An Initiatic Art Therapy Journey
AThR, SEP, M.Ed, CCPT, MACA, PACFA Reg Clinical.
Sometimes training to work with vulnerable and historically adversely impacted people is perplexing. This is why after 30+ years in the Community Services sector my eternal curiosity was focused on how to best support my clients; how could I assist them to embrace the healthiest and safest version of themselves?
Then I discovered the world of Art Therapy - and specifically Sensorimotor Art Therapy. Through my work I had already trained in numerous modalities and intervention-based options, however I still remained somewhat frustrated. Finally I realised that in my personal practices I had already been utilising these methodologies to varying degrees. It was time to start some consolidation.
From the very first module of the Certificate in Initiatic Art Therapy, I knew I had found my place. I landed in a world of curiosity, wisdom, exploration and therapeutic outcomes that resonated in my core. I had at last found what I wanted to be when I grew up: an Art Therapist. At 54 years of age and many years of searching I had finally found something that made ‘sense’.
It was inspiring to work from an embodiment perspective, which is the foundation of Sensorimotor Art Therapy, as opposed to the use of visual images, which tend to be the focus of traditional Art Therapies. The strengths of the sensorimotor approach is that it applies the bottom-up perspective to explore the client’s experiences of rupture and repair. The more traditional top-down frameworks then support integration.
The sensorimotor approach is underpinned with the latest research in neuroscience. In addition it draws from concepts developed through the work of Carl Jung, Eugene Gendlin, Peter Levine, Stephen Porges and Bruce Perry. The bilateral movement approach to body mapping with Guided Drawing is by now recognised as an impactful methodology within the art therapy realm.
The two years of training were spent immersed in weekends with pastels, paint, paper, feathers, glitter, bark, sticks, leaves, clay and collage materials. I created mandalas, masks, drawings, paintings and my own hero(ine’s) journey. I discovered my golden shadow, integrated my dark side, danced, expressed and consolidated the various techniques and exercises. As I experienced the rewards for my own nervous system, I became a more regulated support for my own clients.
Sensorimotor Art Therapy has become my springboard into the world of somatic based therapies. So, in my quest of lifelong learning, I have also explored trainings in Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Theory, Child Centred Play Therapy, EMDR therapy, Sandplay, Expressive Arts Therapy and NeuroAffective Touch therapy. One of the most noticeable things for me is the constant return to my roots in Sensorimotor Art Therapy. The art materials, the movement, the rhythm and regulation extend invitations to the unconscious for insights, renewal and healing.
Training others in Sensorimotor Art Therapy was a natural progression. Teaching has been woven throughout my professional career, as has mentoring others to take up this modality through supervision. The onset of COVID two years ago meant that planned training events around Australia had to be cancelled and postponed. As a solution we worked to transform the Certificate in Initiatic Art Therapy for the online platform - with resounding success. Not only did this allow us to continue offering the training in a socially distanced world, it also opened this experiential training to many students, from regional areas in Australia to a growing international cohort, for whom the the course had only now become accessible.
Cornelia and myself have been humbled and amazed at the dedication students have brought to the training. In our first online group many of our international participants stayed up through the night, keeping up with our Australian schedule. We express our gratitude to all these students both for taking up this opportunity and for the constructive and positive feedback for the course. This has helped us continually adjust and adapt - including that we now offer the training across two streams, tailored for different timezones.
The online Certificate in Initiatic Art Therapy was birthed with great care, based on decades of professional experience. It is now maturing into an internationally recognised art therapy training.
As my own journeying through Sensorimotor Art Therapy brings new challenges and delights, my hope is that others who are seeking the missing piece to their work will also enjoy immersing themselves in this experiential learning. Sensorimotor Art Therapy changed my life and it may just be the catalyst for changing yours.
Certificate in Initiatic Art Therapy - 2023-24
Training starting from April 2023
Facilitated by Chris Storm and Cornelia Elbrecht
This training has been designed to offer counsellors, social workers, teachers, psychologists, medical professionals and community services practitioners a solid professional development option to integrate various art-making and therapeutic art techniques into their own scope of practice.
All participants will engage in a personal journey of art making including seminars, online group work, filmed case histories and downloadable course material. There will be ample opportunity to engage in art making, reflective discussion, small-group sharing and Q&A. The structure will vary between weekends and will include a mixture of online workshops and group exercises, prerecorded content and discussion forums.