Author Archives: Carla

ART THERAPY WHATS ON – November 2020

ART THERAPY WHATS ON is a monthly directory of events, workshops, professional development and gigs BY and FOR Arts Therapists. Please send your contributions to carlavanlaar@gmail.com Include date and time, title, location, facilitator, cost. 100 words and a photo or … Read More

ACTivate Arts Therapy speaks with the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System

Today, Dr Alisoun Neville AThR, Caroline Liuzzi (EO Creative Art Therapy Australia) and I met with representatives of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. We were met warmly, and informed that we did not need to convince our … Read More

Art Therapy Supervision

BOOK REVIEW – Dr Ariel Moy shares her experience of Carla van Laar’s “Seeing Her Stories”

Seeing Her Stories: An Arts Based Inquiry by Dr Carla van Laar Review by Dr Ariel Moy Seeing Her Stories is a surprising book. Carla begins with a simple question: what might happen when a woman’s stories are seen? She … Read More

Jill Gallagher AO supports the ACTivate Arts Therapy campaign

The ACTivate Arts Therapy campaign is honoured to receive this endorsement from Jill Gallagher AO, CEO of Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and former Treaty Advancement Commissioner for Victoria. Thanks Jill.

ART THERAPY WHATS ON – October 2020

ART THERAPY WHATS ON is a monthly directory of events, workshops, professional development and gigs BY and FOR Arts Therapists. Please send your contributions to carlavanlaar@gmail.com Include date and time, title, location, facilitator, cost. 100 words and a photo or … Read More

Getting Creative with Trauma: Part 2

ONLINE Professional Development Workshop 10am – 4pm Sunday 18th October 2020 1 hour lunch + 2 x 15 minute breaks $125 per person – pandemic discount • Art based responses to grief, loss and trauma• Intergenerational relationships• Multi-dimensional perspectives• Creating … Read More

“Sometimes we don’t have the words”

Don’t have the words to explain Arts Therapy? Watch this. Please help support the campaign by sharing widely. Thank you Pearl Taylor AThR for this beautiful animation.

ART THERAPY WHATS ON – September 2020

ART THERAPY WHATS ON is a monthly directory of events, workshops, professional development and gigs BY and FOR Arts Therapists. Please send your contributions to carlavanlaar@gmail.com Include date and time, title, location, facilitator, cost. 100 words and a photo or … Read More

Prof. Patrick McGorry urges Government: “Activate Arts Therapy”.

I respectfully urge the Victorian government to expand its definition of “Mental Health Practitioner” to include “Professional Arts Therapists”. Prof Patrick McGorry Prof. Patrick McGorry is Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and Director of Orygen … Read More

Brodie Caporn, Melbourne Musician and Professional Arts Therapist in training.

Brodie gifts us a theme song for this campaign! “I’d like to see, Arts Therapy”. AND she tells us why this campaign is so important for the health and well being of Victoria’s children, with a personal plea to the … Read More

Debbie – lived experience of Arts Therapy for recovery.

Debbie shares from her lived experience how Arts Therapy has been an important part of her recovery from serious mental distress, and is an ongoing integral part of her mental health care. She advocates for including Arts Therapists as Mental … Read More

Dayne Beams, AFL Footballer, explains how Arts Therapy has been a game changer in his own mental health

“Arts Therapy showed me that I can use the arts to cope with difficult thoughts and emotions, to help me feel calm and productive, and to strengthen my personal relationships” Dayne Beams Dayne speaks out in support of the current … Read More

Chris Petrie, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Chris shares how he witnesses increased self-esteem and enhanced relationships in his work as a Professional Arts Therapist with NDIS participants. As a former art teacher, he explains some of the differences between an art class and arts therapy. He … Read More

Svetlana Bykovec, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Svet tells us about her work as an Arts Therapist with CATA, highlighting the adaptability of arts therapy and the power of the arts to engage when working with young people. She explains how CATA is currently offering FREE online … Read More

Eric Zhang, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Eric describes how Arts Therapy can support student well-being in schools and shares a message of hope for young people who might be going through a hard time at the moment. Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/arts-therapist-mental-health-practitioner

Marnie Weule and Tara Harriden: Aboriginal Women leaders in Australian Art Therapy.

