Counselling as a talking therapy can be so valuable as a way to express yourself and to process your thoughts, feelings and experiences. It can help you to feel validated and seen, in a safe, therapeutic relationship. Sometimes, though, talking does not come easily. Or perhaps talking does not quite access what you need it to. This is where creative ways of working can be so useful: working creatively can by-pass the conscious mind, and tap into the subconscious mind. Creative approaches involve the use and activation of different areas of the brain, which play an important role in helping you to process your experiences.
Creative ways of working can be easily integrated into conventional counselling sessions. It may take the form of using drawing to express and describe your feelings; it could be using creative writing such as poetry or story-telling to narrate your experiences; it could be using dolls or stones to represent events that have played out in your family (play therapy can be used by adults as well as children!). We might listen to particular music that is meaningful for you, or which elicits a particular emotional response. We could even use intuitive movement to show how sadness feels in the body (heavy, slouching, gentle swaying, crouching down), and compare this to how happiness feels (a straight spine, chest expanded, arms wide, a confident-looking stance). We might use other aids as well, such as nesting dolls, visualisations, and well-being or oracle cards, to get in touch with your intuition and use as jumping-off points to help you explore your feelings.
Whilst this may seem like a bit of a leap for some, we already use our imaginations in therapy: as you recall things that have happened; as you ‘tell the story’ of your life; as you describe the power dynamics in your family; and as you perhaps reflect on your inner child or children and how they might be feeling in a given situation.
Creative counselling can be used by anyone. You don’t have to be ‘good’ at drawing, or have an A level in English Literature, or have enjoyed drama lessons at school. It’s not about performance, it’s about self-expression. And you can’t get that wrong!
If creative counselling is something that interests you, please do feel free to mention this when you get in touch. You can find out more about counselling here, and find my contact details here.
