Join Us for a Special Art Therapy Event in Canberra!
Are you connected to the Defence community? Whether you’re the partner of a current serving ADF member, a veteran spouse, parent of a veteran, adult child of a veteran, a widow, or connected to Defence in another way? We warmly invite families of veterans to join us for art therapy in Canberra on 25 August 2024, brought to you by our Wellbeing Program.
Families of veterans can sometimes experience overwhelm when balancing the demands of supporting family, the impact of ADF service and/or in caring roles due to illness, injury and transitions. Social connection is at the core of our wellbeing events. In addressing social isolation and loneliness, we acknowledge that veteran families may face barriers in developing and maintaining peer connections due to the unique nature of Defence life. The purpose of this event is to encourage the families of veterans to engage in self-care activities and expand their social network by connecting with like-minded peers.
Grounding through Change with Clay
The event will then be facilitated by Jacqui (Art Therapist and Counsellor) and Deneka (Social Worker). A two hour clay workshop where participants to work on individual art pieces that they can take home afterwards. Material used will be air drying clay (firing not required). The group as a whole will be guided through exercises to bond with each other, including time to share about their work at the end.
Aims of workshop:
- To support meaningful connection between participants.
- To provide a cathartic and grounding experience, while acknowledging the changes that
participants are facing at present.
- For participants to leave with a deepened sense of emotional and psychological self awareness.
Participants will be invited to think about their values, inner strengths and the external components of their life experience that help to ground them and get through the myriad of changes that they face in their journey as Defence and Veteran spouses. The aim will be to express this through the medium of clay, to create visuals ‘anchors’ for them day to day. Participants will get to experience the common themes between them, as well as be inspired by new ways to ground and anchor in their own lives.
Previous workshops of a similar nature have proved to be a rich experience for participants, both due to interpersonal connection but also due to the cathartic effect of art making in a group.
Event information
- Date and time: Sunday 25 August 2024 – from 10am to 12pm followed by lunch
- Location: Village Hall at Strathnairn Arts Centre, 90 Stockdill Dr, Holt ACT 2615
- Registrations: now open and close on 21 August 2024
- Cost: Free for the families of veterans
The event includes all art therapy supplies and lunch at the café afterward with our CEO, Renee Wilson.
Registration is a must, places are limited. Register below on Eventbrite or call us on 02 9267 6577. For more information, please email wellbeing@fov.org.au