Courageous Hope Art Therapy

01/11/2025

🎨 Art Therapy for Adults: Healing Through Creativity 🧠💛

You don’t have to be an artist to benefit from art therapy!
Through painting, drawing, collage, or clay, adults can explore emotions, reduce stress, and reconnect with themselves in a safe, supportive space.

Art therapy helps you:
✨ Express feelings you can’t put into words
✨ Boost confidence and self-awareness
✨ Find calm through creative flow
✨ Heal from stress, trauma, or burnout

Every brushstroke tells a story — your story. 🌿

💬 Want to learn more or join a session? Send me a message or comment below!

31/10/2025

22/10/2025

07/10/2025

Why Connection is Crucial First

Builds Trust and Safety:
A strong, warm relationship with the other person makes them feel secure, understood, and cared for, even when you need to address a behavior.

Improves Receptiveness:
People are more likely to listen to and consider feedback from someone they feel connected to and respected by.

Fosters Emotional Regulation:
Connecting with a person's emotions, rather than controlling them, helps them connect with their thinking brain, allowing them to manage intense feelings more constructively.

Supports Healthy Development:
This approach teaches children that mistakes aren't shameful and relationships can withstand challenges, empowering them to manage their feelings and behaviors in a healthy way.

Strengthens the Relationship:
It reinforces the message that the person is cared for and liked, even if their behavior is not, solidifying the relationship as the foundation for all interactions.

06/10/2025

SECOND CHANCE SUNDAY

Ever wonder why anxious children can’t just think their way out of worry?

That’s because when the amygdala (the brain’s alarm system) takes over, the Prefrontal Cortex — the Problem-Solving Brain — goes offline.

This part of the brain is responsible for reasoning, decision-making, and problem solving. But in moments of fear or overwhelm, it simply can’t do its job.

Children aren’t being difficult or defiant — their brains are in survival mode.

First, they need safety and calm. Only then can the Problem-Solving Brain come back online.

Save this post as a reminder: regulation first, problem solving later.

IN THE RESOURCE STORE - instant electronic download with secure global checkout. Only £3.75, introductory price until 19 October 2025.
Toolkit to accompany our new series:
When Worries Take Over: Supporting Children With Everyday Worries
The Toolkit for Parents & Educators contains parent information sheets which capture the content of our posts over the series as well as tools, resources and activities to support them young person.

Electronic download available at link in comments or via our Linktree Shop in Bio.

03/10/2025

Book recommendations...

27/09/2025

How Art Therapy Addresses Negative Internal Dialogue....

Art therapy provides a unique pathway to manage negative internal dialogue by externalizing abstract thoughts, creating a tangible representation of the inner critic that can be observed and transformed from a distance. Through creative expression, individuals can gain emotional awareness, foster self-compassion, and develop a more positive self-concept by reframing negative narratives into symbols. The process involves a non-judgmental interaction with the artwork and the emotions it evokes, allowing for a shift from self-criticism to a more supportive internal dialogue.

On this session we created a visual representation of the clients inner critic, the words it says and acknowledging the feeling and impact they have. Then we transformed this negative image and words into something positive, paralleling an internal shift from harsh self-criticism to a more supportive internal voice.

12/09/2025

Words Worth Holding Onto is a gentle collection of quotes, reminders and affirmations for children and young people navigating big feelings. Sometimes, the right words at the right time can make all the difference.

OUR TOPIC is AFTER SCHOOL RESTRAINT COLLAPSE
NOW AVAILABLE - only £3.25 until 15 September 2025.
Introducing the After School Restraint Collapse Toolkit for Parents & Educators
Electronic download via link in comments/Bio.

12/09/2025

The after-school collapse is real.
Tears, meltdowns, shouting, or total shutdown – all signs your child is overwhelmed after a long day of masking, demands and social pressure.

Managing this moment isn’t about discipline – it’s about regulation, empathy and connection.

Our latest visual shares 5 practical tips to support your child through after-school restraint collapse – helping them feel safe, calm and understood.

After School Restraint Collapse Toolkit for Parents & Educator at https://thecontentedchild.co.uk/product/after-school-restraint-collapse-the-toolkit-for-parents-educators/

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12/09/2025