Creative Therapies

When words are hard to come by, we remind you that there are more ways to express yourself. Creative Therapies and psychotherapy help you take a deeper look at your self and what factors affect your mental health and wellbeing.  With registered and licensed clinicians, Magis provides you with an arts-based, culturally relevant, and trauma-informed approach to healing, with you at the center.

 

WHAT AGES DO WE SERVE?

All ages (by evaluation)

Art adapts to every conceivable problem and lends its transformative, insightful, and experience-heightening power to people in need…  If we can liberate the creative process in our lives, it will always find the way to whatever needs attention and transformation.

Shaun McNiff

WHAT DO WE DO?

 

Our Creative Therapies are forms of Psychotherapy where multiple art modalities and expressive arts-based approaches are used to facilitate the session to help the client through their healing process.  The arts are integrated into this therapeutic relationship that involves verbal and non-verbal communication. This can help individuals reconnect with their inherent ability to be creative and recognize that these capacities can lead to a deeper discovery and appreciation of self and transform their lives through self-compassion and meaningful expression within a therapeutic relationship.

Foundational objectives in these therapies include creating spaces where individuals and groups can experience safety, grow in self-awareness, self-expression, self-regulation, self-confidence, self-compassion, and engage in creative problem-solving.

Expressive Arts therapists are credentialed mental health clinicians educated both in the Philippines and abroad. They are trained to treat mild to severe issues with a proper multi-disciplinary team (psychiatrist, primary care physician, other therapists, other family members) including: mood disorders: depression, suicidality, bipolar disorder; anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, selective mutism, panic disorders, social anxiety; mental disorders; behavioral issues; developmental delays; general problems with daily living; severe/chronic stress; complex/developmental trauma, or PTSD.

HOW DO WE DO IT?

 

Creative Therapies at MAGIS follow the clinical format of psychotherapy. This is done with medium to long-term therapy through culturally-relevant, client-appropriate and safe therapeutic approaches, in collaboration with psychiatrists for pharmacotherapy where applicable.

A range of approaches are employed by the team, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and the expressive arts therapies (art, dance and music). When the expressive arts is used in the psychotherapist’s process, an experience is facilitated to encourage creative expression and creative work is explored in a safe, responsible manner. For more information creative therapies, click here.

All our psychotherapists and psychologists also offer counseling as a short-term intervention that can help individuals deal with specific personal issues, challenges in daily living, or life transitions. Grounded upon humanistic traditions, psychological techniques, and the expressive arts philosophy, counseling aims to support personal and interpersonal functioning across the lifespan. 

Creative Therapies at Magis

 

  • Expressive Arts Therapy is a psychotherapy session where multiple art modalities and expressive arts-based approaches are used to facilitate the session to help the client through their healing process. The arts are integrated into this therapeutic relationship that involves verbal and non-verbal communication. This can help individuals reconnect with their inherent ability to be creative and recognize that these capacities can lead to a deeper discovery and appreciation of self and transform their lives through self-compassion and meaningful expression within a therapeutic relationship.

  • DMT involves the integration of movement as a medium for non-verbal communication and expression during a psychotherapy session. In therapy, dance and movement are used as scientifically-based somatic, body-centered non-intrusive approaches that engage individuals in the process of healing, facilitating the discovery or re-connection with ones embodied self.

    The MAGIS Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT) holds an advanced degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and is a registered mental health clinician. She helps address behavioral, emotional and other clinical issues by encouraging body-mind-spirit integration, relatedness, body awareness, expanding the movement repertoire, and developing self-confidence and self-identity.

    Dance/Movement Therapy goals include: body, mind and spirit integration; relatedness and socialization; increased body awareness, expanding the movement repertoire; developing self-confidence and self-identity

  • Art Therapy involves the use of the visual arts, in addition to talk therapy and other mindfulness activities, during a psychotherapy session. The three-fold dynamic between the client, therapist and the art are central to the healing process. The process of art-making offers clients an opportunity to explore and experiment with various art materials and supplies and shape the work at his or her own pace. This allows the client to reconnect with his or her capacity for self-determination.

    MAGIS Art Therapists hold advanced degrees in Art Therapy, registered with professional boards (ATR), and may also be Board Certified (ATR-BC). As clinically trained mental health professionals they address a range of behavioral, emotional, and other clinical issues using visual arts and counseling as the medium for therapy, creating a space where the client has the opportunity to engage in a non-verbal exploration of his or her concerns, and make tangible that which is difficult to verbalize.

    Art Therapy goals include:

    • Creating a safe space for the exploration of the individual or group’s presenting concerns

    • Exploring thoughts, memories, mindsets, and themes

    • Enhance capacity to articulate thoughts and feelings

    • Develop self-awareness, self-identity, self-agency

    • Develop/process natural responses to tactile and visual stimuli

  • Music as Therapy addresses a range of behavioral, emotional, and other clinical issues using music, sound as the medium for psychotherapy. Music Therapy is a process in which a mental health clinician encourages well-being and healing through the intentional use of musical instruments, movement and rhythm, and the performing and visual arts.

    Music as Therapy is offered at MAGIS by a registered psychologist with an advanced degree in expressive arts therapy, specializing in the therapeutic use of music with individual clients and groups.

    Music Therapy goals:

    • Process thoughts, memories, mindsets, and themes

    • Open new avenues of non-verbal communication

    • Increase/enhance capacity to cope in challenging situations

    • Develop self-regulation and self-identity

    • Develop/process natural responses sensorimotor and auditory stimuli

 

  • Your journey

  • Free 15-minute consult

    Take time for a short conversation with a clinician. They will listen to your main concern and answer any clarifications you may have about starting therapy. This conversation helps the clinician refer you to a therapist who can help you further.

  • Intake session

    This is the first time you will meet the therapist assigned to you. Here, we’ll listen to your story, set some goals with you, and tell you a bit about the coming sessions.

    If you’re below 18, this session may include some time for your therapist to speak to your parents.

  • Regular session

    Based on your concerns and your goals, your therapist will recommend how many sessions you can start with, and within what timeframe. A typical schedule would be once to twice a week.

Start a conversation about your wellbeing.