Private Sessions
In gentle but powerful ways, Expressive Arts serves those facing a challenge in their life as well serving those who long to discover a way to live a fuller, more resilient life.
Example: Private Client Expressive Arts Session
A typical Expressive Arts session lasts 1- 1½ hours and includes two or more of the following arts: visual art, movement, sound or poetry. The client enters the session ready to explore an issue or concern in their life that is calling for attention.
After identifying this ‘issue’ the expressive arts therapist, noticing the client’s movements, phrases or mood begins to guide the client towards a painting process, a movement, writing or sound. The issue has been stated but now they are letting go of the problem-centered focus and moving into the arts for the majority of the session: moving in and out of inter modal art forms depending on what is called for by the image that arrives.
Each of these art modalities allows a different way to “be with”the image that emerges. Shifting from one modality to another allows the client to sense the feelings that come when expressin the ”rich red color” or the “ frightening sound” or the “slow arduous movement”, accessing the knowledge of their sensing body.
We then “harvest.” What are the thoughts, feelings, memories or body sensations that show up? What surprised you? What was uncomfortable? Familiar? Looking at what happened, how might this art making experience inform the issue or question that the client came to the session with? Does this experience give insight to anything that is happening in the client’s current life?
Through art making and sensory awareness the client is able to sense their issue, or the place they felt stuck, more objectively and with new possibility. Before closing the session we notice the resources found in the session available for the client to take with them; perhaps it is a soothing movement, an awareness, a song, a drawing to be with during the week, a poem to read each day, an action to take…
Session Details
- Typical Session: 1½ hours
- Two-hour sessions available on request
- Email Pamela for current rates
Private Expressive Arts sessions are facilitated by Pamela Underwood, BFA, MA. Pamela is a professional visual artist as well as an Expressive Arts Therapist. More about the Artist/Facilitator…