Art Therapy with Michelle Booth

17/05/2025

20/09/2024

30/07/2024

instead of saying, "i know what it feels like", let's say "i cannot imagine your heartbreak".

instead of saying, "you're strong, you'll get through this", let's say "you'll hurt, and I'll be here".

instead of saying, "you look like you're doing well", let's say, "how are you holding up today?"

instead of saying, "healing takes time", let's say "healing has no timeline".

instead of saying, "everything happens for a reason", let's say "this must feel so terribly senseless right now".

and when there are no words to say at all, you don't need to try and find some. love speaks in silences too.

Ullie Kaye💫

✨Artwork by Amy Dury

06/02/2024

Read about music therapy

Thank you Graeme Sacks music therapy for sharing your story.

https://sanata.org/magazine/beyond-words-edition-2024-access/sitting-with-dissonance-my-journey-to-music-therapy/

15/08/2023

Dear friends

I am finally taking the leap and hosting my first Biodanza retreat in September. Combining my skills as an art therapist and my Biodanza facilitation experience I have created a weekend of playful and embodied creativity.

Ursula le Guin says “The daily routine of most adults is so heavy and artificial that we are closed off to much of the world. We have to do this in order to get our work done. I think one purpose of art is to get us out of those routines. When we hear music or poetry or stories, the world opens up again. We’re drawn in — or out — and the windows of our perception are cleansed”

During this retreat, you will be given the opportunity to activate the playful and creative parts of yourself through a structured weekend of Biodanza sessions and creative expression in a beautiful natural setting next to the indigenous forest near Sedgefield.

Added to experience of being in the present moment through dance, Nicholas Mclean, from Feed Me Green, will be inviting you to delight your senses through mindful eating of delicious vegetarian food.

Everyone is welcome but preference will be given to those who have attended Biodanza classes before.

So what is Biodanza?? Biodanza combines music, fun and expressive guided movement, speaking to our innate need as human beings to feel joy, be creative and to connect to ourselves, life and others.

When we dance and move to music, we can communicate with others without needing words, relating in an expressive way that is free of bias, judgement and expectation. In this space we dance our own lives, bringing music, rhythm, harmony, emotion and healing into our communities and personal lived experience.

So if you live in the Garden Route, I invite you to come and play with us.

If you live further afield, I also invite you to gift yourself the opportunity of a nourishing break. The George airport is close by.

Contact me for more information and please share this information about my retreat - your support is must appreciated!

07/05/2023

07/04/2023

The simple answer: ABSOLUTELY!

Not only do you not have to be “conventionally artistic” but we encourage our clients to explore their own creativity in non-judgemental and inclusive ways. We are all inherently creative, because we create all the time. In every decision we make (from the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and more) we are creating.

The Arts Therapies offer an alternative perspective to interact with the challenges life has to offer. This builds resilience, out of the box thinking, flexibility and so much more.

To find out more feel free to visit our website.

06/10/2022

We have been working on this magazine for months and we are almost there!!! The excitement is real!!! We can’t wait to give you a small view of what the Art Therapies are doing in South Africa.

10/05/2022

TOWARDS A DESCRIPTION OF THE ELEMENTS OF ART THERAPY PRACTICE FOR TRAUMA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW⁠
⁠
By Holly Bowen-Salter et al.⁠
⁠
"Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating mental health condition that can occur when individuals are exposed to traumatic situations. Art therapy has been growing in popularity and acceptance as a therapeutic intervention for trauma over the last 10 years, however, there is still hesitation when considering art therapy as a valid treatment for trauma..."⁠

Click here to read Taylor & Francis: https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17454832.2021.1957959

26/10/2021

Here is a useful graphic to help us understand the difference between guilt and shame and how to deal with each.

02/08/2021

Art Therapy is for anyone needing support or struggling with something in their lives - grief, anger, relationship difficulties, lack of self esteem, addiction problems, parenting issues etc. All of us have these challenges but many are scared of the stigma of seeking support.

I offer an online or in person confidential, supportive, non-judging space to explore what is going on in your life and to find your own inner resources.

You don't need to be good at art to come and see me for Art Therapy. You just need to be willing to explore and interact with the art materials.

An image can say more than a thousand words. An image allows what is inside to be expressed outside. Image making processes allow us access to our unconscious feelings and experiences giving us great insight. We can learn about ourselves, grow into more of who we really are and integrate different parts of ourselves into more wholeness.

I love my job as an art psychotherapist. I get to support people, take them on journeys of healing, discovery and self love. Together we work with the images that arise in the sessions and they guide us towards awareness and integration.

I see adults, teenagers and couples.

Call me on 084 8064775 and we can discuss how I can support you.

01/03/2021

Invitation to participate in an Online Grief Support Circle:

Mondays: 8 and 22 March and 5 and 19 April from 4.30-6pm.

This time of COVID has brought many experiences of loss. Many of us have been unable to participate in the communal and traditional rituals that help us mourn and process our grief.

It is reassuring and comforting to talk with others going through similar experiences. And yes, it takes courage to grieve, to come out from behind the mask of “I’m ok” that you show the world.

I know how that feels and so I feel strongly the need to support those grieving losses.

I lost my mother at a young age and my colleague, Vasintha, lost hers last year. Together we know some things about loss and grieving.

We know that grief is complicated and it has its own timing. It touches each person differently. It can connect us and make us feel lonely. Grief can be like a dull ache or a dark shadow or a sharp piercing pain.

If you are grieving, we are offering creative ritual spaces where your grief can be held gently, where you won’t feel alone, and where you can share your grief in a circle of compassion with others who are also grieving.

If this speaks to you, we invite you to join us. The first circle starts on Monday 8 March at 16.30. The cost is R150 per session.

You can join just one circle or attend all of them.

We are both psychotherapists with many years of experience of supporting our clients and we look forward to welcoming you into this ritual space.

If you have never done anything like this before or feel nervous about joining a group online, please feel free to call me for a chat on 084 8064775 or email me at michelle@michellebooth.co.za.