Prenatal Art Therapy Journey

Five week course

Starting Saturday February 18th 2023, 10:30am-12:30pm, Bangalow, NSW

ABOUT

Amanda Scott Art Therapy creates a space that brings together dreaming, creativity, art therapy and personal development. Amanda offers this through individual art therapy sessions and Creativity for Wellbeing group sessions in the Byron Shire, NSW or online. Amanda is a Masters Qualified Creative Arts Therapist registered with ANZACATA. See more about Amanda Scott Art Therapy’s services below.

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THERAPEUTIC ARTS PRACTICE

Therapeutic Arts Practice, or Creative Arts Therapy, integrates therapeutic techniques with the creative process to improve mental health and wellbeing, to come to approximations of meaning to inform us, our decisions and our values.

The creative process offers the opportunity to assess where you are at in your life now, to explore values and patterns of being, and to make choices around preferred ways of being moving forward.

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THE MIECAT FORM OF INQUIRY

In the four years that I undertook the Masters in Therapeutic Arts Practice at the MIECAT Institute, I came to know The MIECAT form of inquiry as a roadmap for exploration. It is a tool kit of procedures that assist with coming to meaning and making sense of something of value or significance (Lett, 2011, p. 152). The form of inquiry is arts-based, valuing multi-modal paths to knowing.

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COMPANIONING

Companioning is an experience of the values of safety, emergence, and curiosity, enacted with another. Companioning can provide safety and support to stay with the emergence of what may come.

A companion is present alongside the inquirer and is in service of the inquiry. “The participant is an expert in their own knowing and a companion does not interpret but seeks to understand” (Lett, 2011, p. 269).

Companioning can offer a safe space to explore difficult experiences, hold seemingly opposite realities concurrently, and make meaningful decisions and potentially find alternative ways of being.

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CREATING SAFETY

I value creating safe “containers” for people to explore within. Without safety, diving into the unknown can be uncomfortable and overwhelming. When exploring the unknown it can be helpful to begin with a known context.

Using the arts to explore the unknown allows for space and distance from topics that feel emotionally charged and thus provides an invitation to ‘stay with’ discomfort in a safe way.

Clear steps and transparency gently encourage you to come to the edge and engage with the unknown while being held safely.

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EMERGENCE

Emergence is facilitated by multi-modal expressions: visual, movement, word, or sound, all of which support the forming of embodied, pre-reflective knowing. The inquiry process is cyclical, non-linear and in a constant state of becoming.

‘Staying with’ present experiencing, calls for trust. As things are constantly in motion, there is an impermanence in each approximation of knowing. I value the emergent and ever-changing nature of this approach to Therapeutic Arts Practice.

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CURIOSITY

I am driven by curiosity and a desire to grow, transform and understand myself and others. As a companion, I hold the value of curiosity so that I can bring presence to what feels most important in the moment, to the inquirer and the inquiry. Curiosity also forms a part of allowing for emergence.

Curiosity encourages us to take a risk and step out of the comfort and safety of that which is known, in order for something new to emerge.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Please feel free to sign up to my email list to hear when workshops will be delivered in person in the Northern Rivers, NSW and occasionally in Melbourne.

If you would like to book online sessions, or book a private workshop for your organisation, celebration, hens night, birthday or event, please get in touch.

Prenatal Art Therapy Journey

Five week course

Starting Saturday 18th February 2023, 10:30am-12:30pm, Bangalow, NSW

Open Studio: Create Art & Play

Open Studio is an open time for you to come and create what you wish, play, explore, work on your own projects, or just try out some new materials.

Terrarium Making: To Nurture Creativity

Terrariums are living ornaments, bringing life, meaning and imagination to your environment. You are invited to create the terrarium to represent what nurtures you, while also learning about self-care and how you can implement supportive habits into your life to support flourishing.

