arts based training for Occupational Therapists
Have you ever felt like there's a missing link between traditional Occupational Therapy approaches and the needs of your clients?
Perhaps you work with neurodivergent adolescents, young adults, or people experiencing mental health challenges and have found yourself wondering:
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How do I support clients who have difficulty putting their experiences into words?
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How do I help clients build insight, self-understanding and emotional regulation in ways that feel meaningful and safe?
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How do I create therapy sessions that feel engaging, creative and occupation-based while remaining grounded in Occupational Therapy practice?
Expressive arts approaches may be one of the missing pieces. These trainings have been developed for Occupational Therapists who want to confidently integrate expressive and creative approaches into psychosocial, neuroaffirming and mental health practice, while remaining grounded in Occupational Therapy theory, clinical reasoning and scope of practice.
Whether you are looking for a practical introduction, a comprehensive self-paced training, or an immersive workshop experience, there is a pathway to support your learning journey.
Why I created these courses
In 2018, I enrolled in a Graduate Diploma of Art Psychotherapy with the goal of deepening my understanding of creative and expressive approaches within mental health practice. At the time, I was working as an Occupational Therapist and was continually seeing the powerful role that creativity, self-expression, meaning-making, and sensory engagement could play in supporting emotional wellbeing. I wanted to better understand how creative processes could be used therapeutically and how they might complement Occupational Therapy practice.
Over the course of a year, I immersed myself in the study of Art Psychotherapy, exploring creative interventions, symbolic expression, group processes, reflective practice, and the therapeutic relationship. While the training was incredibly valuable, I also recognised that many Occupational Therapists were unlikely to have access to this type of learning due to the significant financial and time commitment involved. Full Art Therapy and Art Psychotherapy qualifications can often cost upwards of $30,000 and require several years of postgraduate study.
Rather than attempting to train Occupational Therapists as Art Therapists, this program extracts the most valuable and transferable concepts I learned through my Art Psychotherapy training and translates them into an Occupational Therapy framework. The result is a practical, evidence-informed, OT-integrated program that helps therapists confidently incorporate creative and arts-based approaches into their existing practice while remaining firmly grounded within Occupational Therapy scope, theory, and clinical reasoning.
Introduction
A self-paced workbook designed for Occupational Therapists who are curious about integrating expressive and creative approaches into practice. Explore the foundations of creativity in OT, expressive arts principles, therapeutic benefits, and practical reflection activities to support your learning. Includes an introduction to practical examples and OT interventions that can be used with clients. Perfect for occupational therapists wanting a low-cost introduction before attending a workshop or course.
$39 AUD
Comprehensive
A comprehensive 100 page workbook that includes an-depth training webinars, downloadable intervention resources and activities, session planning and intervention planning templates, occupational therapy-specific implementation frameworks, detailed clinical examples and case applications, experiential learning modules where therapists personally engage in expressive arts processes, guidance on adapting activities across different client presentations and age groups, ongoing practical tools that can be immediately used in clinical practice
$99 AUD
Introduction Workshop
90-Minute training workshop designed to be a practical introduction to arts based approaches within Occupational Therapy practice. Learn with Tessa on a live workshop about how creativity can support emotional regulation, self-expression, occupational engagement, and therapeutic rapport while remaining grounded in Occupational Therapy models and scope of practice.
Perfect for: Therapists looking for practical ideas they can begin implementing immediately.
$149 AUD
Comprehensive Workshop
An immersive professional development experience designed to help Occupational Therapists confidently integrate expressive arts approaches into practice. Through experiential activities, case studies, discussion, and intervention planning, participants will learn how to use creative occupations to support regulation, self-expression, identity development, and occupational participation.
Includes: Full training workbook
Experiential expressive arts activities
Intervention planning exercises
Occupational Therapy theory integration
Certificate of attendance
Perfect for: Therapists wanting practical experience, confidence, and ready-to-use intervention ideas.
Perfect for: Therapists wanting a deeper understanding of arts-based approaches in OT.
$500AUD