March 8^th 2024, hosted International Women’s Day where at NIDAS, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of women, especially those who have reached out to us for support following domestic abuse.

As part of the current Freedom Programme, we invited NIDAS Art Therapist, Hatty Pocock, to work with the women taking part to link in with International Women’s Day. The women engaged in some art activities that embedded the theme of empowering women and looking at all the positive qualities that women have.

The activities

Affirmation posters

• Each member of the Freedom Programme group was asked to write their name on a piece of A4 paper.
• Everyone then moved around the table to write or draw something empowering or write something that they have valued in that person whose name is on the piece of paper in front of them.
• The women then moved onto the next individual’s poster to repeat the process until they were complete.

Once the posters were finished, it was inspiring to see and read what everyone had drawn or written about each other. This activity was fantastic to raise the spirits of the women and encourage them to think differently about others.

Positive qualities images

• A set of cards with positive qualities about women were spread on the table.
• Each member of the group selected several cards at random and were asked to draw or create an image of a time in their lives when they have showed that quality or what the words, they had chosen meant to them personally.

This activity encouraged the women to think about positive times in their lives, which can be difficult following domestic abuse. It was moving to see and hear the women talking about themselves in a positive light.

Art Therapy

Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art as a way of communicating and expressing thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Guided by an Art Therapist, it can be used to help individuals to work through life experiences that they might find difficult to put into words.

At NIDAS, we provide the following Art Therapy services:

• 1:1 Art Psychotherapy
• Group Art Psychotherapy
• Dyadic (parent-child) Art Psychotherapy

Taking part in Art Therapy is an alternative method of supporting with:

• Self-esteem/ confidence
• Identity
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Trauma
• Attachment
• Loss/ bereavement
• Isolation
• PTSD/ C-PTSD
• Life skills/ personal development
• Self-harm
• Suicidal thoughts

To find out more, please visit our website: Art Therapy.