Art Therapy and Counselling
Counselling with creativity. Supporting parents and children to thrive.
“Our inner world - our thoughts, emotions and stories - drives every aspect of how we love, how we live, how we parent and how we lead.”
— Susan David
Being a kid can be hard sometimes.
Childhood has irreversibly changed. The schoolwork, social pressures, family dynamics and hormones are still there, now with the added pressures of packed schedules, social media, and ever-increasing expectations. It’s a lot to navigate for a growing brain, even when on the surface everything seems fine.
Being an adult can be hard too.
Raising children is one of life’s greatest privileges, and also one of the most challenging jobs in the world. It rewards with meaning, fulfilment and unwavering love. There’s also the uncertainty, the losses, the mental load, the meltdowns, the illnesses, the attitudes. There’s the feeling like you should have everything together, and the looking-after-everyone-else's-needs and rarely your own. It takes a toll on every aspect of our lives and makes it harder for us to be emotionally available to support our kids. Our bodies feel it and our kids notice it.
We know that self-awareness and our own regulation is vital to live our best lives. We also know that the experiencing of all of our emotions, comfortable or not, is a crucial part of this process.
But how can we healthily express and process all of our emotions, when oftentimes, we’re not consciously aware of what’s underlying them?
This is where an art therapist, one that is trained in working with the unconscious, can be truly life-enhancing.
Judith Rubin
“The very foundation of art therapy is the art itself.”
Sigmund Freud
“I can draw it, a dreamer would often say, but I don’t know how to say it.”
What is Art Therapy?
“Art therapy is essentially the marriage of two disciplines: art and psychology.” Cathy Malchiodi
The process of creating art is mindful, meditative and fun. Research shows that when we create and look at art, the reward system in our brain releases feel-good chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, triggering pleasure and positive emotions… but in an art therapy setting, this is just the beginning.
We know that talking to an unbiased mental health professional can be beneficial in navigating life's challenges. But sometimes, talking alone can feel difficult, repetitive or simply not enough to gain a really deep understanding of ourselves. Art has been used for tens of thousands of years as a form of communication and storytelling (think kunbim (rock art) in Kakadu National Park). When art is combined with psychotherapy (talking therapy), the result is more than the sum of its parts.
When we express ourselves through creativity (be that art, play, music, dance, etc.) our unconscious beliefs and emotions always come along for the ride. A skilled art therapist, trained in working with the unconscious can gently support us to discover our inner thoughts, emotions and stories we tell ourselves, those which drive every aspect of how we show up in life.
Our Story
Resonate Art Therapy was founded by Karen Pieterse, an art therapist, counsellor, artist, former nurse and mother of 3.
Having grown up on a happy little farm in country Victoria, Karen’s adult life has brought adventures living in Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin and Cambridge, UK with her husband and young family, before settling in Geelong, Victoria in 2020.
Art therapy draws on a background in art and nursing (including mental health nursing), as well as passions for listening, psychotherapy and self-improvement.
Karen’s approach to family support is inspired by ‘Good Inside’ parenting strategies by Dr. Becky Kennedy and she has a special interest in ‘deeply feeling kids’. Karen advocates for healthy relationships within families, through encouraging thoughtful connection, validation, empathy and boundaries.
Karen has a gentle, bubbly and highly empathetic approach to care. She feels privileged to work with children, teens and adults, supporting generations to heal and thrive.
Contact Us
Resonate Art Therapy is based in Geelong, Victoria, and provides individual and group art therapy/counselling for children, teens and adults. Karen holds a Bachelor of Nursing (Deakin University), Diploma of Art Therapy (CECAT), and is a full member of ACCA (Australian Community Counselling Association). Karen sees private clients, as well as self-managed and plan-managed NDIS clients.
Thank you for considering Resonate Art Therapy. Please feel welcome to email if you would like any more information.
studio@resonatearttherapy.com