Feature image credit: Tara Harriden, “It’s in my blood.” “If you look closely at the dots that make up this painting, they have raised ‘lines’ which are reminiscent of blood vessels and, on another level, are representative of the songlines … Read More

“Chill Skills”, anxiety prevention program in secondary schools. A Mental Health initiative by a Professional Arts Therapist.

Sign and share the ART THERAPIST = MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER petition here: https://www.change.org/arts-therapist-mental-health-practitioner Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems experienced by young people. In Australia, anxiety disorders are estimated to affect about one in every 10 young … Read More

Katishe Grudnoff AThR, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Katishe shares about the many therapeutic contexts she has worked as a Mental Health Practitioner. She highlights her work with young people and how, as the mother of a child in a public school she wants the option of arts … Read More

Arts Therapist = Mental Health Practitioner Campaign

WE ARE GOOD TO GO – HELP US TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE IN CRISIS THE AIM OF OUR CAMPAIGN: Expand the definition of Mental Health Practitioner in the 2014 Victorian Mental Health Act to include ‘Professional Arts Therapist’. Mobilise a … Read More

The Gods in a time of Corona – Bernie Neville’s latest work.

Bernie Neville, author of “Educating Psyche” and “The Life of Things” gifts us this gem of a book complete with wit, wisdom and scholarship. Neville’s own intimate relationship with the Greek gods is revealed in his narrative depicting 2020 as … Read More

Anja Zimmermann – interview. What can we learn from the Netherlands about Bachelor level Arts Therapy training?

I met my friend and pen-pal, Anja Zimmermann online! We have never met in person or even spoken, but we have become friends by writing to each-other. Anja is an educator and researcher in Arts Therapy training in the Netherlands. … Read More

Lee Agius AThR, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Lee shares how she has worked in multi-disciplinary teams as a Mental Health Practitioner with MIND Australia in Melbourne. Sign the Art Therapist = Mental Health Practitioner petition here: https://www.change.org/arts-therapist-mental-health-practitioner

Gayle King AThR, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Gayle King AThR describes how Arts Therapy is especially relevant in a school setting working with young people who have experienced trauma. Sign the Art Therapist = Mental Health Practitioner petition here: https://www.change.org/arts-therapist-mental-health-practitioner

Pearl Taylor AThR, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner

Pearl describes how she came to Arts Therapy after being a school art teacher and witnessing the impact engagement in the arts has on the mental health and well-being of students. She shares how she uses arts therapeutic approaches in … Read More

Dr Alisoun Neville, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Dr Alisoun talks about her work providing arts therapy with NDIS participants experiencing mental health issues. She highlights how arts therapy is an adaptable approach that makes mental health care a personalised experience, with an emphasis on individual choice and … Read More

Su Mei Tan AThR, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Su tells us about her arts therapeutic approach and its benefits, including reduced anxiety and increased relaxation. She explains why it is so important to support the ARTS THERAPIST = MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER campaign. Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/arts-therapist-mental-health-practitioner

Maggie Date, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner

Maggie talks about her work as an art therapist with children and adults in psychiatric settings and through the NDIS. She shares how she uses creative processes within a relational approach, and the benefits for participants that she witnesses. She … Read More

Maya Fraser, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

Maya Fraser AThR talks about her work in the regional Victorian La Trobe Community Health Services, the Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) and with NDIS clients, describing how Art Therapy is particularly valued by the community yet she has persistently … Read More

Karryne Hearn, Professional Arts Therapist and Mental Health Practitioner.

In this video Karryne tells us about her work as a Professional Arts Therapist in Ballarat and why the Art Therapist = Mental Health Practitioner campaign is so important. The following role descriptions provide examples of Karryne’s experience working in … Read More

ART THERAPY WHATS ON – August 2020

ART THERAPY WHATS ON is a monthly directory of events, workshops, professional development and gigs BY and FOR Arts Therapists. Please send your contributions to carlavanlaar@gmail.com Include date and time, title, location, facilitator, cost. 100 words and a photo or … Read More