There are a wide range of services and supports out there for individuals when working on their mental wellbeing. We recently sat down with Tania Rose, an Arts Psychotherapist available on tappON. She works with individuals in a creative medium to help work through emotions and feelings and to find way of expressing yourself.
What is an Arts Psychotherapist, for someone who has never heard of it before?
Most of my work involves helping others improve how they feel in their lives, and supporting them as they explore and discover ways of expressing themselves that they feel comfortable with. Talking about our problems is not always an option or an interest for people, but there are hundreds of ways to express ourselves. That’s where I come in, and it can be very exciting.
Why is this beneficial to individuals?
Each person is unique with unique things to express, but opportunities to be authentic and supported in a way that feels right for us can be difficult to find. We are all important, and having others truly care about our feelings helps us grow and connect to others and to ourselves and the lives we are leading.
What does a typical support session look like?
Every session is unique to the individual, but creative processes like making art or music or other forms of expression are almost always part of the session. Mostly people come to my studio and sometimes I visit them. We work as a team, and are fellow travellers through the process.
Regardless of what process we go through, our session is a complete dedication to the client. As we get to know each other, our work together evolves and we create new ways of expressing that are unique to us. This can be a very exciting process.
Our first few sessions of working together involve getting to know each other and doing creative activities. We might do some art and then reflect about the process and the result. This can lead to sharing ideas and feelings around the art. We can then process that in a unique way which might lead to a personal project or a particular direction in our work together.
I am always open to new ways of working with someone. Generally I work one-on-one with a person, but sometimes a support person might join us. When this happens, a support person might learn to be supportive in new ways, which can be an enriching experience for everyone. Sessions can help unlock new possibilities, shift obstacles, and grow different ways of seeing the world and our part in it.
How did you get into this service?
I began this work in 1991 when I began running creative workshops for people with additional needs, which led to co-founding Restless Dance Company in Adelaide with Sally Chance. Since then I have been dedicated to the support of the creative process for all those I have the pleasure of working with, sometimes working with individuals and sometimes with groups.
Creative expression is an incredibly powerful way of connecting with others and to ourselves, as we unlock new expressive potential and find new ways of being. It’s always very interesting and sometimes surprising, and I feel so grateful and privileged to be able to share in someone’s personal journey.
You can chat with Tania and book her services, ask any questions or learn more though her tappON profile.
If you are interested in exploring other kids of services and supports you can engage through tappON, explore our Discover Page today.
