Art Therapy in Institutions
February 14-15, 2026
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Day 3, February 14, 2026
Art Therapy Inside the Institution: Building Third Spaces for Healing and Resistance
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Dr. Rochele Royster, PhD, ATR-BC, LCAT
Dr. Rochele Royster is an Assistant Professor in the Creative Arts Therapy Department at Syracuse University and the founder of the ME/WE Creative Arts Lab & Studio, a community-based art therapy and wellness space on the West Side of Syracuse. A community psychologist, artist, and board-certified art therapist, her work centers Black feminist care practices, cultural humility, and liberation-focused art therapy.
Dr. Royster has spent over two decades integrating arts-based healing into schools, community centers, hospitals, and public institutions—most notably through open art therapy studios designed to cultivate belonging, authorship, and collective care among marginalized youth. Her current scholarship explores sense of belonging, land-based healing, Black women’s community care models, and decolonial art therapy pedagogies. Her teaching emphasizes anti-oppressive group facilitation, embodied relational practice, and community-engaged research. She is committed to expanding interdisciplinary, culturally responsive art therapy that supports justice, wellness, and joy.
Dr. Royster has spent over two decades integrating arts-based healing into schools, community centers, hospitals, and public institutions—most notably through open art therapy studios designed to cultivate belonging, authorship, and collective care among marginalized youth. Her current scholarship explores sense of belonging, land-based healing, Black women’s community care models, and decolonial art therapy pedagogies. Her teaching emphasizes anti-oppressive group facilitation, embodied relational practice, and community-engaged research. She is committed to expanding interdisciplinary, culturally responsive art therapy that supports justice, wellness, and joy.
Art therapy is an effective modality for the population of first-generation immigrants exposed to traumatic experiences. This presentation presents the inclusion of an art-based approach in local Quebec schools, which support the cultural diversity of students while underlining the transcultural value of art therapy. In a group setting, this clientele can discover that they are able to shape their existence and to embrace new ways of interacting with the world. Consequently, the Expressive Therapies Continuum is used as a foundational framework. It is fundamental to consider the properties of art materials when implanting art-based programs since media are the vehicles for creative expression and non-verbal communication. This presentation focused on multicultural alliance, social empowerment and interpersonal development. Visual examples are presented at the same time as the presenter’s clinical experience and empirical research, including media properties and their fundamental use in public schools. Throughout her work with this population, the author's professional identity has been guided by her commitment to the art-making process, and to do so, she had to delve in her own experience as an artist and a second-generation migrant in Canada.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. List and explain at least three art therapy directives based on the ETC, specifically designed to support adolescents from diverse backgrounds.
2. Participants will be able to identify and describe two art interventions that can be effectively used with immigrant adolescents in school-based settings.
3. Participants will demonstrate a basic understanding of qualitative research in schools by summarizing key concepts and applying ethical and cultural considerations.
4. Participants will critically reflect on their own cultural assumptions by understanding responses to art and identifying at least one insight about its impact on their clinical practice.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. List and explain at least three art therapy directives based on the ETC, specifically designed to support adolescents from diverse backgrounds.
2. Participants will be able to identify and describe two art interventions that can be effectively used with immigrant adolescents in school-based settings.
3. Participants will demonstrate a basic understanding of qualitative research in schools by summarizing key concepts and applying ethical and cultural considerations.
4. Participants will critically reflect on their own cultural assumptions by understanding responses to art and identifying at least one insight about its impact on their clinical practice.
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Maria Riccardi MA, PhD(c), ATR-BC, OPQ
Finding Own Voice through Art Therapy in School
Art therapy is an effective modality for the population of first-generation immigrants exposed to traumatic experiences. This presentation presents the inclusion of an art-based approach in local Quebec schools, which support the cultural diversity of students while underlining the transcultural value of art therapy. In a group setting, this clientele can discover that they are able to shape their existence and to embrace new ways of interacting with the world. Consequently, the Expressive Therapies Continuum is used as a foundational framework. It is fundamental to consider the properties of art materials when implanting art-based programs since media are the vehicles for creative expression and non-verbal communication. This presentation focused on multicultural alliance, social empowerment and interpersonal development. Visual examples are presented at the same time as the presenter’s clinical experience and empirical research, including media properties and their fundamental use in public schools. Throughout her work with this population, the author's professional identity has been guided by her commitment to the art-making process, and to do so, she had to delve in her own experience as an artist and a second-generation migrant in Canada.
Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. List and explain at least three art therapy directives based on the ETC, specifically designed to support adolescents from diverse backgrounds.
2. Participants will be able to identify and describe two art interventions that can be effectively used with immigrant adolescents in school-based settings.
3. Participants will demonstrate a basic understanding of qualitative research in schools by summarizing key concepts and applying ethical and cultural considerations.
4. Participants will critically reflect on their own cultural assumptions by understanding responses to art and identifying at least one insight about its impact on their clinical practice.
Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. List and explain at least three art therapy directives based on the ETC, specifically designed to support adolescents from diverse backgrounds.
2. Participants will be able to identify and describe two art interventions that can be effectively used with immigrant adolescents in school-based settings.
3. Participants will demonstrate a basic understanding of qualitative research in schools by summarizing key concepts and applying ethical and cultural considerations.
4. Participants will critically reflect on their own cultural assumptions by understanding responses to art and identifying at least one insight about its impact on their clinical practice.
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Maria Riccardi MA, PhD(c), ATR-BC, OPQ
Art Today Opens Tomorrow - Art Therapy Program in Schools in Poland
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Katarzyna Góralczyk, MA
TICAT©: Trauma-Informed Integrated Creative Arts Therapies Intervention Model
This presentation introduces TICAT© (Trauma-Informed Integrated Creative Arts Therapies), a field-tested intervention model designed to strengthen emotional healing and resilience in humanitarian contexts, with examples from refugee-camp and community-based implementations.
Drawing on trauma-informed, multi-modal creative arts practices, TICAT© supports both displaced populations and the aid workers who may experience compassion fatigue and burnout, by offering structured pathways for regulation, expression, and reconnection. Participants will be guided through the model’s six-step architecture, which mirrors the creative process and integrates somatic grounding, identity exploration, containment through “safe place” work, symbolic creation, collaborative “common ground” building, and embodied action/ritual for integration.
The presentation also highlights a participatory and sustainable implementation strategy, bringing analysis, co-planning with local partners, training-of-trainers, and supervised field piloting, to ensure cultural responsiveness and practical feasibility in complex settings.
Finally, TICAT© is situated within broader international capacity-building initiatives (including the CCA Erasmus+ network) that refine trauma-processing methods through embodiment and the creative arts, supporting empowerment, social inclusion, and community cohesion.
Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the purpose and core principles of TICAT© (Trauma-Informed Integrated Creative Arts Therapies).
2. Outline the TICAT© six-step intervention and explain the clinical intention of each phase (e.g., grounding, safe place/containment, symbolic creation, common ground, integration/ritual).
3. Apply trauma-informed and culturally responsive considerations when adapting creative arts processes for refugee communities and other high-stress environments.
4. Identify practical strategies for sustainable implementation.
5. Recognize how TICAT© can support both service users and frontline helpers.
Drawing on trauma-informed, multi-modal creative arts practices, TICAT© supports both displaced populations and the aid workers who may experience compassion fatigue and burnout, by offering structured pathways for regulation, expression, and reconnection. Participants will be guided through the model’s six-step architecture, which mirrors the creative process and integrates somatic grounding, identity exploration, containment through “safe place” work, symbolic creation, collaborative “common ground” building, and embodied action/ritual for integration.
The presentation also highlights a participatory and sustainable implementation strategy, bringing analysis, co-planning with local partners, training-of-trainers, and supervised field piloting, to ensure cultural responsiveness and practical feasibility in complex settings.
Finally, TICAT© is situated within broader international capacity-building initiatives (including the CCA Erasmus+ network) that refine trauma-processing methods through embodiment and the creative arts, supporting empowerment, social inclusion, and community cohesion.
Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the purpose and core principles of TICAT© (Trauma-Informed Integrated Creative Arts Therapies).
2. Outline the TICAT© six-step intervention and explain the clinical intention of each phase (e.g., grounding, safe place/containment, symbolic creation, common ground, integration/ritual).
3. Apply trauma-informed and culturally responsive considerations when adapting creative arts processes for refugee communities and other high-stress environments.
