This Covid art therapy project was funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. The purpose of the project is to support people to manage their mental health and well-being. The many faceted disruptions caused by the Covid virus led to many people needing for help to move though what seemed like chaos.
Through this project the community was given access to free one-to-one creative arts therapy sessions and the following workshop video resources were produced and shared through social media.
The videos are creative art therapy sessions which are based on a variety of themes which were chosen in consultation with the community. The themes that emerged reflected peoples experiences of fear, change and loss. Each video is a guided workshop with instructions for viewers to actively participate in explorations of the various themes through engaging in guided creative arts activities. The activities include drawing, movement and creative writing. Throughout the sessions, participants are encouraged to pay attention to their inner guidance and the messages that arrive from their subconscious via the activities. Through doing this they will access their strength and resilience
The workshops were facilitated by Drama Therapist Michelle Richards.
Creative Art Therapy For Change
2020 was a year where we have had to rise to many challenges. Generally, challenges come hand in hand with opportunities for change, cultivating hope and envisioning a positive future. These art therapy video workshops were produced to help you to adjust to changes. They will guide you to use creativity to aid your mental health and emotional well-being. They will introduce you to ways that you can connect with and use the inner resources of your deeper self. Through these workshops you have be assisted in forging new pathways into your future.
Over the past few months situations and events have caused us to take stock of our beliefs and values. Throughout these times we have also had to focus on how we can respect ourselves and others. These workshops will help you to align with your highest intentions and to identify areas of your life where improvements can be made. They will help you to find new perspectives which support you to update your visions of yourself, your potential, your connection to others and how you view the world.
Managing Uncertainty Workshop
The aim of this workshop is help participants to manage their fears. The way that we perceive situations sets up a structure for how we manage situations. In this workshop we explore the mechanisms behind how we set up our structures for looking at situations and how we develop our perspectives. Greater awareness of this dynamic allows us to make choices about the perspectives that we use. We can consciously choose perspectives that guide us towards empowerment rather than fear.
Managing Uncertainty Workshop from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.
Curbing Unhealthy Lockdown Habits Workshop
The lockdown restrictions meant that many people had to change routines. For some this meant less physical activity and more opportunity to indulge in eating and drinking etc. For reasons such as these, lockdown has led to lifestyle habits that do not sustain physical health and have negative impact emotional and mental health. The aim of this video is to support you to make changes to improve your health. In this playful workshop you will identify areas where lifestyle changes are needed and to creatively reduce any mental obstacles that are blocking you from reaching your desired goals.
Time to Change Unhealthy Lockdown Habits? from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.
Past Pain Surfacing Workshop
It is beneficial to engage with our emotions as they surface. This workshop guides you to engage with surfacing emotions in a gentle, creative yet productive way. The workshop is based on a poem called Headspace to Heart space. This poem was written by a group of people and is a collective expression of how creating a flow between our headspace and our heart space allows us to process and release rather than repress or block emotions.
Past Pain Surfacing from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.
Transformation Workshop
This workshop will help you to become centred, restore a balanced perspective and explore ways to regain control and even take advantage of the potential opportunities that are inherent within change. Change can create fear when it appears to be out of our control. For many people recent changes have been imposed from seemingly out of the blue and this has in many cases proved to be hugely unsettling. This workshop is a chance to use your innate wisdom through creativity in order to refocus and set your intentions for moving forward.
Transformation from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.
Bereavement Workshop
This workshop is an opportunity to acknowledge your emotions and to honour the legacy of the person you have lost. Due restrictions during lockdown rituals surrounding death were prevented from happening in the usual ways. This workshop is an alternative ritual that you can use to say a deeply personal goodbye and thank you as you move towards finding closure.
Bereavement from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.
Striving to Make Sense of it All Workshop
This workshop was created in response to the wave of arguments that people have experienced. People are increasingly finding themselves in a sea of confusion as they wade through conflicting views and uncertainty surrounding the validity of information and how information is being used. This workshop guides you through a process of using movement and art to explore a range of thought styles. You are asked to reflect on your personal thought styles and how they can be best applied to a climate of confusion.
Striving To Make Sense Of It All from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.
A Moment of Peace
Whilst it’s useful to acknowledge and process thoughts and feelings there are times when what is needed is to stop and find a moment of stillness and rest. In this guided visualisation and relaxation workshop you will be guided to rest in a safe space away from mental chatter and life’s dramas.
A Moment of Peace from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.
It’s Not Fair!
This light-hearted workshop gives you time and a safe space to step aside from being ultra-reasonable and patient so that you can privately vent your displeasure.
It’s Not Fair! Creative Arts Therapy Workshop from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.
Creative Writing Art Therapy Workshop
This creative arts therapy workshop is an interactive story making session. Through a combination of visualisation, writing prompts and storytelling you will be guided to create a plot for your own short story. The story mirrors the theme of many traditional tales where the main character encounters a loss and then embarks alone on a journey.
In the story we reflect on the particularly dynamic Astrology of 2020. It is believed that we are moving into a new astrological age, a time when we will begin a journey into a new era. The idea of moving into new times is resonant with many due to the concept of ‘new normal’ which suggests that significant changes will need to be assimilated.
Creative Writing Art Therapy Workshop: The Magnificent Journey from Michelle Richards on Vimeo.