain therapeutic outcomes from art therapy. For children with special needs, exploring art with Noriko's assistance can promote their attention span and a sense of achievement. The process of creating art can assist children/teens in communicating their thoughts and expressing their feelings, which can often be difficult through speech or writing. Through a playful and creative process, art therapy increases a child’s awareness of the world around them, others, and themselves. Noriko guides children to build a wide variety of skills such as communication and problem-solving skills. The diverse sensory experiences involved in art-making are enjoyable. Those who have difficulties expressing themselves in words can experience a sense of joy, fulfillment, and accomplishment by creating art with or without verbal expression in art therapy with Erica.