(Oxford) Diploma : Art Therapy for Grief, Healing & Recovery

This course Art Therapy, Grief and Healing is to enable you to learn how Art Therapy can be used to help yourself - and to help others - cope with grief and thus aid the healing process.

The course is divided into four main sections:

1. Overall Introduction

2. Knowing what to expect

3. Helping others grieve

4. Talking about death, grief but DOING Art

PLUS:

• Why art therapy is effective for grief and emotional healing.

• Stages of grief and how they manifest emotionally and physically.

• The importance of addressing grief through creative expression.

• Grief and Healing at Christmas

This is very much a 'doing' course. The lectures have many art therapy exercises in them - you are encouraged to do them in order to help yourself. You are also encouraged to share them in the Q/A so others may see the product - but not the process. By sharing, by discussion, there will be a further lessening of grief. You will also be able to see the work of others.

In the 'cartoon' section BOTH Instructors create work in response to the art therapy exercise. Again, it is all about process, process, process.

In addition there are CASE STUDIES.

These Case Studies (usually based in the office of an Art Therapist) have the following distinctive features:

• An art therapy exercise is often included

• Reflective questions are included

• Questions for discussion are included

• Ideally, students will do the Case Studies and then post their answers in the Q/A. In that way you'll be doing, discussing and reflecting on Art Therapy.

Topics covered:

Topics

• How to deal with Grief of a loved one, assuming no artistic strengths.

• How to use art in a therapeutic way to deal with grief after a divorce

• How through the use of art, the impact of grief is less

• The phases of grief and their emotional and physical effects. The significance of using creative expression to cope with grief.

• Creating a culminating artwork that encapsulates your experiences of grief and healing. Discussing your growth and insights.

• Using art to envision personal growth and recovery post-loss. Guided activity: Crafting artwork that represents transformation.

• Crafting artworks that promote self-care and self-love. Guided activity: Creating a self-compassion mandala

• The role of artistic expression in navigating complex feelings. How art activities influence the brain.

• Overview and origins of art therapy. The reasons behind art therapy's success in managing grief and promoting emotional recovery.

• Essential materials needed for this course and how to create a therapeutic environment.

• Merging visual arts with written reflections. Guided activity: Compiling an emotional visual journal.

• Advantages of engaging in group art therapy sessions. Strategies for building a supportive network for your healing journey.

• Reflecting on your artistic process and emotional development. Guided activity: Assembling a visual timeline of your grief

• Reflecting on your artistic process and emotional development. Guided activity: Assembling a visual timeline of your grief

• Introduction to fundamental art therapy techniques such as drawing, painting, and collage-making, with exercises to foster comfort with artistic expression

• Continuing to leverage art as a mechanism for enduring emotional health. Suggestions for further engaging with art therapy.

• Employing colours, shapes, and symbols to depict grief. Guided activity: Sketching your grief experience.

• Paying tribute to a loved one through personalized artwork. Guided activity: Producing a collage or portrait to honour their memory.

• Integrating art into everyday life for sustained healing. Strategies for keeping up with creative practices even on challenging days.

So who exactly is this course for?

1. Perhaps you are thinking of (or already are) a bereavement counsellor. Using the lectures here - applying the techniques - will only enhance your skills, what others can gain from your time.

2. Perhaps you are going through grief yourself? You need time to heal - but also a structure. There are many hours of lectures here. Plus Educational Announcements. Plus an active Q/A. Use this course to learn, to discuss, to share or just to listen.

3. Maybe you are supporting a loved one and you need activities' for you both to do. There are plenty here!

This course includes:

1. Artwork nowhere else - not even on the internet

2. Current events

3. Regular Educational Announcements

4. A supportive Q/A