Creative Connections Cumbria
Person-Centred Expressive
Arts Therapy
The playful way to awaken personal growth and creativity
We offer friendly, stimulating workshops and trainings in North West England to release innate creativity for personal insight and to promote continuing professional development (CPD) for counsellors, psychotherapists and those in helping professions who may want to integrate the approach into their practice.
Our workshops are also suitable for anyone with a genuine interest in pursuing deeper personal awareness, self-empowerment and growth.
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OUR APPROACH
Our approach is based mainly on Natalie Rogers’ person centred expressive arts model, which she named the Creative Connection. I am intrigued by what I call the creative connection, the enhancing interplay among movement, art, writing, and sound (Natalie Rogers). The emphasis is on the expressive process rather than the aesthetic outcome and rests on the deep belief that we are all artists at heart, that to release our creativity is a stimulant to greater wellbeing and vitality.
Joan trained with Dinah Brown, an accredited person centred counsellor trainer and a graduate from the late 1980s of Natalie Rogers’ Person Centred Expressive Arts Therapy Institute (PCETI). Dinah helped to pioneer Natalie’s Person Centred Expressive Arts Therapy model (PCEAT) in the UK, where over the past 30 years, she has shared this approach with countless professionals, who have attended her courses. Retiring in 2018, Dinah entrusted the continuation of her PCEAT Cumbrian trainings and workshops to Joan and Sandra.
Person Centred Values
As facilitators, we aspire to embody the core values of the person centred approach. We believe in
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each person’s uniqueness
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the necessity of creating a safe environment if participants are going to expose vulnerable parts of themselves, which are newly emerging through their creative expressions
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the importance of offering each person and their art expressions our sensitivity, empathy and respect
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the importance of refraining from interpreting the meaning of participants’ art expressions
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trusting each participant’s innate wisdom to best steer their way to personal understanding and resolution
We feel comfortable integrating elements from Carl Jung’s theory and practice i.e. working with archetypes and shadow aspects of the psyche to enhance our workshop designs and themes.
ABOUT US
The facilitators
Joan Elliot (B.A Hons. Person Centred Counselling, BACP registered accredited counsellor, Adv. Cert. PC group facilitation in PCEAT).
Joan has immersed herself in the culture of PCEAT since 2006 and completed the training with Dinah to facilitate groups using this model. She leads courses incorporating this expressive approach for groups around the Lancaster area. She is a Person-Centred counsellor who has gained extensive experience from private practise and working for professional organisations. Where possible she integrates PCEAT into her counselling practice. Comfortable when working at emotional depth and bringing her serenity, compassion and resilience to group environments, Joan has the gift of transmitting safety within a group, truly embodying Carl Rogers’ core conditions.
Joan was brought up in Longridge in the Ribble Valley. She has lived in Lancaster for over 30 years, but still has a strong connection with nature. Joan is divorced and single with 3 grown up children and enjoys the company of good friends. She loves walking, creative expression, yoga and travelling.
Sandra Lynch (Diploma in Counselling, BACP Accredited Counsellor, Certificate in Creative Supervision)
Sandra is a BACP accredited counsellor and certified supervisor in creative supervision. She is an experienced counsellor, having worked in NHS primary care settings for the last 10 years. In the past, she has enjoyed working in young people’s services and secondary schools, as well as delivering stress management courses.
Since 2015 she has been a regular participant on Dinah’s Cumbrian PCEAT training weekends and gained invaluable experience in the supportive role of intern on the PCEAT follow up series of workshops and as a guest facilitator. She joined Joan as co facilitator in September 2019.
She is committed to ongoing professional development and is an active member of a person centred process group. Other interests are yoga, meditation, walking and the outdoors.
Interns
We are delighted to have Donna and Jane interning on the introductory
and level one courses.
WORKSHOPS
All our workshops are experiential, offering an abundance of materials and creative processes.
We aim to offer a safe, respectful, empathic group context where you can find your courage to try out new creative approaches as a way of deepening and quickening your personal growth and to gain insight into possible professional applications.
No artistic expertise required, just an open mind, a willingness to play with a mix of creative media (including gentle movement) and a respect and acceptance of your own and others emotions.
Our workshops are not designed to cater for those in very fragile states or with complex issues, who would benefit from seeking in-depth therapy.
All workshops are held at Endmoor Village Hall, Endmoor, near Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 0HH
Workshops run from 10.00am to 4.30pm
BOOKING
To book a place on one of our courses, we require you to fill in a booking form with your
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email address
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mobile number
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brief information about your professional and personal background Our workshops
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your reasons for wanting to attend the training
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a non returnable deposit of £75
Please note our workshops are not designed to cater for those in very fragile states or with complex issues, who would benefit from seeking in-depth therapy..
Bookings for the all courses are dealt with by Joan Elliot.
joanelliotcounselling@outlook.com.
BACS payment account details are:-
Creative Connections Cumbria. Sort code:60-83-71 Account number: 46720085
Balances
We require you to pay the balance on all our courses (£75 for the Introduction and £375 for the Level 1) two weeks before the start of each course (the first of the month for each respective course).
Instalments can be negotiated if circumstances necessitate.
Follow up instructions
On receipt of your deposit plus your required details we will send you follow up instructions about the workshop, directions to Endmoor, information about payment of balances and a list of suggested local accommodation (if requested).
We respect your privacy and will store your personal information securely. This will only be shared amongst the team of facilitators and kept for the duration of the course. Your contact details will be kept to inform you on further courses unless you inform us otherwise.
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INTRODUCTION
10-11 July 2021 New Date
or
11-12 September 2021
£150 for each weekend
Introductions to expressive arts therapy (one weekend workshops)
Playful, fun, but powerful introductions to our expressive arts model.
* All newcomers need to attend one of these introductory workshops before attending a follow up workshop.
LEVEL 1 Certificate Course
9-10 October 2021:
Exploring Identity
20-21 November 2021: Embracing Shadow
19-20 March 2022: Journeying with Metaphor
£450 for three week-ends
This experiential training offers you a thorough grounding in the diverse elements of the Person Centred Expressive Therapy model (PCEAT)
Full attendance will be validated with a Level 1 PCEAT certificate.
Individual week-ends can be attended by those who have already completed a past Level 1.
PCEAT SKILLS
21-22 May 2022
£150 for the weekend
Open to all who have attended our level 1 workshops to help integrate PCEAT into clinical practice.
CONTACT US
Joan Elliot
Venue Address (not for Correspondence)
Endmoor Village Hall
Endmoor
Nr Kendal
Cumbria
LA8 0HH