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Creativity in the Therapy Room: Using Creative Methods in Counselling Practice

Date: Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September 2026 

 

This experiential weekend workshop explores the use of creativity within therapeutic practice. Drawing on integrative approaches including Person-Centred, Gestalt, and expressive/creative methods, the workshop will introduce participants to a range of creative processes that can support emotional exploration, insight, and relational awareness in therapy.

The course is designed for practitioners who wish to expand their therapeutic toolkit and explore how creative expression can help clients access feelings, memories, and experiences that may be difficult to articulate through words alone. Through experiential exercises, reflection, and discussion, participants will gain confidence in introducing creative approaches into their clinical work while maintaining strong therapeutic boundaries and ethical awareness. Pre-course reading will be available on the Heartwood Online Platform.

 

Overview

The Importance of Creativity in Therapeutic Practice
Creativity can provide powerful pathways for emotional expression and psychological exploration. While traditional talk therapy remains central to many therapeutic approaches, creative methods such as drawing, imagery, metaphor, movement, and symbolic expression can deepen the therapeutic process by engaging different modes of awareness and communication.
For both trainees and experienced practitioners, developing comfort with creative approaches can enhance therapeutic flexibility and responsiveness. Creative processes often allow clients to access unconscious or pre-verbal material, support emotional regulation, and encourage reflection from new perspectives. In a safely held therapeutic space, creativity can facilitate exploration, self-discovery, and integration of experience.
Experiential learning is central to understanding how and when creative techniques may be helpful in practice. This workshop therefore emphasises participation, reflection, and discussion, allowing practitioners to experience creative methods themselves before considering their application with clients.

Course details

Our CPD workshops are facilitated by experienced practicing specialists in their fields. We have a range of courses that are aimed at qualified counsellors who wish to develop their practice, as well as students of counselling. This course is Heartwood certified with 11 hours of CPD*.

Timings:

Saturday 10am – 5:00pm

Sunday 10am – 5:00pm

*students must attend all scheduled sessions in full to receive certification

Delivery method: In-person. This intensive weekend will utilise a combination of:

  • Experiential creative exercises exploring a range of expressive techniques.
  • Facilitated group reflection to integrate experience with therapeutic theory.
  • Demonstration and guided activities that illustrate how creative processes can be introduced safely and ethically in therapy.

 

Open to: Qualified therapists, Heartwood diploma students and students from other counselling training colleges.

It will be particularly valuable for those interested in expanding their therapeutic approaches and exploring the role of creativity in supporting client expression and insight.

Participants do not need to consider themselves ‘creative’ or have any prior artistic experience.  The focus of the workshop is on therapeutic process rather than artistic skill.

The workshop will take a process-oriented approach, encouraging curiosity, experimentation, and reflective discussion while maintaining a safe and professionally held learning environment.

Cost for the weekend: £190 (Current Heartwood students or Heartwood Alumni receive special rate of £140).

Learning Outcomes:

  • Develop an understanding of how creative approaches can support therapeutic exploration and insight.
  • Experience a range of creative techniques that may be used within counselling practice.
  • Reflect on the therapeutic value of creativity for accessing emotions, memories, and symbolic meaning.
  • Increase confidence in introducing creative processes into therapeutic work in an ethical and client-centred way.
  • Integrate creative approaches with existing therapeutic models such as Person-Centred and Gestalt practice.

Venue

Nestled in the corner of Regent’s Park, our London Venue is a little oasis just minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Regent’s University London, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London NW1 4NS

 

Tutor

Matt Martys HCPC, BACP (Accredited), BAAT

Matt Martys is a psychotherapist, art psychotherapist, supervisor, and trainer with over three decades of clinical and teaching experience. His work integrates talking therapy with creative and experiential approaches, drawing on psychodynamic, humanistic, Jungian, and Gestalt perspectives.
Matt began his career in the NHS in East London in 1992, working with people facing life-limiting illness from diagnosis through to end of life. This early experience shaped his understanding of the emotional depth and complexity of therapeutic work. Since then, he has worked across settings including the NHS, charities, and education, supporting people with diverse psychological and relational challenges.
He holds qualifications in counselling (Dip), psychotherapy (PG Dip), and supervision (Dip), and is an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Matt also holds an MA in Art Psychotherapy and is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT).
Alongside his clinical work, Matt has extensive experience as a trainer and educator, teaching on counselling and psychotherapy training programmes in London. His workshops combine theoretical understanding with experiential learning, creating a reflective and supportive environment for professional development.

Fees

Cost for the weekend course: £190 (Current Heartwood students or Heartwood Alumni receive special rate of £140).

Register your interest

To register your interest in this course without obligation, please click here

Book now

Places are limited to 12 participants to ensure an intimate and focused group experience.  Early booking is recommended.

To book on this course, please select your payment method below and then select ‘Buy now’ to proceed.

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