Creative Journaling: Creativity for Well-being

Creative Journaling for Wellbeing – offers a 6 week journey using creative processes to increase wellbeing. We will be using the creative mediums to explore connecting to your creative self, self care, compassion, vulnerability, boundaries and cultivating a loving relationship with yourself.

Vision Board Retreat

The Vision Board Retreat is a full day immersion into the creative process aimed at connecting to your purpose, reflecting on your strengths, values and desires to create a tangible vision for your future.
OTHER WORKSHOPS

Women's Retreat

This Women’s Retreat is facilitated by Kellie Curtis and Amanda Scott, with the intention of providing a safe and confidential space for women to connect, share, create, move, laugh, cry, enjoy and relax. We will be guided through a fun and intentional creative journal making experience, there will be some time in noble silence, and we will wake up to morning movement practice. All this while being fed wholesome, organic, fresh and creative meals by Emily Bell from Emily Bellish

Creative Transitions: Unlock your Career Direction

Fiona Redshaw, Career & Transition Coach and Amanda Scott, Creative Arts Therapist are coming together for a unique blend of group coaching and creative arts therapy. This full day workshop ‘Creative Transitions‘ will support you through a creative process to help cut through confusion and get to the heart of your work-related aspirations.

Eco Printed Journals

Eco Printed Journals

Co-facilitated by Jacqui Grace (MA AThR) of Beautiful Wasteland and Amanda Scott (MA AThR) of Amanda Scott Art Therapy, this workshop is an invitation to aesthetically reflect on the year that has passed and bring these knowings into collaboration with your intentions for the coming year through eco printing on watercolour paper and binding your own bespoke journal.

WHAT IS ART THERAPY

ABOUT ART THERAPY

Art therapists use creative, arts-based processes as part of their therapeutic work with clients, to facilitate self expression, communication, self awareness and personal development.

Creative expression has been found to improve health including physical, emotional and cognitive functioning, integrating socially and increasing the overall quality of life, meaning and insight of self in the world.

My approach begins with developing a safe space for you to enter into, or continue on, a journey of self-discovery

I will journey alongside you, in a co-inquiry together, focussing on strengthening meaning, expanding perspective, and developing a connection to spirit and purpose. 

I will encourage those I work with to explore their unconscious world and significant internal experiences and patterns, bringing light, awareness and healing.

“Transpersonal work provides people in crises with an alternative to symptom suppression. It helps them to creatively adapt to their crisis, using the experience to grow and truly heal. The experience is transformed into a breakthrough rather than breakdown.” 
– Phoenix Institute of Australia

Transpersonal Art Therapy uses a psycho-spiritual approach to counselling, recognises a spectrum of consciousness, including altered states, dreams, intuition and a collective consciousness, and accesses creativity to work through problems and issues.

Transpersonal Art Therapy encourages self awareness which leads to authenticity and personal empowerment, is client centred and based on the Shamanic Model, encourages holistic healing by considering mind, body, spirit and environment.

What do we do in an Art Therapy Session?

Focussing (Focussing oriented Art Therapy/Body focussing/Felt Sense)

Focussing is a very useful tool to connect. When someone is overwhelmed by emotion, or highly analytical and unable to flow, it can be helpful to use this technique to connect with inner knowing and creativity.

MIECAT Form of Inquiry

The MIECAT Form of Inquiry begins with bringing attention and awareness to experiencing. This is then followed by expressions of experience completed in any art-form and sometimes verbally. More information about the MIECAT approach can be found here.

Person Centred Approach

My approach is influenced by the person centred approach developed by psychologist Dr. Carl Rogers who believed that the relationship with a person has therapeutic value, and a therapist who was deeply understanding (empathic), accepting (having unconditional positive regard) and genuine (congruent) was the basis of a therapeutic relationship.

Transpersonal Approach

Transpersonal Art Therapy uses a psycho-spiritual approach to counselling, recognises a spectrum of consciousness, including altered states, dreams, intuition and a collective consciousness, and accesses creativity to work through problems and issues. Transpersonal Art Therapy encourages self awareness which leads to authenticity and personal empowerment, is client centred and based on the Shamanic Model, encourages holistic healing by considering mind, body, spirit and environment.

