our service
Chrysalis specialises in early intervention, adolescent, and family therapy, individually or grouped. Art therapy is one of the few therapeutic forms of help that is ideally suited to children, as they may often find it intimidating to speak of their concerns. Working with the art materials puts the child in control and allows the therapy to develop at a pace that is tolerable to them, so that they don’t feel overwhelmed. Children, young people and even some adults are likely to be much more comfortable expressing emotions with pencils, paint and 3D modelling than they are in words.
For these reasons, our therapeutic service successfully cuts across all barriers, including those of language, and has a unique contribution to make as a way of reaching clients who sometimes appear unreachable. Our therapists are experienced in using their treatment tools, regardless of the traits or capacities brought to session.
what we do
who we help
aims and impact
encourage and aid attachment
lessen separation anxiety
resolve conflict
increase self-esteem/confidence
explore and process trauma
reduce family breakdown
improve emotional regulation
reduce anxiety
improve pro-social behaviour
improve relationships
cultivate emotional resilience
increase mental wellbeing
our outreach
Nursery and children’s centres
Primary schools, both state and private
Secondary schools, both state and private
SEND schools or classes
Pupil referral units
GPs’ surgeries
Young people’s organisations
our process
We start with an initial consultation where we will determine if art therapy is an appropriate form of treatment for you based on your personal history and concerns, as well as your willingness to participate in art therapy.
After that, your art therapy sessions will normally be scheduled for an hour weekly. You will be introduced to some of the materials and encouraged to go at your own pace and direction. There is no right or wrong, as long as you’re creating. What you create or its aesthetics is not the point. It is the journey of self-expression that is important. While creating, you can talk if you want to, or not, if you don’t.
Using the art materials to facilitate symbolic imagery and storytelling, you will be given time to create a variety of images and your sessions could potentially include activities such as working with clay, painting, making a mask, creating a visual journal, assembling a collage or primarily exploring sensory soothing stimuli such as magnetic sand. All of these can symbolically or metaphorically carry different meanings to explore your experiences, achieve greater self-awareness and work towards change.
Your art therapist may ask questions to build an understanding and create a link between your feelings or memories and your work. However, we may also just rely on the artmaking to do the talking for you if that seems more appropriate for you. Our art therapists are trained to be flexible and to adapt their methods to suit each person or situation.
what is needed
A self contained room, consistently available and free from interruption to ensure privacy and confidentiality
A sink and running water
Table and chairs
Liaison time with key staff and parents/carers
Liaison time with other professionals
first steps
If you think that art therapy with Chrysalis might be for you, please get in touch by clicking on Contact us. As we are often dealing with clients, the best way to get a quick response is by filling in our contact form. We will then get in touch with you as soon as possible to discuss your needs and how we can best work with you. If you decide to go forward, we would be pleased to send you our referral form to start the process.
