Winner of Scottish Government’s Advancing Healthcare Award in 2018 for improving quality: measuring and demonstrating impact
Art Wise
Running in North Ayrshire, Falkirk and Renfrewshire, Art Wise aims to help families meet their individual needs, to thrive and to stay together through creative play.
This programme provides parents/carers with therapeutic and creative support to better understand their child’s behaviour and develop tools to connect and communicate with them. We also help caregivers support their child to identify their own needs and develop coping strategies using art and creativity.
Working with our qualified Art Therapist and Wellbeing Support Worker, you will have a mix of parents/carer sessions and whole family creative play sessions. You will be able to connect with other parents, access peer support, and develop your local support networks by linking in with other local organisations which can support other aspects of family life e.g. benefits, welfare, food security, relationship support, nutrition etc.
Art Wise is free to attend, snacks are provided and we can reimburse travel costs.
“I always feel less anxious and relaxed after coming to Art Wise. I love seeing my daughter free to explore the messy play and her interactions with others.”
Locations
The programme will run in 10-12 week blocks, with follow up sessions.
Falkirk
Who: Parents/carers and children aged 0-3
When: Fridays at 10:15am – 11:45am, March 14th – June 20th 2025
Where: Stenhouse and Carron Parish Church Hall, 153 Church St, Stenhousemuir, Larbert, FK5 4BU
Art Wise Falkirk is now fully booked. But if you’re still interested, get in touch and we’ll add you to our waiting list.
Renfrewshire
We hope to launch our next block of activity in Renfrewshire in early April. More details will be announced soon.
North Ayrshire
Who: Parents/carers and babies/toddlers aged 0 – 4
When: Wednesdays, 10.30am – 12pm
Where: Fullarton Connexions, Irvine
This programme is funded by the Whole Family Wellbeing fund.
North Lanarkshire
Art Wise in North Lanarkshire is operating as part of the Families Here and Now Service (FHANS). For more information, please contact jamielee.aitken@impactarts.co.uk or call on 07501422416.
“A safe space to talk about personal and parenting challenges and receive emotional support.”
We Work With Some Incredible Partners
Schools’ Artist in Residence
Our Artist in Residence programme brings the most exciting visual artists to Primary School children living in disadvantaged communities, who are unlikely to have opportunities for creative expression; are least likely to have ready access to arts materials in their own home; and are least likely to visit galleries. Work, co-produced with children, gives them an opportunity to be heard & seen and is curated through high quality exhibitions that celebrate achievements.
If your Primary School is interested in getting involved then please get in touch.
Art Therapy
Art therapy offers a safe relaxed space for children to express themselves through creativity and play.
Sessions work on the basis that it can be easier to address difficult emotions through art than talking about them directly. In sessions, art therapists offer support and help children get a better understanding of their worries and concerns.
Children can find the process of creating, playing and making relaxing. It can offer relief from any stress or anxiety they may be feeling and it can help with building confidence and coping skills.
Read about our three types of Art Therapy below!
Referrals for North Ayrshire Art Therapy
Please note new referrals for one to one Art Therapy in North Ayrshire are currently paused to reduce the length of waiting time between referral and meeting one of our therapists.
We are still taking referrals for Family Approach and Group Art Therapy.
For more information please contact: arttherapy@impactarts.co.uk
One-to-one Art Therapy
Over a number of sessions we will work with you in a confidential setting to help you to explore how you are feeling and what might be troubling you. Perhaps you have experienced changes at home, in school or with friends that you are finding tricky.
We know that it can be sometimes be difficult to put all this down in words. Working with our fully trained therapist we will support you to find other ways to express and communicate these feelings. It might be by putting paint on paper, using puppets to tell a story or using drawings to tell others how you feel.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to be an artist, and we don’t ‘mark’ your work. Instead we use art as a way as exploring the things that can help you.
Family Approach
Family Approach involves a child and their parent or carer in joint sessions with a focus on strengthening their relationship through mutual understanding.
It allows both children and parents and carers to process their own emotions and develop positive coping skills, and for parents and carers to better understand their child’s social and emotional needs.
Therapeutic Group work
Therapeutic Group work is ideal for children who are experiencing difficulties at school or home e.g. difficulty with transitions or engaging with their peers, communication difficulties, bullying, etc.
Small groups of children experiencing similar issues are supported by Art Therapists to build confidence, overcome social difficulties and to learn strategies for regulating behaviours through a series of therapeutic arts sessions. A crucial element of this work is to make sure this is a fun, positive and supportive experience and not a stigmatised ‘therapy’ group.
Meet our Art Therapists
Danielle Devin
Lead Art Therapist & Clinical Supervisor
Emilija Mecelicaite
Art Therapist
Creative play
Creative Play engages primary school aged children in creative outdoor pursuits which instil a love of playing outside.
Our fully trained and qualified creative practitioners provide children with a range of complimentary creative opportunities, while encouraging children to interact with natural materials and their surroundings – designed to spark the imaginations of children, allowing them to explore new ideas and activities which are fun and designed to increase physical activity and engagement with the environment.
From creating abstract sculptures out of organic materials found in the park to building “birds’ nests” or dens, or doing forest treasure hunts, storytelling and painting with mud, Creative Play will ignite children’s imagination and encourage a deeper and more creative contact with the outdoors.
Ages 3 – 12
Creative Play Booklets
View our booklet for 30 fun and creative ways to play outdoors!
Get Children & Young People involved in our Nature Trail Challenge!
