Creative Arts Therapy & NDIS Emotional Wellbeing Support – Melbourne
At Iseau Arts Therapy, we provide trauma-informed Creative Arts Therapy, counselling, and emotional wellbeing support for children, adolescents, and adults across Melbourne, including Williamstown and the surrounding western suburbs. We support individuals experiencing anxiety, stress, emotional overwhelm, burnout, grief, trauma, life transitions, emotional regulation difficulties, and low self-esteem through holistic, creative, and person-centred approaches.
Using the therapeutic power of creative expression and evidence-informed therapeutic practices, we help clients build resilience, strengthen self-awareness, develop healthy coping strategies, improve emotional wellbeing, and reconnect with their strengths in a safe, calm, and non-judgemental environment.
We work with private clients, NDIS participants, schools, community organisations, and workplaces, offering individual sessions, group programs, school wellbeing initiatives, workplace wellbeing workshops, and tailored therapeutic programs designed to foster connection, healing, personal growth, and lasting positive change.
Whether you are seeking support for yourself, your child, your team, or your community, Iseau Arts Therapy provides compassionate, professional support that honours each person's unique journey and capacity for growth.
What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy differs from traditional art in that the emphasis is on the process of creating rather than on the end product. It is a creative process, suitable for all ages, and particularly for those who may be experiencing life changes, trauma, emotional issues, illness or disabilities causing distress for the individual and for their family.
Creative Arts Therapy assists with improving the client’s personal growth and insight, processing of traumatic experiences and resolving of inner conflicts.
It provides a unique opportunity for the use of non-verbal communication, allowing clients to express feelings safely so that they can cope better with stress,improve their judgement and have healthy relationships.
What's new at Iseau?
This July, Iseau Arts Therapy is launching our Adult Arts Therapy Group Series. This welcoming community-based program invites you to join a supportive space for like-minded individuals to come together, slow down, and nurture their wellbeing through creative expression. Through guided arts therapy experiences, participants will have the opportunity to relax, create, reflect, gain personal insights, foster healing, build self-awareness, and develop meaningful connections within a supportive community. Whether you are looking to recharge, explore personal growth, or simply connect with others in a creative and supportive environment, this group offers a unique opportunity to invest in your wellbeing.
Scan the QR code to see to choose your time preference or join the waiting list if sessions are booked out. Looking forward to meeting you as we explore your healing and relaxation journey together.
Meet your Arts Therapist
My name is Nishani, and I am a Creative Arts Therapist and educator who deeply believes in the healing power of creativity and self expression. I have a Masters Degree in Experiential and Creative Arts Therapy and Practice, Bachelors Degrees in Applied Science and Education and completed Post Graduate studies in Psychological Counselling and Positive Psychology.
Throughout my work in education and therapeutic settings, I have seen how the arts can open doors to understanding ourselves in ways that words and talk therapy cannot. Creative expression allows people to explore and embody emotions, experiences, and identity in a safe and gentle way.
Many people come to art therapy feeling unsure about their creativity. One of the first things I say is:
You do not need to be artistic for art therapy to be meaningful.
The focus is not on creating perfect artwork, it is about the process of exploring, reflecting, and connecting with your inner experience. My practice blends Creative Arts Therapy with Experiential action methods, our sessions are tailored to what your mind and body need. In sessions, we might work with:
Drawing or painting to colour your inner world.
Collage and visual storytelling to reconstruct narratives.
Clay and tactile materials to ground your nervous system.
Reflective art journaling to process thoughts over time.
Symbolic imagery and sandplay to actively map out and resolve complex life dynamics.
Through Iseau Creative Arts Therapy, my hope is to provide a safe, collaborative sanctuary where people feel empowered to explore, express, and reconnect with their inner strengths.
A place that is calm, supportive, and non-judgemental, allowing people to move at their own pace.
Nishani Sooknandan
Creative Arts Therapist
How will it benefit me?
Creative Arts Therapy supports personal growth and healing through art, movement, music, writing and creative exploration. It helps clients to develop a more integrated sense of self, with increased self awareness and acceptance.
It helps develop:
✔Resilience ✔ Emotional regulation ✔ Stress management
✔Confidence ✔ Personal insight ✔ Self development
NDIS Creative Arts Therapy
Creative Arts Therapy can support NDIS participants working towards capacity-building goals related to emotional wellbeing, communication, and confidence.
Sessions may support participants to develop:
• emotional regulation skills • confidence and self-expression • communication and social connection • identity development and resilience • stress and anxiety management
Sessions can be adapted to suit individual preferences and abilities.
Private Therapy Sessions
Individual sessions with Iseau allow people to explore issues relevant to their personal development and process of change with the support and guidance of a fully qualified, experienced art therapist. All sessions are catered purely to the individual who is actively involved in setting therapeutic goals. In the initial stages of therapy you may be assisted in becoming comfortable with various artistic processes. You need not make art if you don't want to as there are various artistic forms that can be explored. Individual sessions are suitable for all age groups.
Creative Healing Groups
Group sessions with Iseau offer a supportive and welcoming space where participants can explore personal growth and wellbeing alongside others with shared experiences. These sessions are suitable for a range of ages and provide opportunities to build confidence, communication skills, and emotional resilience in a safe, respectful environment. Sessions are thoughtfully structured while remaining flexible to meet the needs of each participant. Members are gently supported to feel comfortable with creative processes at their own pace, and no previous art experience is required. Participation in art-making is always optional.