Vision Boards

This involves using imagery to create and put energy into what you want to create for your present and future. This can help an individual to manifest what they want by focussing on these things, based on the idea you attract what you focus on.

Gestalt informed techniques

Working with the aspects of self in the present moment.
Gestalt techniques can assist in creating awareness around the aspects of self, discovering the needs and reasons for them being present.

Ritual

Ritual is a very powerful way to allow for one to move through and honour an experience or transition. This can aid in releasing old patterns or emotions, honouring parts of self and re-enacting a psychological death in order to move into new opportunities.

Other techniques include:

  • Creative Journaling
  • Sculpture
  • Dialoguing with other (art or an aspect of self)
  • The Ulman Technique
  • Movement/ Body Wisdom
  • Music/ Sound healing
  • Active Imagination
  • Play therapy
  • Spirit dolls
  • Clay Work
  • Divination
  • Sandplay Therapy
  • Mandalas
  • Guided Visualisation

What might I get out of it?

  • Experiencing a safe and supportive environment to explore aspects you may normally keep hidden
  • Clarifying concerns or challenges
  • Working through and healing personal issues and traumas
  • Developing strategies to better cope with anxiety, depression, fear, grief, or loss.
  • Gaining support through life transitions
  • Self expression when you may not be able to describe how you are feeling with words alone:make the invisible (such as painful emotions and experiences) visible through external expression
  • Acceptance of all parts of self and assisting to become whole
  • Renewed understanding of personal meaning and discovery of inner resources
  • Reconnecting with creativity
  • Increasing self esteem, self worth and confidence
  • Developing healthy coping skills
  • Art making engages the whole brain and can stimulate integration of cognitive, feeling and sensory processes
  • Self empowerment, strength and an understanding of personal values when making life decisions.

Is Art Therapy for me?

Art therapy can benefit all ages, genders, cultural backgrounds and socio-ecenomic circumstances. The insights, growth, healing and learning is tailored to the individual needs of the client. The therapeutic process begins from where the individual is at and will be guided by the client, as I will facilitate the discovery process.

My particular style is great for someone who is wanting to explore themselves in the world and who is ready, courageous enough and willing to step into the unknown in order to discover something new.

Art therapy is suitable for anyone who would like to inquire into themselves and how they experience the world, discover more about themselves, clear blockages, heal from past experiences, develop and connect with their creativity, or improve relationships.

There are many other reasons someone may want to explore art therapy, as many reasons as their are individuals. Art Therapy can also benefit those experiencing a range of mental, emotional and physical illnesses, disorders, addiction, trauma, grief and loss.

Remember to keep an open mind, and ask for that you need.

SERVICES

Art Therapy for Individuals

Individual Art Therapy Sessions to explore your inner world, gain insight and increase your ability to create the life you want.

Private Workshops

Private workshops are tailored to your group, party, birthday, hens night, weekend away, or retreat. Workshops offered are a combination or creative processes to develop a stronger connection with one another in the group, individuals, to have fun, increase well-being and discover your own creative practices to embody your values and increase your well-being.

The Creative Way

The Creative  Way is a professional development workshop that is offered for organisations and companies for their staff and clients to increase connection, creativity and wellbeing within the workplace

ART THERAPIST

AMANDA SCOTT

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Amanda is passionate about creativity, living fully, self discovery and connection.

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Amanda has been continuously exploring, learning, courageously and vulnerably stepping into her vision. This vision is creating space for others to grow, express and discover.

Background

Since 2003 I have worked as a facilitator, running various self empowerment programs, workshops, camps and seminars. During this time I studied a Bachelor of Art, Visual Art and Photography, Diploma of Youth Work and a Diploma of Transpersonal Art Therapy at Phoenix Institute of Australia in Melbourne in 2009. I began Amanda Scott Art Therapy in 2011 and completed the Graduate Diploma in 2014 and Masters in Therapeutic Arts Practice at The MIECAT Institute in 2016.   My personal journey has been one of exploring the depths of myself, my identity and finding my unique place in the world. 

