Birmingham Centre for Arts Therapies

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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact
    • Life in arts therapy - THE BCAT BLOGSTOP!
    • Research
    • Resources & Links
    • Newsletters
    • BCAT Design service
  • Arts Therapies
  • Arts in Health and Well-being
  • PROJECTS
    • Coping with Barriers: COVID19 and mental health support
    • Supporting English as an Additional Language/ Delivering Arts in Health
    • Healthy Through the Arts
    • BCAT Starz
    • Step On
  • Events & Courses
  • Volunteer Development Programme

Arts therapies

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Arts Therapies are "Each art medium can enable clients to communicate in their own way with the therapist and, in-group context, with the other group members. As personal symbolism and metaphor evolve and become interwoven, therapist and client can begin to explore the client's world."
Extracted from The Arts Therapies in Education - 1993, CATE Publication

Arts therapies in a nutshell!
  • Opportunity to work with professionally qualified psychotherapists who can assist in emotional support 
  • Work over a longer period of time to develop relationships and trust on a one to one or group basis
  • Assist with feelings of achievement and increased self-confidence
  • Generalising of skills into parts of education and life provision of time and space for individual needs and concerns 
  • Develop coping mechanisms for stresses that may arise from emotional, behavioural or mental health issues expression and creative outlet that is accessible at any level
  • Not rely on the verbal ability to communicate therefore allows for expression through a creative medium
  • An arts therapist works with an individual or small group. The therapist’s starting point is the client’s own resources, in all areas of functioning and communication: verbal and non verbal, emotional, spatial, cognitive, creative and spiritual
  • ​ All therapists are HCPC registered and belong to a relevant regulatory body
How does arts therapy work?

Art Therapy
Art therapy “uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication. Within this context, art is not used as a diagnostic tool but as a medium to address emotional issues which may be confusing or distressing” (baat, 2020)
HCPC registered and members of the British Association of Art Therapists
www.baat.org

Dance Movement Psychotherapy
DMP “recognises body movement as an implicit and expressive instrument of communication and...Client/s and therapist engage in an empathic, creative process using body movement and dance. (ADMPUK, 2012)
RDMPS registered and members of The Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK
www.admp.org.uk

Dramatherapy
“Dramatherapy has its main focus in the intentional use of healing aspects of drama and theatre as a therapeutic process. It is a method of working and playing that uses action methods to facilitate creativity, imagination, learning, insight and growth (badth, 2011)
HCPC registered and members of the British Association of Dramatherapists
www.badth.org.uk
​Music Therapy
Music therapy “uses musical components of rhythm, melody, and tonality to provide a means of relating within a therapeutic relationship” (BAMT, 2017)
HCPC registered and members of BAMT – The British association of Music Therapists
www.bamt.org

Play Therapy
“The play continuum shows how different applications of play can deal with a spectrum of children’s emotional, behavioural and mental health problems” (ptuk, 2017)
PtUK registered and members of Play Therapy United Kingdom
www.playtherapyorg.uk 

Health Care Professional council (HCPC) 
www.hcpc-uk.org 

Which arts therapy should you choose?

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Are you unsure as to which arts therapy you should choose?

Download our brochure that explains the process of arts therapy that will help you come to an informed decision as to what would suit your intervention.

Click here

ONLINE REFERRAL FORM
New Client Referral Pack
Book an arts therapist

Please click on the buttons above to access the online referral form and the New Client Referral pack that contains all the information that you/referrer needs to explain the referral process for clients. 

BCAT work with several professional freelance therapists in an array of settings. We provide intervention to schools, care homes, local councils, other CVS and statutory services amongst other services. 

Programmes are developed for each individual or small group, after careful consultation with other professionals involved, with full knowledge of the individual’s history.

​All practising arts therapists in the UK are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and uphold the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, supported by the Guides to Professional Practice produced the professional Arts Therapies Associations.es. This covers such details as content of sessions, written assessments and reports, expectations of the client's and therapist's behaviour, conditions of cancellation of sessions by either party, etc.

BCAT may have grants to support FREE/ SUBSIDISED THERAPIES (subject to application) otherwise therapy fees start from £55ph for one to one and £90ph for group.

Please contact the BCAT office on t: 0121 440 8273 or e: lizbeech@bcat.info for further details.
Why arts therapies are important

"It was a body blow when Michael was diagnosed with Alzheimers on top of his Mylodysplasia. By great fortune I sat opposite a young music therapist at a Christmas lunch...Michael was a gifted amateur pianist. He played since childhood. Michael had loved life on a high intellectual plain...I was finding it very difficult to bring interest and stimulation into his daily life...Michael responded immediately to Angela's encouragement...I wept to see him stretch out his arms and use the whole keyboard. I had a very peaceful 45 minutes unwinding. My 45 minutes was truly appreciated...The end came swiftly but I wish every Alzheimer sufferer...could benefit from a BCAT Therapist in the way that Michael did."
Juliet Guest - wife of Michael Guest, Alzheimer's Client

“The creative therapists have had a positive impact on the day unit.  The four therapists remain an important and ongoing part of the Progressive Programme delivery.”
Manager of Day Hospital  
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 “I feel that these Art Therapy sessions are my life-line; I tried but could not get this help anywhere else.  I don’t know what I would do without BCAT.”  
Self-harming child with acute depression
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“The Arts Therapies involve parents, governors, learning mentors, staff, the pupils themselves…It is seen to have a very positive effect on the pupils who experience a variety of behaviour difficulties, who are at risk of being excluded from school. This approach has tremendous possibilities.’
Head Teacher to National Primary Centre – Awards for Good Practice  
Referral Process

​Referrals may be made through education, health or social services, by private organisations, by parents and carers, or by individuals themselves.
  • The initial procedure for referral is to contact the BCAT office giving details of the individual(s) concerned.
  • A consultation session is then offered, which may take the form of a visit to the Centre. If preferred, a representative of BCAT may visit the referrer's venue.
  • Either on this, or on subsequent visit(s), an official assessment session will be undertaken with the individual(s) referred and a recommendation(s) made. Therapy sessions may take place either at BCAT, or as outreach sessions at the client(s)' venue, by arrangement. If not held at BCAT, suitable facilities for the sessions should be available at the client(s)' venue.
Payments

There are a number of ways to access payment for BCAT's services. 
  • through statutory bodies such as NHS, education service etc
  • through a partner organisation such as Autism West Midlands, Newlook Housing etc
  • self funding
  • through BCAT's subsidiary fund
  • through donations and grants awarded to BCAT
  • or a combination of the above

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Registered Charity No. 1051578

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