Art therapy in Central London
Art therapy in Central London is available at the Dr Jacquet and Associates practice, offered by a qualified and experienced art psychotherapist. The work is clinical in orientation. It is not art class, not art appreciation, and it does not require artistic skill or experience. What it requires is a willingness to engage with image-making as a way of exploring material that verbal conversation has not been able to reach.
When art therapy is indicated
Art therapy is particularly relevant for presentations involving trauma, eating disorders, early developmental experience, and difficulties with body image and self-perception. It is also valuable for people who are not naturally verbal about their inner lives, who find that images, rather than words, allow them to express and explore what is present. In these contexts, art therapy is not a second-best to talking therapy; it is often more effective.
The process
Art therapy sessions involve making images (drawing, painting, collage, or other media) and working with what emerges in the making. The therapist is not an interpreter imposing meaning on the work. The process is collaborative, an inquiry into what the image holds and what it makes possible to say or know.
Individual and group work
Art therapy at the Central London practice is available on an individual basis and, periodically, in small group formats. Group art therapy offers the additional dimension of working with others, the relational dynamics that emerge when image-making is shared.
Beginning
Initial consultations are available at the Central London office or online. The first meeting is a conversation to establish whether art therapy is the most appropriate approach and to answer any questions about the process.
Common questions
What is art therapy?
A form of psychotherapy that uses image-making to express and explore feelings that are hard to put into words. No artistic ability is required.
Do I need to be good at art?
No, the artwork is a route into the work, not something to be judged.
What can art therapy help with?
Trauma, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and addiction, particularly where talking alone feels limiting.
Where is it available?
In person in Central London and at the practice's other London locations.