Creative Art Therapy Australia

26/11/2025

In aged care, we often measure success by safety, nutrition, and compliance. But what about agency, joy, and connection?

When Maria entered aged care, she was grieving and withdrawn. Her husband of 66 years, living with advanced dementia, no longer recognised her.

Over the next eight weeks, through structured Creative Art Therapy sessions, something changed. Maria began expressing her emotions through art, joining group sessions, and rediscovering her voice. She went from staying in her room to staying for hours - talking, laughing, and leading stories.

What happened wasn’t a miracle. It was agency restored through structured creative process.

This is what aged care reform must look like - moving beyond safety and routine to approaches that rebuild identity, autonomy, and social connection.

Creative Art Therapy isn’t entertainment; it’s clinical, measurable care that restores the self.

Explore the full case study here: https://cata.org.au/cata-impact/agedcare-case-study-1/

A Not-for-Profit organization, Creative Art Therapy Australia (CATA) provides multiple platforms in Creative Art Therapies for the expression, experience and understanding of personal trauma.

24/11/2025

The sustainability of drama therapy in the NDIS will depend on one thing: evidence that connects story to data.

Providers must show how dramatic processes - role, improvisation, embodiment - translate into measurable change:
• Tolerance of group settings.
• Frequency of peer initiations.
• Latency to calm after distress.

These are observable, reportable, and defensible outcomes under NDIS capacity-building categories.

The policy signal is clear: with the 2025 review confirming art and music therapy supports will remain, outcome measurement will define future funding.

It’s time for providers to make every story count - by linking every creative process to clear, functional progress.

Discover how this approach is shaping NDIS reform → https://cata.org.au/whats-new/why-drama-therapy-works-with-ndis-participants/

22/11/2025

In many aged care settings, daily routines are fixed: meals at set times, activities on schedule, limited choices.

Control fades quietly - and with it, dignity.

Creative Art Therapy changes that dynamic. When a resident decides what to create, which story to tell, or when to participate, they’re reclaiming autonomy. These are small choices with major psychological impact.

Research has long shown that even modest increases in control reduce depression and strengthen resilience. Yet few facilities measure agency as an outcome.

If we’re serious about person-centred care, then agency must become one of our key performance indicators.

Visit our website to explore the full blog: https://cata.org.au/whats-new/cultural-sensitivity-control-and-agency-in-creative-art-therapy-for-aged-care/

19/11/2025

Agency isn’t abstract. It is measurable.

In NDIS planning and therapy, the language we use shapes whether participants can genuinely reach their goals.

Vague goals (“I want to be more independent”) make progress difficult to track. Clear, participant-driven goals (“I want to travel to my local library on my own once a week”) create direction, strategy and accountability.

Research shows that precise, participant-led language is linked to higher goal completion and stronger engagement.

Our role as providers is to model this by asking “How would you like to approach this?” instead of telling participants what should happen.

Through words, art, movement or music, communication that centres the participant’s voice produces measurable change.

Read the full outcomes here: https://cata.org.au/whats-new/the-power-of-language-building-agency-goal-and-control-for-ndis-participants/

A Not-for-Profit organization, Creative Art Therapy Australia (CATA) provides multiple platforms in Creative Art Therapies for the expression, experience and understanding of personal trauma.

12/11/2025

The Royal Commission made one thing clear: aged care must close the gap between physical care and emotional well-being.

Yet in many facilities, Creative Arts Therapies remain framed as “activities” - add-ons rather than clinical interventions.

Our 2023–24 Creative Care Program across multiple aged care sites showed what happens when this changes. Trained therapists were embedded into care teams, working alongside nurses and lifestyle staff, delivering measurable improvements in mood, cognition, and social connection.

These are not anecdotes; they are evidence-based outcomes observed, documented, and felt in real time by staff and families.

The message to sector leaders is clear: Creative Arts Therapies are not a luxury - they are an allied health necessity for a system that claims to value holistic care.

Read more about the impact behind these results: https://cata.org.au/whats-new/integrating-creative-art-therapies-in-aged-care/

12/11/2025

For Creative Arts Therapies to hold their place in the NDIS, impact must be proven - not assumed.

That means clear alignment between session goals and NDIS outcomes like emotional regulation, daily living, and social participation.

When we measure progress - minutes tolerated in group settings, frequency of self-regulation, or new social initiations - we translate creative processes into functional data.

Reports, baseline comparisons, and family or educator feedback become evidence in plan reviews. This is what shifts perception from “optional” to essential.

The message to providers is simple: measure what matters, bridge outcomes clearly, and show how creative processes drive independence and participation.

That’s what makes Creative Arts Therapies both fundable and future-proof.

Click here to read the full blog: https://cata.org.au/whats-new/creative-arts-therapies-in-ndis-contexts/

12/11/2025

In aged care, we measure safety, nutrition, medication, compliance.

But how often do we measure agency - a person’s ability to choose, express, and decide for themselves?

For people living with dementia, Creative Art Therapy restores that control. A resident choosing their paint colour, deciding when to join a session, or moving to familiar music - these are acts of agency.

And agency drives wellbeing.

The data supports it: even modest increases in personal control reduce depression and improve resilience.

If aged care is truly person-centred, then agency must sit at the centre of every care model - not at its edges.

Red the full blog here: https://cata.org.au/whats-new/a-place-for-creative-arts-in-dementia-care/

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A Not-for-Profit organization, Creative Art Therapy Australia (CATA) provides multiple platforms in Creative Art Therapies for the expression, experience and understanding of personal trauma.

25/09/2025

CATA welcomes Seraphina!

We’re thrilled to introduce Seraphina, a Registered Music Therapist who brings warmth, creativity, and cultural sensitivity to her work.

Passionate about offering genuine therapeutic experiences through live music - especially piano and harp - she creates moments of connection and joy… and this excites us!

With a love for interdisciplinary collaboration, Seraphina works across NDIS, education, and clinical settings, adapting her approach to meet the needs of the people she supports.

Join us in giving Seraphina a warm CATA welcome as she brings her talent, care, and passion for music to the people we serve.

02/09/2025

Are you an NDIS Support Coordinator or Plan Manager? Creative Arts Therapy Australia provides therapy-aligned and community-based services that support participant goals, capacity building, and improve daily living.

🌐: https://cata.org.au/

16/08/2025

And that’s a wrap! 🧡

Thank you to the amazing crew careexpomelbourne for the networks, connections and to all the people that came to participate in a little Creative Art Therapy at . mecwacare our collaborators great to see you and a big shoutout to our Intern and Volunteers helencondilis and joynae_art for bringing high energy and support to our space over the past few days. 🧡

15/08/2025

Day 1 at the Care Expo Melbourne 2025 🧡

A great start to the expo. Every activity we deliver is grounded in clinical practice - tailored for NDIS participants, Aged Care, and anyone navigating change or adversity.

We’ll be here until August 16. Come see it for yourself.

Huge thanks to Carroll for your massive support to CATA - and also to everydaypeopleradio & rainbow_bri_tiedye ! 🧡

15/08/2025

Happening Now at the Care Expo! 🎥Caroline, the founder of Creative Arts Therapy Australia, is here showing how Visual Arts, Dance, Music, and Drama Therapy can help NDIS participants and those in Aged Care tackle trauma and adversity in a fun, creative way. Come join the fun TODAY until August 16—no guilt, just creative expression!🚀