What is Creative Counselling?

Some children and young people prefer to talk. Creative counselling is a person-centred approach that uses talking therapy combined with creative activities to explore thoughts and feelings within the containing therapeutic relationship. Creative counselling is informed by person-centred talking therapy principles combined with the same principles as play therapy.

Sometimes there are no words to describe the conflict felt inside and working with a creative medium can allow the emotions to be expressed without words initially and then explored with the therapist’s support.

Creative counselling uses art, clay, sand, movement, visualisation, to help bring about understanding of the inner self. Some sessions may be spent talking, some using creative expression, the choice is that of the child or young person within the containment of the non-judgemental, therapeutic relationship.

There is no requirement to be artistic, this therapy is for anyone who would like to try it. We all have a creative side to us, we all have a story to tell no matter how we choose to tell that story be it with words, images, movement or music.

Who is Creative Counselling For?

Creative Counselling is available for all children and young adults but often aimed at older primary and secondary school pupils.

Creative counselling and play therapy have many similarities and are interchangeable. Sometimes younger children start with play therapy and their sessions develop into more talking-based creative counselling.