Art therapy practice with people who experience psychosis

The course will look at ways art therapists can develop their practice to work effectively with people who experience psychosis. We will look at ways to embed service-user-informed models, research, and guidance effectively within your art therapy practice.

Book tickets

Date & Time

Friday 10 – Saturday 11 July 2026

10am - 4pm

Who this event is for

Open to qualified and trainee art therapists only

Tickets

Non-members: £460

Associate members: £320

Full members
Employed: £290
Underemployed: £270
Unemployed/retired: £240

Trainee members: £240

Please create a free booking account if you don't have one or are not a member.

Location

Online via Zoom

Art therapy practice with people who experience psychosis

The course will look at ways art therapists can develop their practice to work effectively with people who experience psychosis. We will look at ways to embed service-user-informed models, research, and guidance effectively within your art therapy practice.

Art therapy with people who experience psychosis

What do people need to know when they experience hearing voices? They need to know that others with similar experiences have found ways to live. Although many services are stretched, and clients with experience of psychosis are often vulnerable to societal stresses, art therapy has the potential to work collaboratively with them.

As art therapists, we can educate ourselves about knowledge that comes from service user experience and research. This knowledge can inform how we formulate individual and group art therapy sessions. Our use of relationship and artmaking may add a helpful dimension, contributing to a person’s sense of agency and ability to compose themselves.

What you will learn

The course will offer an opportunity for you to consider ways to embed service-user-informed models, research, and guidance effectively within your art therapy practice including:

  • Relevant research and evidence-based guidance for art therapists
  • The acceptance model used by the Hearing Voices Movement
  • A compassion-focused approach to ‘strange’ experiences
  • Stabilisation approaches in a difficult world and the avoidance of self-stigma
  • The Open Dialogue model

How you will learn

Learning will be through preparatory reading, presentations, brief video clips of discussion points, discussion groups, and the opportunity to talk and practise in small peer groups using art making.

Also of interest

You may also be interested to read our evidence page on art therapy and psychosis and tutor Dr Chris Wood’s article on Working as an art therapist in the NHS alongside people who experience psychosis in the spring issue of InSight magazine.

Evidence page  InSight article

Tutors

Dr Chris Wood

 

Frequently asked questions