Creating Insights - art therapy

13/01/2026

Investing in avoiding burnout for frontline workers with art therapy sessions, leaves lasting effects up to 3 months after.

🔥 Art therapy sessions could cut the risk of burnout by half, a study of London medics suggests.

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust worked with 129 doctors, nurses and other health professional from London hospitals to study the effects of group art therapy sessions.

They found that those who took part in the sessions reported much lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, and less stress, anxiety and depression.

🔗 Read the full article from the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yj6412gvxo

📷️ Image: Dr Francesco Rosato
Credit: BBC

07/01/2026

So lovely to be back in the studio practice.

2026, were ready for you!

“Expressive art therapy integrates all of the arts in a safe, non-judgmental setting to facilitate personal growth and healing. To use the arts expressively means going into our inner realms to discover feelings and to express them through visual art, movement, sound, writing or drama. This process fosters release, self-understanding, insight and awakens creativity and transpersonal states of consciousness.”
– Natalie Rogers

23/12/2025

🎄✨ On the twelfth month of creating,
Art therapy gave to me… a silly prom from chat gpt!✨🎄

➕Twelve months of co-creating,
➕Eleven months of deep listening,
➕Ten material tubs filling,
➕Nine sessions grounding,
➕Eight sensory moments,
➕Seven layers of collage,
➕Six altered books,
➕Five sensory pla-a-a-ays,
➕Four steady breaths,
➕Three open conversations,
➕Two paths growing side by side,
➕And holding space through art therapy.

Along the way, we were recognised by the NDIS, while welcoming wonderful Jess from Pink Zebra Psychology into the Creating Care space, alongside the thoughtful presence of Eva and Cath, supporting and mentoring a university student Anna, continuing professional development, delivering another wonderful day with Maroondah City Council, working meaningfully online with MS Plus, and welcoming so many creative neurodivergent folk into the space.

There were also quieter comforts with new, gentler air conditioning in both rooms.

As the new year begins, I’m stepping in with hopeful new energy (after surgery), and deep gratitude for every person who walks through the door, sits at the table, or meets us in the making.

✨ Looking ahead wish list…
❤️ late-diagnosed collage spaces,
🧡 creative workshops,
💛 carer education,
💚 PDA information through creative experiences,
💙 more group connections for young people,
💜 and the rollout of an 8–12 week neurodivergent-affirming art therapy program for schools, education, professionals

Paint, paper, clay, glue, texture, movement and care that meets people where they are.

With heartfelt thanks, Louise
Creating Insights Art Therapy 🌈✨

19/12/2025

In the days leading up to the break I often collaborated, co regulated or created pieces that either felt meaningful or helpful, to ride the wave of managing the festive season.

What do most of my clients have in common at this time of year?

Anxiety - Adrenaline - Overwhelm - Exhaustion - Expectations - Excitement

Why? So many reasons really.
Here are a few…

🎄managing change
🎄managing expectations from others
🎄managing comments from relatives
🎄managing sensory overload
🎄managing social battery
🎄managing potential disappointment
🎄managing expected small talk
🎄managing gift reactions
🎄managing overwhelm
🎄managing gratitude
🎄managing unexpected contact
🎄just managing

How can you help?

⭐️ allow stimming
⭐️ allow fidget toys
⭐️ allow a quiet break space
⭐️ allow gift giving or receiving in private
⭐️ allow choice and control
⭐️ allow things to be just as they are
⭐️ allow accommodations
⭐️ allow a feeling of safety
⭐️ allow different (not less) interactions
⭐️ allow use of support devices

May your festive season be just what you and your kin need. Block the white noise, create an inclusive environment and remember, even though it’s just one day, there’s weeks of change and expectations and we all experience it differently. There’s no prize for conformity, even though we are led to believe otherwise.

We’ve made many changes over the years. I hope you can too.

Permission to 🎶 fidget all the way 🎵
🎄⭐️🎄⭐️🎄⭐️🎄⭐️🎄⭐️🎄⭐️🎄

16/12/2025

🤍🤍🤍

A gentle reminder for our neurodivergent community in Australia 💛

Many neurodivergent people respond to critical or shocking events with intense focus. If you find yourself replaying footage, constantly checking news and commentary, talking about the Bondi events all day, or struggling to sleep, eat, or rest, you may be in a state of hyperfocus.

This is a common neurodivergent response to urgency and threat. It can also be part of vicarious trauma, especially when exposed to distressing or graphic news. Both are part of how our nervous systems normally process information and respond to extreme threats.

The hard part is that even when an event happens outside our immediate environment, our nervous systems can react as if it’s happening right now - even though there is nothing we can personally do to help.

If this sounds familiar, please pause and check the basics:

♥️Drink some water

♥️Eat something, even if it’s small

♥️Take your meds if you have them

♥️Check in with people around you and make sure essential care tasks (especially for kids) are still getting done

If you’re not directly involved, but finding it hard to look away or to interrupt the spiral, it may really help to check in with someone you trust and talk through ways to gently break hyperfocus. We can also share practical strategies in the comments if that would be helpful.

Hyperfocus can be exhausting and can quietly pull us away from our own care needs and caring responsibilities. This is a normal nervous system response and you deserve care too.

Please be gentle with yourselves and with each other 🤍

03/12/2025

To be part of the solution to stabilising Art Therapy as the recognised Allied Health Service that it is, the EAC (Evidence Advisory Committee) requires more input from those with lived experience of receiving or providing or believing in Art Therapy.

They have provided several options for submission of which there can be data found on my ‘resources’ page on my website or through ANZACATA or PACFA sites also.

This is in addition to the Dr Stephen Duckett independent review.

