Art Therapy

(983817-W)

Art therapy engages the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone

The Art Therapy (Community) Academy

The Art Therapy Academy (ATA) was founded with the aim of serving the community and enhancing the professionalism of art therapy in Malaysia. As a unique community academy training provider, ATA trains lay people who wish to become professional art therapy support workers without pursuing an academic path. This career path is designed to integrate adult learners’ life experiences with the unique art therapy approach to help clients achieve their therapeutic goals.

Over the past ten years, ATA has actively served the community through collaborations with governmental departments, schools, corporates, and community centers. ATA’s goal is to break through traditional verbal counseling approaches by introducing art therapy to assist the public in reconnecting with their emotional and psychological needs. Additionally, ATA aims to expand their clients’ understanding of their spiritual needs and improve their overall emotional well-being.

The objectives of the academy are to train social prescribing art therapy support workers to meet the psychological needs of children, adolescents, and adults. In 2022, ATA authorized six Dolphiner Awakening Art Centers in Kajang, Rawang, Melaka, Batu Pahat, Taiping, and Kelantan, respectively. All the instructors at these centers are trained and qualified Dolphiner Instructors equipped with professional art therapy knowledge and skills. They are closely monitored and supervised to ensure the maintenance of therapeutic services.

In 2024, owing to a shift in management direction, these centers have autonomously pursued their community service endeavors. Some may have continued steadfastly along the path of preventive art therapy, while others may have discovered their distinctive approaches. Let us not overlook their contributions, as they have offered vital support to the community and have profoundly impacted many troubled souls.

Since its inception, ATA has been passionate about serving and increasing the understanding of art therapy in Malaysia. The academy has launched numerous projects, including “School Care Project,” experiential workshops, public talks, and short courses on art therapy training. The “School Care Project” introduces art therapy strategies to provide primary school counselors with art therapy training to benefit primary school children. Another initiative is the “Violence-Free Zone,” which uses art therapy projects to prevent violence. This initiative has been promoted in school settings as well as in the academy itself.

Who can benefit from this Art Therapy?

This Art Therapy is for people of all ages; children, adolescents and adults who are seeking personal growth or who may be struggling with experiences of:

What can Art Therapy do for you ?

Express feelings that are difficult to talk about

To improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Improve self-esteem and confidence

To manage their behaviors and feelings.

Develop healthy coping skills

To reduce stress, and improve self-esteem and awareness.

Identify and cope with the problems

To help people to resolve issues as well as to improve self esteem and confidence.

Our Testimonials

I am still struggling on emotion. The teacher had enlightened me yesterday and I realized that I have got to use my mind to fight my body. I have 2 inner self, one tells me I need to change, the other one frightens me to stop. I need to overcome this. And this feeling makes me feel uncomfortable. However, I felt the strength and courage she given me yesterday to overcome the bad me in my body. Yesterday class I am only fighting with my emotion and I can feel the strength and relieve. I need to overcome my bad inner voice. Thanks for giving me the strength and courage.

I discovered some interesting insights from this and what I should work on: Listen to my heart instead of my mind, Take time out to be alone and recharge preferably at places that are close to nature, Strike the balance of randomness and steadiness in my life. Continue to challenge myself to explore new things, go new places and even challenge the environment I am in.

I attended a preview/experiential activity on art therapy today and I am glad I went for it ❤. In the past, I had some exposure but today I was able to try out some of the different art materials and go more in depth. The art therapy was helpful and insightful. It allowed me to be more vulnerable to strangers and to express myself and my feelings through art. The process was not forced. Sometimes we find it hard to express ourselves effectively as we struggled in finding the right words to use. Often, we are so busy with our lives that we have the spare time to tune in to ourselves and listen to our heart. We tend to ignore or neglect our emotions and end up they get all bottled up inside of us. In art therapy, let the art do the talking instead of you :). You’ll discover things that you never realized before about yourself or it further confirms who you truly are as a person. I would certainly recommend everyone to give it a try because experience is indeed the best teacher. You have got to experience it for yourself to know what I am talking about.

I signed up for level 1 with high anticipation, but zero expectation. Eventually, I decided to give it a try. Well, as a banana (A Chinese who is not proficient in Chinese language), I was caught off-guard that the lessons were delivered in Mandarin. But I’m always grateful that our trainer, Bee, who have always been there with me to overcome the language barrier. Overall, I enjoyed the experiential learning, attitude studies and not to mention the fun moments that I have spent with new friends who share the same passion. Now, I can’t wait attend Level 2. I have no doubt in recommending this art therapy certification course for those who have strong passion in art and have a big heart to serve the society.

Community Support Project During Covid 19

During the MCO imposed on Malaysia from March to June 2020, we have been actively engaged in the following charity movements as a measure to support everyone in this difficult time.
1. Online introductory basic art therapy (From March 2020 to Dec 2020)
2. Colours with children
3. Colours chat with Adolescents

The collected fee has been donated for the needy in the community during MCO crises.

S9-3, Setia Tri-Angle, Persiaran Kelicap, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang.

Phone

+604-123 4567