The well-being of our volunteers is very important to us. They support people experiencing mental health crises on a daily basis and, as part of Mindset’s activities, conduct creative workshops for children and young people in psychiatric wards. We know very well that in order to be able to support others wisely, you first need to take care of yourself and your own resources. Equally important is the development and substantive preparation of the team to conduct workshops in child psychiatry wards.

That is why our team took part in another expressive arts therapy workshop. The aim of this creative meeting was to spend time in nature, play with imagination, and let go of control. The meeting was also a space for reflection and rest. The workshop also provided an opportunity for volunteers to learn about and directly experience expressive arts therapy (EXAT) techniques.

The workshop was conducted by Dr. Joanna Wróblewska, a visual artist and art therapist collaborating with the Mindset Foundation as part of the “Kaleidoscopes” program. In her work, she combines a somatic and creative approach, using play, imagination, and various forms of expression, including art, in the therapeutic process.

* Expressive Arts Therapy is a flexible and interdisciplinary therapeutic method that places art at the center of human experience. It is a psychotherapeutic process based on the gradual integration of life experiences and related emotions through the use of various forms of expression, such as visual arts, movement, work with rhythm and music, narrative building, and even the experience of silence. In addition to therapeutic interventions, EXAT also works well in psychoeducational, workshop, training, and school contexts.

Expressive Arts Therapy is a therapy:

• resource-oriented (existing and new)
• recognizing that the person participating in therapy is an expert on their own lived experiences
• focused on the present experience of truth and beauty as universal values
• putting art at the center of experience
• using description rather than interpretation
• promoting a sensual connection with the body and feeling

We use EXACT elements as part of the “Kaleidoscopes” program. More about the program: https://mindset.org.pl/en/program/kaleidoscopes/

Development workshops for volunteers are co-financed by the Orlen Foundation.