QUIET, GENTLE, SOFT & SLOW
4-week art therapy group
Ease into the new year.
At a time when society tells you to move fast, buy the next new thing, change your body and commit to the hustle, you might wonder how you can include more intention moments of quiet and slowness into your life.
Our theme is: Quiet mind. Soft body. Gentle spirit. Slow pace.
WHAT TO EXPECT
group format:
facilitators: Elspeth and Connor are your facilitators online. Elspeth is joined by Adler University practicum students in-person.
location: the Sunday group runs online over Zoom. The Tuesday groups runs in-person in downtown Vancouver.
duration: the group runs for 4 weeks and each session lasts 2 hours.
check-in: at the beginning of each session, we will check in to see how everyone is doing, and if there are any reflections to share before we begin
theme: this group came into existence to explore what it might be like to invite moments of quiet into our life, to bring a softness to our inner voices and a gentle curiosity towards our more vulnerable parts of self, at an intentional slow pace. We will explore the mind-body-spirit connection through journalling and art-making.
journalling: each session, you will have the opportunity to respond to questions and prompts through journalling. This creates a deeper understanding of the week's theme before we move into art-making.
art-making: there is no art experience needed to participate in this group. When the group is held in studio, all art materials are provided. When the group is held online, art materials are not provided. A suggested materials list is sent to participants before the group begins, however, you are welcome to participate with whatever materials you choose. The art process is the focus of this group - there will be at least 45 minutes of independent art-making time in each session.
group sharing: towards the end of our time, we come together to share our reflections on the process. Each participant can choose to share (or not share) anything they would like, including passages from the journalling prompt, art-work and descriptions of the process. While sharing, we ensure that we do not comment on anyone else's art or unique story, but rather share our own reflections.
how this is different from a studio art workshop
This group focuses on the art process, not the art product. There will be no artistic instruction. Instead participants are given prompts/suggestions and they can choose how they would like to respond. There is no wrong way to create art in this group: responses can look like scribbles, clay sculpture, a written poem, a dance and cut out images, for example.
how this is different from traditional group therapy
Traditional group therapy generally focuses on group discussion and skill-building or coaching designed to target a specific subject. While art therapy groups offer a similar community support network, discussion is not the main focus of this group. Participants are asked to work independently and focus on introspection and are then welcome to share their reflections with the group.
This group supplements, but does not replace individual therapeutic support. There may be themes that come up in the group setting that you require more support around. I am not able to diagnose, treat, or offer clinical support within this group. Please seek individual therapeutic support when needed.
your investment
General registration: $250 ($62.5 per session) online; $340 ($85 per session) in-person.
Early bird discount: $210 online; $300 in-person (available until December 25).
Please try your best to attend all sessions. If you know in advance you will be missing more than one session, consider registering for a group at a different time.
policies
Registration is open worldwide to adults (18+) of all genders.
The online group is limited to 10 participants online to allow for deeper processing and group cohesion. The in-person group is limited to 6 participants. We want to ensure that every participant has an opportunity to share and connect.
We are unable to issue refunds for any missed sessions. If you need to cancel your registration, you must do so within 5 days of the first session to receive a refund. Feelings of safety and support can be disrupted with late joining members - registration is not permitted past the start date. Missing the first two sessions similarly prohibits future participation; in this instance, a refund cannot be issued.