Children and Young People’s Service - Art Psychotherapy

The Garnethill Centre offers Art Psychotherapy to children and young people, aged 6 to 18 years.

We offer appointments Wednesday and Thursday during normal business hours.

Children and Young People’s Service - Art Psychotherapy Sessions

The Garnethill Centre offers Art Psychotherapy to children and young people, aged 6 to 18 years. Art Psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that includes art making and exploring images in the therapeutic process. It offers a different approach to communicate thoughts and feelings. The aim is to help a child or young person develop their sense of self, to improve their relationships, to help with their emotional regulation, to increase their sense of agency and their ability to find meaning in life.

Art Psychotherapy offers a safe and confidential space for a child or young person to explore their feelings, memories and past experiences, and how these impact on their wellbeing. The Art Psychotherapist will support the child or young person to explore and reflect on their emotions, recurring patterns or behaviours.

Art Psychotherapy does not require any background or experience in art, and the purpose of the sessions is not to evaluate the artwork. The art materials can be used in a way that are helpful to the child or young person, and they can alternate between talking and artmaking as appropriate. Art materials can include colouring pencils, markers, paint, pastels, clay and plasticine.

What to expect - For Parents

As a parent or carer, you will be invited for a first meeting to explore the reasons for seeking therapy for your child. This provides an opportunity to discuss your expectations and what Art Psychotherapy might be able to offer. After this meeting, the Art Psychotherapist will arrange a first session with your child. When your child agrees to continue, she will usually offer 7 more sessions. At the end of the block, you will be invited for a meeting to decide if more therapy could be beneficial. This will be a joint decision. Young people usually make this decision for themselves. There is a high degree of privacy provided for adolescents, but the Art Psychotherapist will encourage communication with parents, carers and families if this can support the young person’s mental health.

What to expect - For Children & Young People

The Art Psychotherapist will invite your parents or carers to talk about why they think therapy might be helpful for you. Next, the Art Psychotherapist will meet with you for a first session where she will share how therapy works and offer you a chance to ask any questions that you might have. She will not pressure you to talk about things if you don’t want to. She is there to help you make sense of feelings or things that have happened to you. You might want to draw, play or make something with the art materials that are provided in the room. If you decide that you would like to continue, the Art Psychotherapist will meet with you for another 7 sessions, and you can have a think if you would like to come for more therapy. After that, she will meet with your parents or carers again. She will not share what you said or did during sessions but will say something about how things seem to be going for you after discussing this with you first. All of that will help you and your parents or carers decide about continuing therapy.

From 15 onwards, it’s possible to attend sessions by yourself without the Art Psychotherapist having to meet with your parents or carers.

Appointments

Enquiries about coming for Art Psychotherapy can be made by calling 0141 333 0730. We offer Art Psychotherapy appointments on Wednesdays and Thursdays during usual business hours.

A first consultation can usually be arranged within a week of getting in touch. Sessions are weekly in regularity and ideally take place on the same day and at the same time each week. If you agree a fixed number of sessions, it is usually possible to continue beyond this initial contract if this is indicated.

FAQs

Many people use art therapy to support them through periods of distress or difficulty with a wide range of problems. An initial session will offer you an opportunity to think together with an experienced art therapist about whether you may benefit from coming for art therapy and/or whether our services may be of use to you.
Sessions last 50 minutes.
Appointments are usually once a week and, as far as possible, on the same day and at the same time each week.
Most clients come for a fixed number of sessions (usually 8) initially during which time there is careful monitoring of progress. Ordinarily, there is the opportunity to continue to come for sessions beyond the initial contract and/or for the work to be open ended where you and your art therapist will agree when you feel ready to end fixing a date in advance.
Our staff are fully trained practitioners with a wide range of experience who maintain the highest possible professional standards at all times. The centre is a member of COSCA (Counselling in Scotland) and staff adhere to COSCA’s Code of Ethics and Practice. Our Art therapist is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Our staff also undertake regular professional supervisory consultations as a way of checking and monitoring the quality of their work.
Yes. Our staff adhere to a professional code of ethical standards which includes the principle of confidentiality. This means that your confidentiality (and anonymity) are protected in this process except in situations where there is significant concern of harm to you or someone else in which case this would ordinarily be discussed with you beforehand.
Sessions cost £60. It may be possible to negotiate a slightly lower fee in some circumstances (e.g. students, people on lower incomes etc).
As a registered charity, we are able to provide some subsidies towards payment of sessions for those who are not able to afford the full fee. You can discuss this with the counsellor you see for your initial appointment.
Enquiries about coming for counselling can be made by telephoning (0141) 333-0730 or using the request form below. An initial session can be arranged within a week of getting in touch.
If you raise your complaint with your Counsellor in the first instance, they will respond and seek to resolve this. If you feel that your complaint is more serious and you wish to make a formal complaint, you can do so following the steps outlined in our complaints procedure.
We do not offer an emergency service but the organisations listed below may be able to help.
- Breathing Space
  Offers a confidential phoneline for anyone in Scotland over the age of 16 who may be feeling anxious or depressed. You can call them on 0800 838 587.
- Samaritans
  Offers a free confidential helpline to anyone who may be experiencing difficulty, be in crisis or have concern about someone else. You can call them on 116 123.
- NHS 24
  If you are ill and need an urgent response you can call NHS 24 on 111. In cases of emergency you should dial 999.