About Me
Hi there, my name is Julie Mehaffy and I live in County Antrim. I am a qualified Art Psychotherapist registered with the Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC), and a member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). I offer Art Therapy to children, young people and adults.
What is
Art Therapy?
Creativity is one of the greatest forms of hope, and is an avenue to profound discovery and recovery during the hard times in life.
Art Psychotherapy or Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication. Art is not used as a diagnostic tool but as a medium to address emotional issues that may be confusing or distressing.
(British Association of Art Therapists, BAAT, 2021)
"May this be the season you keep on creating. Even in the uncertainty. Even in the waiting”
Morgan Harper Nichols
Art Therapy can be useful for just about any human being who has gone through a period of prolonged stress in their life. Therapy can be provided in groups or individually depending on a client’s needs. It will never be an art lesson and is not at all dependent on any prior level of artistic skill or knowledge.
My approach
I offer a wide and varied range of art materials, including paint, charcoal, pastels, pencils, collage, wire, textiles, and clay. Environmental materials are something I love integrating into sessions, alongside poetry, however, I will always work with a client to identify their goals.
I have experience with issues relating to self worth, grief, depression, anxiety, self harm, domestic abuse, family separation, bullying and PTSD. Clients may have a range of difficulties including those related to mental health, behavioural issues, learning difficulties, physical disabilities, neurological conditions or physical illnesses.
I offer Art Therapy to primary schools, secondary schools, local charities, the health and care sector, community groups and voluntary agencies. Please get in touch for more information.
What I offer
One on one Art Therapy sessions.
These are normally between 45mins to 1 hour in length, and for a period of at least six weeks.
Group Art Therapy
Often it makes sense to meet with others experiencing similar issues. These groups are coproduced in order to meet client needs.
Opportunities to use creativity to relax alongside others, while learning new tools for self management of emotions.
Wellbeing workshops
About Me
I am a qualified Art Psychotherapist registered with the Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC), and am a member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). I offer Art Therapy to children, young people and adults.
The word 'kokoro' is the Japanese term for 'heart, body, and soul' and there just so happens to be no equivalent for this in English. In my own life, I tend to find that difficulties can leave me without the equivalent or 'adequate' words to convey what I'm going through. Creativity becomes a safe place to express what's going on at a deep heart, body and soul level, and all without the pressure to form a coherent sentence. This brings with it a freedom, acceptance and often new perspectives to glean from.
Perhaps the idea of combining creativity with therapy seems a weird one, but this is nothing new. Art has always been a way of connecting with inner states, and perhaps now more than ever, we need organic ways of connecting to ourselves.
Personal art
I enjoy working with oil pastels, charcoal and a range of paints.
Each piece starts in exactly the same way - with a blank page and a fresh opportunity to express something deep inside.
I am open to commissions.
Contact Kokoro Art Therapies
kokoroarttherapies
arttherapyjulie@gmail.com
Art Therapists are bound by the law to be registered by the HCPC, which requires high standards of education, clinical practice and continuing professional development. Through regular training. I am committed to regular CPD and to regular supervision. The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) is the UK's professional organisation for Art Therapists and has its own Code of Ethics of Professional Practice.