Personal Journey

More about Amanda's Journey

The Search

As a quiet and shy teenager, I found myself confused and unsure of who I was. I had always been a bit of a chameleon. I had discovered the best way to survive in school was to not stand out. When finishing school and attending my first personal development program, I was stunned when I was asked my opinion on something, and I had no idea what I really thought. This sparked a journey inwards, and a realisation that I had spent years becoming what I thought I should be, determined by people around me, school, the media, and now I had no idea what was my true voice.

The next few years I felt so lost, and not sure how to find what was true for me, as I had no previous awareness on what it really meant. I went through years of depression and anxiety, fighting with myself and the judgement that I had no reason to be depressed, I had a good life, what was I complaining about? I attended many programs, in order to find my way. Creativity, art therapy, and creative journaling became my friend.

The Reward

It was a gradual process of allowing myself to have a voice, allowing my experience to be valid and worthy of being shared, allowing myself to be vulnerable and let people see me. Through opening up, I have deeper connections to those around me, I have found my unique voice, and it is more infinite than I expected, because I have realised I am constantly growing, that I am in a constant state of becoming.

I have found acceptance and joy, of perfection in the imperfection and willingness to share my vulnerabilities. Because in being authentic in my triumphs as well as my challenges, I can be more true to myself and feel more connected to others. I am human, I am imperfect and I am courageous enough to keep opening.

Amanda now runs Amanda Scott Art Therapy in Byron Shire, Northern Rivers, NSW, and Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Amanda is working with adults, with a special interest in women, fertility and perinatal health. Amanda also facilitates an Art Therapy networking group.

Amanda is a mother, art therapist, facilitator, artist, and ceramicist and has recently developed skills in setting up a living community in Byron Hinterland, including developing structures to support communication and the enactment of living values in action.

Amanda draws on her skills in art therapy and group facilitation to journey with clients facing various challenges into a space that they can connect with their own intuition and inner knowing, to find the tools to fulfil their potential, find hope for the future and live a meaningful life.

FROM THE BLOG

NEWS

Using a Vision Board + my interview in ‘Moment’ magazine

I received an inquiry from Yvette from ‘Moment’ Magazine last month, and was more than happy to answer her questions about a big passion of mine, vision boards. I have included my thoughts here, as well the article Vision Boards – Moment Magazine capturing others’ thoughts alongside my own. If you would like more support in…

‘Eco Printed Journals’ and reflection on your year ahead

Preparing to make Eco Printed Journals and reflecting on year ahead. Jacqui Grace from Beautiful Wasteland and I have come together to offer a culmination of Art Therapy, Book Binding and Eco Printing. We will offer this 2 day workshop this January and again in November as a way to reflect on the year and…

A Toolbox of Words

A toolbox of words An idea that you might like to try, a gentle way to introduce some poetry into your creative journal. Pick up any book and let it fall open. Allow your eyes to jump and skip around over the page until they stop on a word. Write that word down, or maybe…

Art Therapy for Letting Go…

Art Therapy process for Letting Go, Grief and Loss Life creates endless opportunities for change and transition. Change can renew feelings of possibility, excitement and joy. It can also evoke fear, nervousness and anticipation. How do we navigate these transitions in a safe way while stepping confidently forward towards the new? We may want to…

I’m not perfect, but I am showing up.

It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up. Whatever that means for you in each moment. Maybe you can’t show up for that event or that commitment right now, but can you still show up for yourself? Maybe you can’t show up for another right now, but can you still stay with yourself, not…

Michelle on Presence

Michelle Gardiner is a creative an passionate woman who I have had the pleasure of working with for the past 2 years. It has been an honour to watch her grow and blossom in this time, and an honour to be the host of her first guest blog post. Watch this space, Michelle is only…

Corporate and Community

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