4. Identify practical strategies for sustainable implementation.
5. Recognize how TICAT© can support both service users and frontline helpers.
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Dr. Camilla Mele, PhD, MSc, MA, PM
Reimagining Creative Arts Therapies Applied Learning Through Justice-Centered Community Innovation
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Heather McLaughlin, MA, ATR-BC, RMFT-S
(Solution-Focused) Art Therapy LOM® in Public Institutions
In Switzerland, art therapy in the form of the LOM® method is represented in numerous organizations, highlighting its broad acceptance and professional recognition. The method, formally known as Solution-Focused Art Therapy LOM®, was developed in 1980 by art therapist Bettina Egger and psychotherapist Jörg Merz. It arose from the need for a structured approach that facilitates emotional problem-solving through painting, without requiring symbolic interpretation of the images produced. LOM® has demonstrated particular efficacy in the treatment of trauma, unresolved conflicts, stress, anxiety and relational difficulties. Its effectiveness is further supported by links to contemporary neuroscience, which shows how new neural pathways can be established through creative processes. By engaging in techniques such as painting “neutral” images (metaphors) or working with the non-dominant hand, clients can reduce hyperarousal, achieve emotional distance, and reorganize internal states. This process generates a new neurological imprint, thereby altering emotional reactivity in a measurable way.
The approach is distinguished by its systematic structure. LOM® is classified as a brief therapy modality, characterized by clear therapeutic boundaries and an emphasis on observable progress. The use of structured questioning, metaphorical framing, and a judgment-free setting contributes to the method’s replicability and reliability in clinical practice. Since its foundation, LOM® has spread beyond Switzerland to other countries in Europe, where it has been integrated into both clinical and academic contexts. LOM®’s combination of theoretical rigor and practical applicability makes it a versatile tool for therapeutic work with individuals and groups. Its ability to foster rapid and sustainable emotional change, with lasting results that reduce stress even in the long term, positions it as a valuable contribution to the field of contemporary psychotherapy and art therapy.
Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the methodology of (Solution-Focused) Art Therapy LOM®
2. Apply Metaphors for Somatic Experiences
3. Explain the implementation of (Solution-Focused) Art Therapy LOM® in Organizations
The approach is distinguished by its systematic structure. LOM® is classified as a brief therapy modality, characterized by clear therapeutic boundaries and an emphasis on observable progress. The use of structured questioning, metaphorical framing, and a judgment-free setting contributes to the method’s replicability and reliability in clinical practice. Since its foundation, LOM® has spread beyond Switzerland to other countries in Europe, where it has been integrated into both clinical and academic contexts. LOM®’s combination of theoretical rigor and practical applicability makes it a versatile tool for therapeutic work with individuals and groups. Its ability to foster rapid and sustainable emotional change, with lasting results that reduce stress even in the long term, positions it as a valuable contribution to the field of contemporary psychotherapy and art therapy.
Learning objectives
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the methodology of (Solution-Focused) Art Therapy LOM®
2. Apply Metaphors for Somatic Experiences
3. Explain the implementation of (Solution-Focused) Art Therapy LOM® in Organizations
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Cora Egger, MA
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Rahel Brügger, MA, MPF
Day 4, February 15, 2026
Designing Reflective and Restorative Spaces for Burn Caregivers in a Public Hospital
This presentation focuses on the application of short-term, trauma-informed art therapy to support caregivers in a public hospital burn unit in South India. The approach is embedded within mandated early intervention protocols and integrated into an interdisciplinary healthcare system as part of psychosocial care for complex burn trauma. Art therapy is offered as an adjunct to caregiver education modules on wound care, surgical rehabilitation, nutrition, physiotherapy, and the impact of trauma. This study aims to address a gap in the literature by examining caregivers’ experiences in bi-monthly art therapy groups. Interventions were tailored to caregivers’ needs and availability during their hospital stay.
Adopting a phenomenological lens, three key insights emerged, highlighting the efficacy of art therapy in: identifying instances of domestic violence and self-inflicted injury; illustrating patient-caregiver dynamics that informed the structure of extended care strategies; and supporting relaxation, emotional regulation, and stress relief. The findings suggest that creative spaces and processes offered moments of regulation, meaning-making, hope, and reassurance. The study further evidences the role of art therapy groups as containers for distress, means of articulating fear of death, and spaces that foster peer learning and validate caregiving efforts.
Learning objectives
At the end of this presentation, the participants will be able to:
1. Describe at least three creative strategies for delivering art therapy in short-term or time-limited sessions
2. Differentiate between repetition-based and response-based interventions, and explain their effective application
3. Identify key considerations for adapting art therapy to diverse community needs
Adopting a phenomenological lens, three key insights emerged, highlighting the efficacy of art therapy in: identifying instances of domestic violence and self-inflicted injury; illustrating patient-caregiver dynamics that informed the structure of extended care strategies; and supporting relaxation, emotional regulation, and stress relief. The findings suggest that creative spaces and processes offered moments of regulation, meaning-making, hope, and reassurance. The study further evidences the role of art therapy groups as containers for distress, means of articulating fear of death, and spaces that foster peer learning and validate caregiving efforts.
