Pittwater Life July 2024 Issue

Health & Wellbeing
The great healing po
Health & Wellbeing
Art is being used as therapy
to help people of all
ages across Pittwater.
The Be Centre and Inner View
Art Therapy are two of the
groups doing beautiful work.
“Art speaks where words are
unable to explain.” There are
many quotes on the power of
art to express feelings. Perhaps
call it expressionism. At
the Be Centre in Warriewood,
children are using art to reduce
their anxiety and overcome
social challenges.
On a tour, Be Centre’s CEO
Tania Tailor and Jane Leckie,
one of their Creative Art Therapists,
explained how art allows
children to express emotions
and feelings they may otherwise
keep to themselves.
“We offer creative therapies
for children between three and
12,” begins Tania, “art therapy,
drama therapy and play
therapy – play therapy is where
we started.
“Children don’t always have
the words to express what you
would in a talking psychology
session. When they play, their
subconscious comes into play,
and they start telling you exactly
what’s going on in their
world.”
Be Centre has been running
since 2008 and currently caters
for around 80 children. There
are 30 more children on a waitlist,
but such is the increase in
anxiety levels for children at the
moment that sometimes that
wait list needs to be closed.
“We see children with DV,
families splitting up, peer-topeer
pressure,” explains Tania.
“Some are even struggling with
the residual nature of COVID
lockdown. For us it was abnormal
to go into lockdown; for
children that were born during
that period that’s their normal.
When it finished, we all went
back to normal and they came
into this world that they didn’t
understand.”
Jane adds: “It might be
the children have suffered a
traumatic incident in their life,
a parent figure has passed
away, or they have autism
or ADHD. Maybe they’re just
struggling with low mood or
depression, selective mutism, a
lack of social skills, or are low
in confidence – we really see a
whole range.”
An initial Play Therapy
program runs 12 weeks and
around six months is average
for a child to come to the
centre. Parent counselling is
free, because as Tania says: “If
you can help the whole family
they’re better equipped to
deal with what’s happening at
home.”
“It’s a safe and supportive
environment, where they get
to process and become more
regulated,” says Jane. “And
early intervention gives them
tools to deal with life and not
carry it further, not cause them
problems as an adult.”
One-to-one and group sessions,
as well as parent and
BEAUTIFUL WORK: The Be Centre’s Tania Tailor (left), temporary teacher
Sam Doran and Jane Leckie (right) with resources at the centre.
child sessions, are available
and 30 per cent of Be Centre’s
services are via scholarship for
children who might not otherwise
be able to afford to come.
“We don’t get any government
funding, it all comes
through grants, foundations
and private funders,” says
Tania. “Our fundraising team
has to work hard to make
those scholarships available.
And there must be hundreds,
if not thousands, of children
out there who may not even
know this exists. It’s a really
good way for children to find
themselves and to thrive.”
The end point of the art
therapy is the Good Planet
Studio Art Exhibition at Gallery
109 on Wednesday 24 July.
Children’s artworks from Be
Centre will then be displayed
as part of Creative Open at Gallery
109 from Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday (11-4pm).
Over at Avalon Golf Club, art
therapist Philippa Montier from
Inner View Art Therapy is helping
adults to express themselves
for similar reasons.
48 JULY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991