HOW IT WORKS

Art therapy offers a collaborative and creative approach to support wellbeing,

Sessions are shaped around your pace, choices, and goals.

Types of session and approaches are tailored to individual needs.

Elements considered include:

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INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS

One-to-one sessions provide a private, personalised space tailored to your needs and pace. Together, we work in a way that feels supportive and manageable, with flexibility around structure, materials, and focus.

Individual art therapy may support people who are:

seeking a quiet, confidential space
working through trauma, stress, or life transitions
wanting personalised therapeutic support
exploring emotional regulation and self-understanding

GROUP SESSIONS

Group art therapy brings people together in a shared creative environment. While art-making remains individual, the group can offer connection, shared understanding, and a sense of belonging.

Group sessions may help to:

reduce isolation
build confidence and relational skills
normalise lived experiences
support gentle social engagement

Groups are kept small, with clear boundaries and optional participation to support emotional safety.

Group art sessions facilitated by Able Art Therapy are via contracts with institutions and companies.

DIRECTIVE

In directive sessions, the therapist offers a gentle prompt or structured activity to support exploration or skill-building. Directives are always optional and can be adapted or declined.

This approach may be helpful for:

providing a sense of safety and containment
learning emotional regulation or coping strategies
times of overwhelm or uncertainty
building confidence with materials

NON-DIRECTIVE

Non-directive sessions are client-led. You choose what to create, how to work, and when to stop. The therapist supports the process without interpreting or directing the artwork.

This approach supports:

autonomy and empowerment
self-expression and personal meaning-making
pacing that respects your nervous system
trust in your own inner guidance

INTEGRATED, THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

Art therapy sessions may draw on evidence-based approaches. These frameworks are integrated in flexible, creative ways and adapted to suit each person’s needs:

CBT-informed art therapy may support noticing patterns in thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Creative processes can help make these patterns visible and explore alternative responses in a gentle, non-overwhelming way.
DBT-informed art therapy may focus on building emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and grounding skills. Art-making can support nervous system regulation and provide practical tools for coping during times of heightened emotion.
ACT-informed art therapy may support values-based exploration, self-compassion, and acceptance of difficult internal experiences. Creative work can help clarify what matters most and encourage movement toward meaningful life directions.

These approaches are offered collaboratively and at your pace, and may be used alongside directive or non-directive art therapy methods. You are always supported to choose what feels most helpful for you.

FLEXIBLE, CLIENT-CENTRED APPROACH

Art therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Sessions are adapted to your goals, preferences, and nervous system, and may evolve over time.

Sessions are tailored to meet the client where they are. Every session is tailored.

For those experiencing crisis or overwhelm, the initial focus may be emotional stabilisation and grounding.
Others may benefit from more structured approaches, drawing on evidence-based frameworks such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Alternately, many clients prefer a more organic, client-led process: exploring art materials freely and allowing insight, meaning, and change to emerge naturally through creative expression and reflective conversation.