Learning objectives
At the end of this presentation, the participants will be able to:
1. Describe at least three creative strategies for delivering art therapy in short-term or time-limited sessions
2. Differentiate between repetition-based and response-based interventions, and explain their effective application
3. Identify key considerations for adapting art therapy to diverse community needs
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Sruthi Sriram, MA, AThR, RYT
The Use of Art Therapy in an Intensive Treatment Program for Adults Living with Severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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Linda E. Chapman, RP, RCAT, Clinical Member OSRP
Behind the Mask: A Weekly Art Therapy Group on a Male Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit
This presentation explores the development and impact of a weekly art therapy group on a male Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) within a busy London NHS hospital. Over 2.5 years, the group has evolved into a collaborative, inclusive, and psychologically safe space where patients can express themselves creatively. Co-facilitated by an Arts Psychotherapist and the ward’s Activities Coordinator, the group has become a key component of ward culture, offering an important counterbalance to an environment often shaped by risk management, containment, and medical intervention.
Open to both patients and staff, the group promotes an alternative mode of communication rooted in creativity, co-production, and mutual respect. Its collaborative ethos has visibly transformed the ward environment: artworks and poems created in the group are displayed throughout the unit and along the corridor leading to the ward entrance, while co-designed murals serve as lasting symbols of belonging, dignity, and shared ownership. No distinction is made between patient and staff contributions, reinforcing a non-hierarchical culture.
The session will highlight how collaborative art therapy can support self-regulation, relational repair, emotional safety, and a more compassionate inpatient culture. It demonstrates how creativity can shift institutional narratives, recognising patients not as passive recipients of care but as resourceful, expressive, and resilient individuals.
Learning objectives
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe how a weekly, co-facilitated art therapy group can be developed and sustained within a male PICU setting.
2. Identify core elements that support psychological safety and inclusion in high-risk inpatient environments.
3. Explain how collaborative artmaking can promote self-regulation, relational repair, and emotional safety for patients and staff in intensive care contexts.
4. Evaluate how visible creative outputs can influence ward culture and strengthen belonging and dignity.
Open to both patients and staff, the group promotes an alternative mode of communication rooted in creativity, co-production, and mutual respect. Its collaborative ethos has visibly transformed the ward environment: artworks and poems created in the group are displayed throughout the unit and along the corridor leading to the ward entrance, while co-designed murals serve as lasting symbols of belonging, dignity, and shared ownership. No distinction is made between patient and staff contributions, reinforcing a non-hierarchical culture.
The session will highlight how collaborative art therapy can support self-regulation, relational repair, emotional safety, and a more compassionate inpatient culture. It demonstrates how creativity can shift institutional narratives, recognising patients not as passive recipients of care but as resourceful, expressive, and resilient individuals.
Learning objectives
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe how a weekly, co-facilitated art therapy group can be developed and sustained within a male PICU setting.
2. Identify core elements that support psychological safety and inclusion in high-risk inpatient environments.
3. Explain how collaborative artmaking can promote self-regulation, relational repair, and emotional safety for patients and staff in intensive care contexts.
4. Evaluate how visible creative outputs can influence ward culture and strengthen belonging and dignity.
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Fiona Grainger, MA
The Art of Survival: Psychosis as a Creative Response to Oppressive Systems (A Forensic Perspective)
At the intersection of carceral and psychiatric principles, forensic mental health services sit in extremity at the end of the long spectrum between non-restrictive and oppressive provisions. We work with those who experience severe psychological distress, often committing societally abhorrent crimes from places of intense fear, overwhelm and psychological collapse.The physical locks, perimeter fences and security protocols symbolically mirror the oppression the vast majority of our service users have faced systematically in the form of structural marginalisation. Despite the widespread adoption of trauma-informed care principles, these environments frequently perpetuate forms of physical oppression and emotional sublimation that contradict the very ethos of trauma-informed practice.
I believe that embodied, arts-based methodologies offer a unique avenue to engage with the complexity of the application of psychotherapy in forensic settings, acknowledging those that offend to receive the containment of the institution. By incorporating somatic inquiry this research aims to reveal forms of resistance, agency, and healing (in both service user and therapist) that conventional verbal or quantitative methods may overlook. Phenomenological approaches aligned with abolitionist paradigms allow for nuanced exploration of lived experience, capturing the psychological realities of forensic systems that exist in a language outside of words.
Learning objectives
By the end of the presentation, the participants will be able to:
1. Critically examine the ethical and clinical tensions of delivering trauma-informed psychotherapy within oppressive environments
2. Explore the role of embodied and arts-based methodologies in rediscovering agency
3. Explore the application of abolitionist and social justice focused frameworks to art psychotherapy
I believe that embodied, arts-based methodologies offer a unique avenue to engage with the complexity of the application of psychotherapy in forensic settings, acknowledging those that offend to receive the containment of the institution. By incorporating somatic inquiry this research aims to reveal forms of resistance, agency, and healing (in both service user and therapist) that conventional verbal or quantitative methods may overlook. Phenomenological approaches aligned with abolitionist paradigms allow for nuanced exploration of lived experience, capturing the psychological realities of forensic systems that exist in a language outside of words.
Learning objectives
By the end of the presentation, the participants will be able to:
1. Critically examine the ethical and clinical tensions of delivering trauma-informed psychotherapy within oppressive environments
2. Explore the role of embodied and arts-based methodologies in rediscovering agency
3. Explore the application of abolitionist and social justice focused frameworks to art psychotherapy
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Naomi Rule, MA, HCPC, BAAT, IAFP
Restorative Justice
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Marian Frances Liebmann, MA, PhD, PGCE, CQSW, HCPC, BAAT
Colors for Wholeness
This presentation gives insight into the client-led color-focused approach in arts therapy. Firstly, an overview of the theoretical background will be presented, and then participants will experience a prompt from the book “Colors Speak: Experience using colors for healing and wholeness.”
The methodology of the client-led color-focused approach is based on Carl Gustav Jung’s psychoanalytical theory, Carl Roger’s and Natalie Rogers’ humanistic person-centered approach, however, a broad range of additional theories and research have also been considered in developing this approach, including subjects such as: colors in art and culture; color associations, the effects of color on emotional reactions; changes in color preference over a person’s lifetime; and other studies.
The main concept of this approach encourages focusing on one or several colors and revolves around finding a path towards wholeness. The goal is to locate a way towards the self by taking care of one’s body, senses, feelings and emotions, as well as one’s intuition, mind, soul, and spirit. In a practical sense, the client-led color-focused approach encompasses all modalities of art: visual, movement, role-play, sound, music, writing, etc.
The workshop demonstrates how colors can “speak” without speaking, providing a way of expressing bodily sensations, feelings, emotions, and thoughts.
Materials needed: A3 paper, at least 5 different tones of colored paper, a glue stick, a pencil, colored pencils, oil pastels, markers or felt-tip pens.
Learning objectives:
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Introducing to participants the theoretical background and key points of the client-led color-focused approach in arts therapy;
2. Exploring practically a prompt experiencing a way of expressing bodily sensations, feelings, emotions, and thoughts;
3. Demonstrating how colors can “speak” without speaking.
The methodology of the client-led color-focused approach is based on Carl Gustav Jung’s psychoanalytical theory, Carl Roger’s and Natalie Rogers’ humanistic person-centered approach, however, a broad range of additional theories and research have also been considered in developing this approach, including subjects such as: colors in art and culture; color associations, the effects of color on emotional reactions; changes in color preference over a person’s lifetime; and other studies.
The main concept of this approach encourages focusing on one or several colors and revolves around finding a path towards wholeness. The goal is to locate a way towards the self by taking care of one’s body, senses, feelings and emotions, as well as one’s intuition, mind, soul, and spirit. In a practical sense, the client-led color-focused approach encompasses all modalities of art: visual, movement, role-play, sound, music, writing, etc.
The workshop demonstrates how colors can “speak” without speaking, providing a way of expressing bodily sensations, feelings, emotions, and thoughts.
Materials needed: A3 paper, at least 5 different tones of colored paper, a glue stick, a pencil, colored pencils, oil pastels, markers or felt-tip pens.
