Since the March 2020 lock-down, I have been offering expressive arts therapy sessions on Zoom. I continue to work with my clients online who live outside of Vancouver or who feel more comfortable working online. This pandemic has proved that online therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy and for some clients it is a preferred option. I am pleased that neither a pandemic nor distance can prevent connection during these stressful times!
In Spring 2021 I taught Qi Gong Expression to Musqueam elders online. I have used Qi Gong as a bridge to therapeutic movement in my expressive arts therapy practice for almost ten years, (I also have dance therapy training as well as 30 years of dance training).
Before Covid lock-down, I facilitated two weekly drama therapy groups at Pacifica Treatment Centre, working as part of a team with addiction councillors and other art therapists.
Qi Gong was part of the warm up I facilitated in my drama groups. I was happy to discover that many of my recovering clients continued to practice the Qi Gong that I had taught them. They told me it gave them energy and helped them release anxiety and kept them in their bodies.
Other self-regulation tools I may introduce are EFT, visualization, breathing exercises, sound exercises, and somatic experiencing. I teach clients these methods when I think they can benefit from using them in their daily lives.
I believe that Expressive Arts Therapy helps one live creatively, whether you are an artist by trade, a weekend scribbler or a creative thinker. We are all creators, whether on canvas or by creating a lifestyle, starting a family or building a business; it is all the art of manifesting what we can dream.
–Lots of love, light, laughter AND… art to you,
Diane Farnsworth
Expressive Arts Therapist