Study Creative Therapies By Distance Learning

Learn more about art therapy, dance and movement therapy, psychodrama, psychotherapeutic writing, music and singing therapy, crafting therapy and more.

Also learn more about working with individuals and groups, confidentiality and counselling skills. 

The content of each of the eight lessons is as outlined below:

Lesson 1. Scope and Nature of Creative Therapy and Counselling Skills I

• What are creative therapies
• Who can benefit
• Take caution with some patients
• Benefits
• Scientific evidence
• Preparing for creative therapy
• Counselling & active listening
• Giving instructions
• Different learning styles
• Planning for choice
• Options for response
• Open ended tasks
• Improving creativity
• Health and safety
• Insurance
• Selling your craft
• After creative therapy

Lesson 2.  Art Therapy and Counselling Skills II

• Counselling skills – SOLER
  
• What is art therapy
• What clients benefit from art therapy
• Scientific evidence
• Art therapy techniques
• Art therapy with children
• Stories
• Playdough
• Candle making
• Therapeutic photography
• Colouring books
• Painting by numbers
• Doodling

Lesson 3.  Crafts Therapy Part 1 – Fibre and Paper Crafts

• What is craft therapy?
• How it works
• Knitting
• Ceramics
• Quilting
• Embroidery
• Decoupage
• Sewing
• Crochet
• Macrame
• Origami
• Scientific evidence and historical anecdotes
• Therapeutic benefits

Lesson 4.  Crafts Therapy Part 2 – Model Making and Building Crafts

• Introduction
• Skills needed for model making
• Model building
• Wood working
• Interior design
• Light, space, texture, colour, line, form
• Furniture and objects
• Sculpting
• Building renovation
• Building blocks
• Benefits of model making and building crafts.
• Risks
• Working with individuals
• Finding the individual’s creativity
• Exploring
• Using technology
• Cultivate expertise
• The reward

Lesson 5.  Singing Therapy and Music Therapy

• What is singing therapy
• Therapeutic benefits and scientific evidence
• What is music therapy
• Active music therapy
• Receptive music therapy
• How does music therapy work?
• Silence
• Dementia and music therapy
• Singing for the brain
• Working with groups
• Dealing with upset
• Organising sessions

Lesson 6.  Psychotherapeutic Writing

• What is writing therapy?
• Hiding the pain
• Therapeutic benefits
• Self knowledge
• Balancing emotions
• Improving discipline
• Difficulties
• Examples of writing therapy
• How it works
• Psychotherapeutic exercise
• Writing a letter
• Word walls
• Be positive

Lesson 7.  Psychodrama, Dance and Movement Therapy

• Non-verbal communication
• Body language
• Kinesics
• Haptics
• Proxemics
• Occulesics
• Psychodrama and Drama therapy
• What is drama therapy?
• Aims of drama therapy
• Working with different groups
• Therapeutic benefits and scientific evidence
• Projective play
• Acting out
• Reunion
• Puppetry
• Dance and movement therapy
• Scientific research on DMT
• How DMT sessions work
• DMT and regulating emotions
• Psychodrama
• Action methods
• Psychodrama sessions
• Uses for psychodrama
• Psychodrama and children

Lesson 8.  Reminiscence Therapy

• What is reminiscence therapy
• Individuals who benefit from reminiscence work
• Neurocognitive deficits
• Delirium
• Neurocognitive disorders
• How does reminiscence therapy work?
• Therapeutic benefits and scientific evidence
• Reminiscence work tips
• Reminiscence work and other therapies

At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment to submit to your tutor for marking and feedback.

You can also contact your tutor with  any questions throughout the course.

Some Sample Notes from the Course

Interior Design

Interior design can be considered a science, but it is also the art of enhancing the interior of a building to make it more aesthetically pleasing and healthier.   Interior design can include purchasing items to make an area more aesthetically pleasing and for creative purposes, it can also involve creating furnishings or fabrics and so on for the building.

Interior design may seem an unusual thing to do in a therapeutic way, but you may be dealing with people who have had little or no control over their daily lives, so interior design can be a way of creating control in their lives and environment.

Interior design has seven main elements –

• light
• space
• texture and pattern
• colour
• line
• form
• furniture and objects

Any questions?