REFERRAL FOR ART THERAPY GROUPS

You or your referrer can contact us at:

Nottinghamshire Eating Disorder Service (NEDS) Dukeries Business Centre, 31-33 Retford Road,

WORKSOP, Nottinghamshire, S80 2PU

Tel: 01909 712 250 (Mon-Fri 9 - 5) Fax: 01909 712 400

State Registered Art Psychotherapist & Specialist Mental Health Practitioner EMMA ALLEN

If you are living in the city or county of Nottinghamshire or are already accessing NEDS or FREED/Beeches and have an eating disorder (i.e. anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa) and you are interested in joining an art therapy group - you can ask your therapist or your care co-ordinator to refer you. When a suitable referral has been made, you will be invited to attend two assessment sessions with the art therapist and co-workers in or-der to find out whether we both feel that this form of therapy could be helpful for you. Once we have established the nature and descrip-tion of the group, more detailed arrangements and guidelines con-cerning those sessions will be dis-cussed and agreed with you.

You can find out more about Art Therapy on the BAAT (British Association of Art Therapists) website: www.baat.org

AFTER-CARE - when your Art Therapy Group has reached its end, you may wish to continue engaging in a group environment, and/or wish to continue with your artwork. If so, the Art Therapist may refer you to other existing art groups, organisa-tions or services.

“At last through the visual language I had found my voice and a confidence to communicate” From ’Arts Therapies & Clients with Eating Disorders’, Warriner, Dokter, 1995,

ART THERAPY GROUPS Information about our service

Nottinghamshire Eating Disorder Service

(NEDS)

about psychological therapies

WHY ATTEND AN ART THERAPY GROUP? Art Therapy allows an opportunity to express feelings safely. If you are feeling very anxious, you may find attending an Art Therapy Group relaxing and a time for building on social relationships with other group members. Being a part of an art therapy group can also help you to get in touch with your creativity and capacity for spontaneity. The therapist's focus is not on artistic ability but upon your involvement in mak-ing your work, your perception of it and the ways in which you share this ex-perience with the group. Visual images can provide a means of expression and communication (with oneself or others) when words are difficult or impossible; they can also become a focus for discussion, analysis and self-evaluation. People with similar needs can provide mutual support for each other which may help with mutual problem-solving. It may be an opportunity to learn from one another. Through regular attendance of an Art Therapy Group, the group may become a place where you can feel supported and trust one another. Group therapy may be more suitable for those who have experienced individual therapy as intimidating or too intense. WHAT WILL THE ART THERAPY GROUP BE LIKE? The Art Therapist will arrange to meet with you prior to the group start date in order to meet and to discuss any queries or concerns you may have about attending a group. This will also allow an opportunity for you to try using the art materials before attending the group. You will also receive further informa-tion about the nature of the group and the therapist will inform you of group guidelines where together you can discuss what you wish to get out of the group. At the beginning of group therapy, warm-up exercises may be suggested, and towards the end of therapy, members often enjoy making a group image. There is the possibility of getting involved in group interactive art exercises and enjoy-ing engaging with others in a verbal and non-verbal way. During the session you will have the opportunity to talk, if you are ready to, with the therapist (and other group members when present) about the process of making the image and to share any thoughts and feelings you might have about the finished pic-ture or other art objects. The Art Therapist will remain in the room through-out the session, and will provide you with his or her attention, thoughtful re-sponses to whatever arises during the session and with practical assistance. Af-ter the session, your artwork will be safely stored in your personal folder until you attend again.

The groups will take place once a minimum of four people attend, and there will be a limit on the number of persons accepted into each group, therefore, we may not always be able to offer a group at the time of assessment, but we will be able to place you on the next available group. Each group will run over a twelve week period. We would hope that you would be able to attend at least six of these sessions. The venue and location for these groups may vary, with the aim to be locally available and accessible for all group members. You will have the opportunity to discuss any queries or concerns you may have with the Art Therapist during assessment.

'OPEN' GROUPS - These often suit people who have difficulty interact-ing with others, but are willing to try a group, because here you work at your own pace in your own way. You have control over how you use the art materials and how long you stay in the session - you may attend the group as briefly or as long as you feel you need to. You can also choose whether or not you want to talk to others about what you are doing. The Art Therapist (and possibly a co-worker/therapist according to numbers) is present throughout the session to provide practical support, to listen, and to respond thoughtfully to anything that arises. Group members work side by side and a flexible approach is taken to meet individual needs’. Those who attend ‘open’ groups may also be offered individual review sessions. THEME-BASED GROUPS - These may occur where there is usually a formal structure to the group with an introduction, the choice of a theme (by the therapist or group members), and a time for group members to draw or paint, followed by a time of sharing. Sometimes a theme may de-velop out of members’ discussion at the beginning of a session. 'CLOSED' GROUPS - Such groups have a fixed membership and dura-tion, and usually meet once-weekly. (A variation of this is the 'slow open' group, which has a fixed number of places but periodically admits new members as others leave). They may be provided for people who share a common difficulty or experience. Sessions are divided into two stages. The first involves using the art materials and making the image, allowing a time for thinking and self-reflection. This is followed by group discussion - where relationships, thoughts and feelings that emerge are explored in the pres-ence of the therapist.