In August I reached out to our community to ask for gently used art supplies to sustain our Art Therapy group – and we have been so touched by how many of you have donated!

Today, I want to introduce you to the person who is going to be putting your art supplies in the hands of survivors, our Art Therapist, Luisa!

Luisa took the time to share with me some insights into why she loves Art Therapy, the impact it has on survivors, and what your donations mean for survivors. This is how our conversation went.

Natti: Luisa, what do you like about Art Therapy, and why is it so effective for survivors of sexualized violence?

Luisa: I love Art therapy because it is a way to explore the impacts of violence in a way that is less cognitive and heavy. It accesses more covert ways of processing by grounding survivors in their bodies. This avoids retraumatization because it allows survivors to process their experiences without having to re-tell them verbally. Art-making can also be joyful as it is a familiar activity that taps into a childlike part of ourselves. The art-making process reconnects us to playful parts of ourselves and when we make art that we are proud of, even when it was hard, it represents us. So when survivors create something that they are proud of, they can take pride in themselves – which is so empowering.

Natti: After an Art Therapy session, what is the feeling you want survivors to leave with?

Luisa: The feeling I want my participants to feel is that the time and energy they invested is worth it, because they invested it in themselves, and they are worth that investment. And also that it’s ok to feel pain, but the pain doesn’t have to define all aspects of who they are.

Natti: What do you want our community to know about the impact of their art supply donations?

Luisa: By giving art supplies to the Art Therapy Group, our community is providing access to the materials and support that survivors need to explore the impacts of violence in a creative and process-oriented way. Art Therapy allows survivors to access their creativity so they can express parts of themselves and their experiences in a representational way. This is a whole different way for survivors to identify, process, and express themselves and their pain, without having to talk about it directly. Sexualized violence is an incredibly isolating experience, and by supporting this group our community has re-connected survivors to themselves, their bodies, and each other, and this is invaluable. On behalf of WAVAW, and all of the people that we serve, I thank our community for supporting this group. It is life-changing.

Luisa has been running our The Art Therapy group for the past 6 months, and it is our most popular support group, with the longest waitlist. With the federal election approaching and potential funding cuts looming, the sustainability of this is group is at risk. While funds are essential to sustain and grow this group, your art supply donations have kept the group active – and for that, we are so grateful.

With gratitude,

Natti & Luisa
WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre