Creative Therapies

Creative Therapies Distance Learning Course. Study art therapy, music therapy, singing therapy, crafts therapy, reminiscence work, writing, psychotherapeutic writing. Useful to improve mental help, aid recovery from illness or injury.

Course Code: BPS219
Fee Code: S1
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification Statement of Attainment
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Study Creative Therapy Online

Learn more about art therapy, writing as therapy, music therapy, singing therapy, craft therapy, reminiscence and drama therapy. 

Creative therapies are useful to everyone. They can help us to maintain good mental health and improve mental health. They are also useful to maintain and improve physical skills. Knitting, for example, is great for people with osteoarthritis as it keeps movement in their hands.

Creative therapies are useful to help people to -

  • Recover from injury or illness
  • Improve their health and well being

Learn how creative activities such as arts, music, writing, crafts, modelling and drama, can have benefits to physical and psychological health.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

  1. Scope and Nature of Creative Therapy and Counselling Skills I
    • What are creative therapies
    • Who can benefit
    • Take caution with some patients
    • Benefits
    • Scientific evidence
    • Preparing for creative therapy
    • Counselling & active listening
    • Giving instructions
    • Different learning styles
    • Planning for choice
    • Options for response
    • Open ended tasks
    • Improving creativity
    • Health and safety
    • Insurance
    • Selling your craft
    • After creative therapy
  2. Art Therapy and Counselling Skills II
    • Counselling skills – SOLER
    • What is art therapy
    • What clients benefit from art therapy
    • Scientific evidence
    • Art therapy techniques
    • Art therapy with children
    • Stories
    • Playdough
    • Candle making
    • Therapeutic photography
    • Colouring books
    • Painting by numbers
    • Doodling
  3. Crafts Therapy Part 1 – Fibre and Paper Crafts
    • What is craft therapy?
    • How it works
    • Knitting
    • Ceramics
    • Quilting
    • Embroidery
    • Decoupage
    • Sewing
    • Crochet
    • Macrame
    • Origami
    • Scientific evidence and historical anecdotes
    • Therapeutic benefits
  4. Crafts Therapy Part 2 – Model Making and Building Crafts
    • Introduction
    • Skills needed for model making
    • Model building
    • Wood working
    • Interior design
    • Light, space, texture, colour, line, form
    • Furniture and objects
    • Sculpting
    • Building renovation
    • Building blocks
    • Benefits of model making and building crafts.
    • Risks
    • Working with individuals
    • Finding the individual’s creativity
    • Exploring
    • Using technology
    • Cultivate expertise
    • The reward
  5. Singing Therapy and Music Therapy
    • What is singing therapy
    • Therapeutic benefits and scientific evidence
    • What is music therapy
    • Active music therapy
    • Receptive music therapy
    • How does music therapy work?
    • Silence
    • Dementia and music therapy
    • Singing for the brain
    • Working with groups
    • Dealing with upset
    • Organising sessions
  6. Psychotherapeutic Writing
    • What is writing therapy?
    • Hiding the pain
    • Therapeutic benefits
    • Self knowledge
    • Balancing emotions
    • Improving discipline
    • Difficulties
    • Examples of writing therapy
    • How it works
    • Psychotherapeutic exercise
    • Writing a letter
    • Word walls
    • Be positive
  7. Psychodrama, Dance and Movement Therapy
    • Non-verbal communication
    • Body language
    • Kinesics
    • Haptics
    • Proxemics
    • Occulesics
    • Psychodrama and Drama therapy
    • What is drama therapy?
    • Aims of drama therapy
    • Working with different groups
    • Therapeutic benefits and scientific evidence
    • Projective play
    • Acting out
    • Reunion
    • Puppetry
    • Dance and movement therapy
    • Scientific research on DMT
    • How DMT sessions work
    • DMT and regulating emotions
    • Psychodrama
    • Action methods
    • Psychodrama sessions
    • Uses for psychodrama
    • Psychodrama and children
  8. Reminiscence Therapy
    • What is reminiscence therapy
    • Individuals who benefit from reminiscence work
    • Neurocognitive deficits
    • Delirium
    • Neurocognitive disorders
    • How does reminiscence therapy work?
    • Therapeutic benefits and scientific evidence
    • Reminiscence work tips
    • Reminiscence work and other therapies

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.


EXPLORE THE SCOPE OF CREATIVE THERAPIES

Creative therapies include art therapy, drama therapy, reminiscence therapy, crafts as therapy and so on. They can be useful for people in stressful times in their life and those with physical, emotional and psychological difficulties.

Creative therapies are a range of techniques that are creative and expressive in nature that aim to help clients to find a way to express themselves that is beyond words or traditional therapies, such as counselling or psychotherapy.  Creative therapies are limitless as the human imagination.

The aim is to encourage people to express themselves in a positive and happy way, to encourage the expression of positive emotions.  At first, the person may focus on their negative emotions, but over time, we hope more positive emotions may be expressed.

Creative therapies are used to encourage a person to express themselves in ways that they may not be able to usually. This also can enable personal growth.

Some sample course notes to give you an idea of what the course covers -

What is Craft Therapy?

Craft therapy and art therapy are similar, but not the same. They use similar strategies and can be beneficial to a wide range of people. Craft therapies use hobbies and activities to improve a person’s mental health. Art and craft therapies do overlap. For example, an art therapist may work with fibre art or a craft therapist may use fibre to create art.

However, there are differences between art and craft therapies –

  • art therapy is generally more well regarded than craft therapies
  • the benefits of art therapies have been more studied and documented than craft therapies

Craft therapy can be carried out in groups or individually. It can also be done in a range of settings, such as prisons, schools, inpatient and outpatient therapy and so on.  Craft therapy can include a range of options such as –

  • fibre arts such as
    • knitting
    • embroidery
    • crochet
    • macramé
    • quilting
    • screen painting
    • fabric making
    • tie dying fabrics
    • making cuddly toys or dolls
    • dress making
  • paper arts such as
    • scrapbooking
    • origami
    • papermaking
    • making greeting cards
  • jewellery making
  • model building and so on.

People who may feel intimidated about creating “art” may be happier creating craft items, such as knitting or friendship bracelets.

CREATIVE THERAPIES CAN BE A POWERFUL TOOL 

If you work in any field that is providing care or help to people, creative therapies can be a great way of assisting with –

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Dementia
  • Addictions 
  • Attention disorders
  • Grief and loss
  • Eating disorders
  • Physical illnesses
  • PTSD
  • Relationship issues
  • Trauma and other conditions.
This is an excellent course to improve your knowledge and skills to work in any situation where your primary concern is to help people.

 

Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
ACS is an Organisational Member of the Association for Coaching (UK).
ACS is an Organisational Member of the Association for Coaching (UK).
ACS is a Member of the Complementary Medicine Association.
ACS is a Member of the Complementary Medicine Association.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
UK Register of Learning Providers, UK PRN10000112
UK Register of Learning Providers, UK PRN10000112

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

Simply click on the ENROL OPTIONS button at the top of this screen and follow the prompts.

You can see the course price at the top of this page. Click 'enrolment options' to see any payment options available.

You can pay by Credit Card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer.

Yes! We have payment plans for most courses. Click 'enrolment options' to see the available payment plans.
We also have Afterpay that will allow you to pay for your course or payment plans in four instalments (if you are in Australia).


What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments.
If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exam and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Statement of Attainment. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email acs@oamps.com.au.


Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


What if I have any more questions or need more information?

We can assist you to find the right course for your needs. Get in touch with us via email (admin@acs.edu.au) call on +61 7 5562 1088 or complete our course advice form.


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If students require a reproduction of their certificate, an electronic copy can be provided at a cost of AUD$35 incl GST. Printed copies are not available.




Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

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