Corporate Wellbeing Programs
Program Aims
The ISEAU Staff Wellbeing Program is designed to;
Support staff wellbeing and emotional regulation
Reduce burnout, stress, and term-related workload fatigue
Strengthen staff connection and reflective practice
Assists with psychological safety, wellbeing and staff retention
Equip staff with practical tools for personal use and in the workplace
Strengthen wellbeing practices in line with the companies mission, values and vision
Childrens Art Therapy Sessions
Art therapy is ideal for children who are feeling anxious or worried, struggling with friendships, finding it hard to express emotions, or needing extra support with confidence. No art experience is needed – the focus is on expression, not “good” art.
Support your child’s wellbeing through creativity in a safe, therapeutic space where they can:
Understand and manage big feelings (emotional regulation)
Build and maintain friendships through better communication and empathy
Develop confidence and a positive sense of self
Learn practical strategies for anxiety and worry
Receive gentle, trauma-informed support if they have experienced difficult events
These groups are especially helpful for children who:
Feel worried or anxious about school or home
Are having difficulty with friendships or social situations
Find it hard to express or manage their emotions
Would benefit from extra support with confidence and self-esteem
Teen Art Therapy Programs
Adolescence can be a challenging time for both teenagers and their parents. It can be an overwhelming stage of life, filled with big emotions, shifting identity, social pressures, and academic stress. Many teenagers struggle to express what they’re feeling, even when they want support.
Our sessions are fully tailored to each teenager’s needs and interests. There is no pressure to be good at art. The focus is on expression, not artistic skill. Through drawing, painting, collage, clay work, and other gentle creative processes, teenagers can explore:
Anxiety and low mood
Identity and self-esteem
Friendship changes and peer pressure
Family dynamics
School stress and overwhelm
Emotional regulation and resilience
Do I have to be good at art or artistic to do Art Therapy?
There is no pre-requisite of previous art experience when choosing to do Art Therapy. Art Therapy is a non-judgemental and non-analytical practice. The Arts Therapist will assist you in your journey to find inner balance and peace. The environment for this work is safe and supportive ~ a place for sharing feelings and insights and also to nurture new potential and growth.
From our clients
We have earned the trust and satisfaction from our clients by providing reliable, high-quality service. See what they're saying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions for Iseau Arts Therapy
Art therapy can support people of all ages and backgrounds. It is particularly helpful for people who:
Find it hard to put feelings into words
Are experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, or grief
Are navigating big life changes or transitions
Want to understand themselves better
Feel "stuck" and aren't sure why
You don't need a diagnosis or referral to access art therapy privately. A qualified art therapist can also work alongside other health professionals as part of a broader care team.
Sessions usually include:
• A gentle check-in • A creative activity such as drawing, painting, collage, or clay • Time to reflect on the creative process and any insights that emerge
Each session is guided in a supportive, non-judgemental way, and participants can move at their own pace.
Sessions are usually 50 to 75 minutes. The number of sessions depends entirely on your goals and circumstances — some people benefit from a short-term program of 6–12 sessions, while others engage in longer-term work over many months.
Your therapist will discuss this with you and review progress as you go. You're never locked into a set number.
No. Creative Arts Therapy is different from an art class.
In an art class, the focus is on learning techniques and producing artwork. In Creative Arts Therapy, the focus is on personal expression, reflection, and emotional wellbeing.
There is no pressure to produce a certain type of artwork.
No. Sharing is always optional.
Some people enjoy talking about their artwork, while others prefer to reflect quietly. You are always free to share as much or as little as feels comfortable.
One of the gifts of art therapy is that you don't have to put everything into words. The artwork itself becomes a way of expressing things that are hard to say out loud.
Your therapist may ask open questions about what you notice in what you've made, but you can always share as much or as little as feels comfortable. Silence and image are both valid languages in the therapy room.
Yes. Everything shared in an art therapy session — including your artwork is confidential. Your therapist will explain the limits of confidentiality clearly at the start, which typically relate to situations where there is a risk of serious harm to you or someone else.
Your artwork belongs to you. Nothing is shared, photographed, or displayed without your consent.
Art therapy spaces are usually stocked with a range of materials, which might include:
Paints — watercolour, acrylic, gouache
Drawing materials — pencils, pastels, charcoal, markers
Collage materials — magazines, paper, fabric, found objects
Clay or air-dry sculpting material
Printmaking tools and textured papers
You can always say if something doesn't feel right for you. There's no pressure to use any particular material.
Follow us on instagram @iseauartstherapy
Urgent Crisis Care
Iseau Arts therapy is not able to provide crisis support.
If you require urgent help, please call 000.
24-hour crisis support include:
Western Suburbs Crisis Assessment & Treatment Team (CATT) 8734 1552
Royal Melbourne Hospital Crisis Assessment & Treatment Team (CATT) 1300 304 407
Liffeline 13 11 14
Suicide line 1300 651 251
Kids line (age up to 25) 1800 55 1800
Family Relationship Advice Line 1800 050 321 Provides information on family relationship issues and advice on parenting arrangements after separation
Victims of Crime Helpline 1800 819 817 Helpline that offers information, advice and referrals to assist victims to manage and recover from the effects of crime.
Family Drug Help 1300 660 068 A 24 hour help line which offers support, information, strategies for change and referral to anyone affected by alcohol or other drug misuse.
Family Relationship Advice Line 1800 050 321 Provides information on family relationship issues and advice on parenting arrangements after separation
Other free telephone services:
1800 RESPECT (Women and families) 1800 737 732
QLife (LGBQTIA+ support 3pm - 12am) 1800 184 527
13YARN (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support) 13 92 76
Griefline (Grief and loss) 1300 845 745
Directline (Drug and Alcohol) 1800 888236