Learning objectives:
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Introducing to participants the theoretical background and key points of the client-led color-focused approach in arts therapy;
2. Exploring practically a prompt experiencing a way of expressing bodily sensations, feelings, emotions, and thoughts;
3. Demonstrating how colors can “speak” without speaking.
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Dace Visnola, Dr.paed., Mg.sc.sal
Stand Up and Paint: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Large-Format Painting
and Its Applications in Art Therapy
Large-format painting engages both physical movement and psychological depth, especially when done standing. This posture fosters rhythm and presence but also introduces technical and emotional challenges not as easily perceptible in smaller, seated
works. Stepping back from the canvas provides fresh insight, increasing self-awareness, vulnerability, and a sense of empowerment.
This presentation is partly inspired by Marion Milner’s (2010) influential book On not being able to paint, which guided the author during her personal return to large-format painting after several years away. Milner’s psychodynamic analysis illuminates the psychological pitfalls and rewards inherent in creative expression. Her work, while not explicitly addressing large formats, nonetheless contributes meaningfully to understanding how engagement with the creative process can facilitate personal growth. Drawing on Milner’s observations, this presentation describes the presenter’s creative experiments to demonstrate how these insights have helped unblocking and renewing her creative practice, facilitating the emergence of new knowledge.
Further, the presentation discusses applications of large-format painting in art therapy, supported by research and the work of notable art therapists and artists. Physical interaction with large canvases is shown to encourage self-expression, broaden
perspectives, and promote healing and transformation.
Learning objectives:
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Explain how standing, large-format painting engages movement, rhythm, and presence differently than smaller, seated work
2. Demonstrate at least two reflective strategies to increase self-awareness, support vulnerability safely, and strengthen a sense of empowerment during the creative process.
3. Summarize at least two key psychodynamic insights from Marion Milner’s On Not Being Able to Paint
4. Apply large-format painting concepts to art therapy practice by identifying clinical benefits.
works. Stepping back from the canvas provides fresh insight, increasing self-awareness, vulnerability, and a sense of empowerment.
This presentation is partly inspired by Marion Milner’s (2010) influential book On not being able to paint, which guided the author during her personal return to large-format painting after several years away. Milner’s psychodynamic analysis illuminates the psychological pitfalls and rewards inherent in creative expression. Her work, while not explicitly addressing large formats, nonetheless contributes meaningfully to understanding how engagement with the creative process can facilitate personal growth. Drawing on Milner’s observations, this presentation describes the presenter’s creative experiments to demonstrate how these insights have helped unblocking and renewing her creative practice, facilitating the emergence of new knowledge.
Further, the presentation discusses applications of large-format painting in art therapy, supported by research and the work of notable art therapists and artists. Physical interaction with large canvases is shown to encourage self-expression, broaden
perspectives, and promote healing and transformation.
Learning objectives:
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Explain how standing, large-format painting engages movement, rhythm, and presence differently than smaller, seated work
2. Demonstrate at least two reflective strategies to increase self-awareness, support vulnerability safely, and strengthen a sense of empowerment during the creative process.
3. Summarize at least two key psychodynamic insights from Marion Milner’s On Not Being Able to Paint
4. Apply large-format painting concepts to art therapy practice by identifying clinical benefits.
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Vera Heller, PhD, OPQ
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Ritu Dua, MA
Ritu Dua is an art therapist, artist, author and a Shinrin-yoku (Forest Bathing) guide, based in Pune, India. She is passionate about integrating Indian Indigenous and folk-arts with contemporary art therapy practices in a culturally responsive way.
Her work spans clinical, educational, corporate and community settings, with a focus on nature-based practices, mindfulness and contemplative practices. She works with people from diverse cultures, across all age groups -helping them explore, process, and express emotions that are often difficult to articulate in words, through art and creativity.
She offers individual and group art therapy sessions, both in-person and virtual, creating non-judgmental, safe and supportive spaces for mental and emotional well-being.
Her article “Indigenous Gond Art in Art Therapy: A Nature-Based Creative Process” was recently published in Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.
When not facilitating or writing, she reads, makes art, engages in slow-stitching, gardening and hugging trees!
Her work spans clinical, educational, corporate and community settings, with a focus on nature-based practices, mindfulness and contemplative practices. She works with people from diverse cultures, across all age groups -helping them explore, process, and express emotions that are often difficult to articulate in words, through art and creativity.
She offers individual and group art therapy sessions, both in-person and virtual, creating non-judgmental, safe and supportive spaces for mental and emotional well-being.
Her article “Indigenous Gond Art in Art Therapy: A Nature-Based Creative Process” was recently published in Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.
When not facilitating or writing, she reads, makes art, engages in slow-stitching, gardening and hugging trees!
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