Mindscape’s child therapy services in Dorset and Hampshire focus on approaches that allow a child to process and regulate emotions naturally. Often children and young people may not be able to verbally articulate their experiences but art and play can help them make sense of it and be a window into their world to engage with them.
Creative art psychotherapy is a hands-on therapy that allows a person to make concrete through engagement with the senses, and feelings that may not be accessed in words alone, it can aid in the capacity to mentalize, to understand our state of mind and others. This can thus aid in the development of cognitive capabilities, self-confidence, and resilience.
This expressive approach can be an interactive sensory experience, helping to minimise avoidance of difficult feelings, improve emotional regulation, help to integrate suppressed feelings, and make one feel whole again.
We aim to bring unconscious emotions into the here and now and concretise them into symbolic form. So they can be safely processed and worked through in a non-invasive way. This can be useful for processing traumatic experiences that can shut off verbal and cognitive areas of the brain.
Sessions start with a consultation and assessment where we meet to explore challenges that the person faces. Our child therapy approach uses creative, and verbal psychotherapy approaches to help process thoughts and worries that can be difficult to express. This can be helpful for people with some challenges with emotional regulation, communication, and neurodiversity.
We aim to increase self-awareness, develop coping strategies, and safely process any thoughts and feelings from difficult experiences that may be troubling the young person. We accept that every child and young person is unique and allowing them a safe space to reflect and explore can be the key to healthy emotional wellbeing and enhanced cognitive development.
Art Psychotherapist