FAQ

Art therapy is an evidence-based mental health profession, using art media and the creative process as a medium for personal transformation and healing through self-expression, emotional awareness and regulation, communication, self-discovery, empowerment, and hope towards a new future.   

Some benefits of art therapy are: 

• • Reduce stress and trauma, 
  • Affirm positive coping strategies and mental resilience, 
  • Boost self-esteem and self-awareness, 
  • Regulate emotions, 
  • Improve memory and attention span, 
  • Develop social skills and interpersonal skills, 
  • Create positive contributions to the community.  

You will be supported by a credentialed art therapist who will guide you in art-making activities, tailored to your needs and therapeutic objectives of the programme. The art therapist may facilitate discussions or reflections on your artworks and encourage exploration of your thoughts, emotions, and experiences.  

Art therapy is suitable for people of all ages and can be tailored to different populations including children, youths, adults, and seniors.  

The decision to talk about your artwork during the session is ultimately up to you depending on your comfort level and therapeutic goals. The art therapist will guide you in reflecting specific elements in the creative process and artwork, which can be valuable in processing and integrating your experiences.  

The therapist will aim to create a safe and supportive environment for you to express yourself freely. While they will provide opportunities for reflection and discussion, they will respect your boundaries if you are not comfortable to disclose or discuss what you’re not ready for.  

Both art therapy and traditional talk therapy can be effective forms of psychotherapy. Art therapy utilises expressive medium of visual arts as a mode of communication and non-verbal expression while talk therapy relies on verbal and cognitive approach.  

Through the arts, unconscious and subconscious processes are tapped into to explore deeper layers of emotions and memories. The art therapy approach also allows for the creative expression through symbols, metaphors, and imagery to represent inner experiences and narratives to facilitate processing and meaning-making.  

The choice between the two modalities depends on individual preferences, therapeutic goals, and the individual needs.  

No artistic skills or prior experience is required in art therapy.

Art therapy is a mental health profession that can help with various concerns and issues, including but not limited to trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues and emotional regulation.   

Art therapy utilises a wide range of art materials to facilitate self-expression, exploration, and therapeutic processes. The choice of materials may vary depending on the goals of the therapy, client preferences, and the specific techniques being employed. Here are some commonly used art materials in art therapy that ranges from dry to fluid materials:  

Oil pastels, coloured pencils, markers, collage, fabrics, yarns, found objects, clay, acrylic paints, and watercolour paints.  

We welcome you to email welcome@redpencil.org. Our Programmes team may arrange a meeting to understand your needs, share with you our programmes, and guide you to complete our Comprehensive Needs Assessment Form. This form will contain a Financial Needs Assessment to complete if you would like to request for financial subsidies for the programme.

We offer art therapy in-person at our Creative Arts Therapy in Redhill.

Not only do we offer individual art therapy, but we also provide art therapy for groups, duos, and families as well.

Individuals and organisations can get in touch with The Red Pencil (welcome@redpencil.org). Each request will be individually assessed. Then, our team does its best to find the most suitable programme depending on the needs of the individual.

Local organisations with a psychosocial programme implemented and interested in incorporating arts therapy can contact The Red Pencil (welcome@redpencil.org) for more information on possible ways to collaborate.

Typically, our sessions range from $150-$200 per hour, with an additional $30/pax fee for art materials to be used during the programme. For our clinical art therapy programme, it is a series of 8 weekly sessions, with each session being 1-1.5 hours.  

As a charity, we do provide partial or full subsidies for service users who are experiencing financial difficulties, upon review of their financial needs assessment.  

Yes, we offer virtual sessions via Zoom. However, before proceeding, we assess the client's needs and consider any potential risks involved.

Yes, we do. Service users may request to pay in instalments every 2-3 sessions.

Thank you for your interest in partnering with us. Please kindly send an email to welcome@redpencil.org and our Programmes team will revert to you.  

You may wish to provide this information if you have it on hand, so we can smoothly facilitate your request: 

1. Intended programme objectives and themes
2. Target audience (how many participants, occupation, etc)
3. Desired programme duration
4. Venue
5. Intended programme dates and timings

We will arrange a meeting and guide you to complete our Partner Needs Assessment Form.  

Thank you for your interest in partnering with us. Please kindly send an email to welcome@redpencil.org and our Programmes team will revert to you.  

You may wish to provide this information if you have it on-hand, so we can smoothly facilitate your request: 

1. Intended programme objectives, 
2. Profile of client(s) and reasons for art therapy, 
3. Intended programme commencement date. 

We will arrange a meeting and guide you to complete our Partner Needs Assessment Form.