Let’s not miss this opportunity to contribute to fresh eyes, and leave it all in 2025.

Big thank you for your time and contributions.

Louise💚💚💚

[I’m just a late in life, qualified art therapist, who trotted off to uni during lockdown, using my lived experience, to build my business, to provide affirming care to my wonderful cohort of neurokin folk!].

01/12/2025

Many moons (& 3 decades ago!), I was a young graphic designer in my early to mid twenties, working for the in-house design department at Myer Grace Bros.

Being a hardworking overachiever (with myself as my harshest critic), I, like many at the time was eager to use every skill gained and developed to pour into any brief I was given.

“You’re only as good as the blank page in front of you” I often said, and as designers it was our job to bring the pages to life.

When I was given the brief to work alongside author (and Melbourne socialite), Pat Lawson Black, to design a limited edition book commemorating 40 years of the Myer Christmas Windows, I was both excited and terrified.

Given the Apple Mac (beige box) had only been around a few years or so, and the internet even less, design at the time involved a lot of sketches, mood boards, photocopying and layering.

Walking on foot between departments to gather information from the archives. Wearing white gloves to view the photos, original illustrations and the thrill of accessing the characters and props that remained in the vault, to add to the pages.

The aged photographs themselves (from the mid fifties up) made it difficult to design into the layout.

Large blocks of colour representing the four decades were used, along with playful typography and inset designs, highlighting the props and characters.

I was given full design license, liaising with the team, and enjoyed working with illustrators, production designers, prop artists, photographers, finished artists and the incredible Pat who kept us laughing into the wee hours of the morning!

The schedule and workload was stressful. I was often burnt out (without understanding it) and experienced incredible pressure and anxiety as a result. Cue fawn mode, people pleasing.

I experienced several workplace incidences, which to this day I still carry. I have done my best to heal, however ‘the body keeps the score’ (B.VdK).

Finding forgotten gifted character props yesterday, in my garage 30 years later, is giving me a somewhat Wicked chance to heal and hopefully close this chapter.

The characters hold messages 🧟‍♀️

01/12/2025

Dear followers

One more thing for the NDIS...

Hopefully, this is the last time we need to prove that Art Therapy is a clinically trained and registered Allied Health service, and we can all get on with accessing and providing these services.

As we have been categorised (below) outside of allied health for some reason, I really hope you can find the time (again) to grab a cuppa and complete this survey.

Many of the answers may require a 'no' and to provide more information.

As alerted previously, here is the survey link to provide (anonymous) feedback and information to the 'Evidence Advisory Committee', which will be using this information to assess Art and Music Therapy on the NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme. This is working in addition to the independent review.

"For the second round of assessments to be considered by the EAC, we would like your input on the following supports:
+ Art Therapy
+ Functional Electrical Stimulation
+ Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as a Disability Support
+ Music Therapy
+ Prosthetics with Microprocessors
+ Therapy Suits"

Even though the independent review by Dr Stephen Duckett had positive results for our fields of practice, it feels important to take this (hopefully) final step, albeit exhausting. Let's continue to be part of the 'solution' to this ongoing 'problem'.

You can either:
1) email disabilityevidence@health.gov.au with evidence, information, or your thoughts - ie I am forwarding my submission (with testimonials) to Dr Stephen Duckett
2) Complete the survey - this takes about 20 minutes.
3) Video submission.

The due date is Jan 20, 2026.

The committee states:
"We are studying some NDIS supports and things that might become NDIS supports. We are trying to see:
+ who they help
+ how much they help
+ if they are safe.

We want to know if the information we have so far is right. We want to know:
+who uses or might use the supports
+ how and why people use the supports
+ what other supports people use instead.

You can tell us what you think using the link on the Consultation Hub Website. If you prefer, you can email a video of your answers to disabilityevidence@health.gov.au before 11:59pm AEST on 20 January 2026"

THANK YOU

The site lists consultations that are run by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. On this site you can find, share or take part in consultations.

20/11/2025

Words matter

18/11/2025

Just a typical tidy up between sessions 🪄✨

A sign of a great experiential time together ✨ 🪄
Ensuring I keep my focus where I need to be during our time together, as to not break the therapeutic bond ✨ 🪄

Utilising whatever is required without unnecessary limitations, adhering with the ETC (expressive therapies continuum) ✨ 🪄

Making the most of our face to face time together, before starting again ✨ 🪄

Trying to justify the actual time spent for art therapy sessions within reason, with ethical care ✨ 🪄

I’m off to make a magic wand ✨ 🪄

17/11/2025

We’ve been reflecting on the impact of playfulness and creating témenos in sessions lately, and how showing up as authentically you can have magical effects.

We’re often on guard or even masking to fit in, ‘behave’ or be perceived a certain way, so play is an important element of letting go and feeling safe enough to open up.

Plus, thankfully these days my own inner child is present to meet many folk were they’re at.

29/10/2025

I’m not sure what’s more challenging some days…
A) Getting packed up before the next client
B) Sorting the colours to assist those who need order
C) Remembering where everything goes
D) Getting distracted … oh… where was I? and playing with the materials

I’ve created a space I would have devoured as a child, I would have loved for my own kids, and hope my clients feel safe, expressive and curious enough for creating insights together.

Through the many relational frameworks and multi model aspects of art psychotherapy, this week we’ve explored: identity, adaptation and reflexivity, tools to manage fears, unpacking threat responses, understanding others intentions versus our perceptions, expanding upon pride in sharing special interests, unmasking in safe environments, understanding our neurodivergent experiences, recognising burnout, working with our window of tolerance and so much more.

Needless to say, I love this work and I love learning from and alongside my clients.

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” - Leonardo da Vinci