Workshops
Art Therapy Workshops: Art as Process Program
For the following workshops:
All materials are included
Numbers are limited
Tea and coffee provided
No art experience necessary, yet artists can also benefit.
Coming Soon:
SE Skills for Life - Online Course
I’m happy to share an exciting new offering coming later this year—How to Trust Your Body Again: A 6-Week Online Somatic Experiencing Skills Guided Practice Group. This transformative online programme is designed to help participants connect with their nervous system through psychoeducation, SE practical skills, and group support. It will provide foundational tools from the Somatic Experiencing framework to help regulate the nervous system, build resilience, and improve overall well-being.
The course offers opportunities for reflection, art-making, and journaling, fostering connection, safety, and presence in a supportive group setting. Participants will develop a deeper understanding of their stress patterns, build somatic resources, and strengthen their relationship with their body and its unique wisdom.
Initially, the course will be available to those on my waiting list, so if you believe any of your clients might benefit from these skills, I encourage you to share this opportunity with them. Stay tuned for more details, including dates and registration information, which will be announced soon.
Bringing together my expertise in Somatic Experiencing, art therapy, and group facilitation, this course reflects my passion for creating safe, supportive spaces for growth and healing. Together, we can rediscover the freedom and fulfilment that comes from authentic connection, creativity, and deeper self-awareness. Let’s embrace this journey towards well-being and transformation!
Accelerated Trauma Recovery Mandala
Developed by Lindy Bearup, Trauma Therapist, Trainer & Coach
Group Format:
Participants will work individually within a group setting, benefitting from shared support, reduced isolation, and the healing power of normalisation and mirroring. The group environment fosters connection and combats the isolation that trauma often creates.
Facilitator:
Tania Virgona brings decades of expertise to this offering. She is an advanced Somatic Experiencing (SE) Practitioner, senior art therapist, supervisor, and case consultant. Tania integrates:
Somatic Experiencing by Peter Levine
Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges
SE Touch Skills by Kathy Kain
NeuroAffective Touch by Aline LaPierre
Her MA in Art Therapy and Sensorimotor Art Therapy by Cornelia Elbrecht
With over 20 years of experience running therapeutic groups for children and adults in mental health and community settings, Tania is adept at creating a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space. Her passion lies in supporting individuals to connect with their bodies, creativity, and authentic selves.
What to Expect:
Safety: Established within the group, the facilitator, and the creative process
Connection: An invitation to connect with your whole self
Symbolic Language: Development of a personal language of symbols and meaning
Journaling: Chronicling thoughts, feelings, memories, and revelations throughout the process
Guided Structure: Step-by-step scaffolding to build mandalas, boundaries, and a safe space
Articulation: Validation and rewriting of personal narratives
New Self Statements: Creation of positive, forward-looking affirmations
Group Rules:
Confidentiality: Avoid sharing specific traumatic details.
Non-judgement: Maintain a non-judgmental and supportive atmosphere.
Focus: Limit general chit-chat during art-making.
“The greatest illusion of modern society is that freedom is purely individualistic, when in reality, our freedom is deeply interconnected with the well-being of everyone.”
— Richard Cohen, Zen and the Art of Early Childhood
With the permission and support of Lindy Bearup, I am honoured to offer the Accelerated Trauma Recovery (ATR) Mandala process at the Creative Continuum.
This in-depth, 6-week group process harnesses the transformative power of creation through art and symbols to support trauma recovery.
Course Details
Start Date: May 1, 2025
Duration: 6 weeks, Thursdays from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: Creative Continuum
Cost: $150 + GST per session (total: $900 + GST for 6 weeks)
Materials: All provided
Lindy Bearup designed this process to accelerate healing and foster integration for trauma survivors.
What is the ATR Mandala Process?
The ATR Mandala is a gentle therapeutic approach that guides participants through restorative symbol work using a mandala framework, consisting of interconnected circles. The process combines the unique power of art and symbolism to facilitate trauma resolution.
The non-verbal nature of art invites participants to engage their "observer self" or inner witness, fostering a safe space for self-exploration. The structure of the mandala provides a sense of containment and supports the reorganisation of the self in relation to trauma.
Creativity gently restores the right hemisphere of the brain, enabling natural processing of trauma and adaptive responses. Over six weeks, participants work to integrate and restore their psyche, body, brain, emotions, impulses, meaning, implicit and conscious memories, and metaphysical components.
This process helps externalise and symbolically represent the self, placing trauma in context and reconstructing its narrative. By doing so, participants discharge and reduce the trauma's dominance over their perception, experience, and life.
What the ATR Mandala is Not:
Not a painting class, occupational therapy session, or craft workshop.
The focus is not on aesthetic beauty but on symbolic expression and trauma resolution.
Who Can Benefit:
The ATR Mandala process is ideal for individuals experiencing:
Emotional discomfort or triggers from past or recent trauma
Complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, or borderline personality disorder
A need for trauma resolution, integration of past and present, or the creation of a new self-narrative
Outcomes include:
Trauma resolution and integration
Increased self-awareness and reduced alienation
A sense of completion and forward momentum in life
Email for registration
info@interagedtraumatherapy.com.au
Professional Development
Using Art Therapy to Explore Shame
Understand how Shame presents in the nervous system, its function and how to support repair.
As practitioners working with our clients, we will at some point encounter shame in our clients and ourselves. Shame can be disguised in many ways and it can be difficult to identify and repair.
This PD is for those wanting to know how shame presents in the nervous system from a Somatic Experiencing and Polyvagal framework. We will be exploring the difference between toxic traumatic shame and healthy shame, identify the many ways it can present and use art therapy to explore the experience of shame and how to facilitate repair.
Taking concepts from Kathy Kain,’ Nurturing Resilience’, Neuro Affective Touch, attachment and developmental trauma ‘Healing the relational matrix’, as well as touching on Jungian concepts of the shadow and mythology.
This PD will suit anyone working with CPTSD, addition recovery, survivors of violence and sexual abuse, developmental trauma and neglect.
When:
Shame Professional Development:
Saturday, 31st May at 12:00pm
Thursday, 4th December at 12:00pm
CPTSD Professional Development:
Thursday, 21st August at 12:00pm
Where: Online
Time: 12pm -4pm
Fee: $302.50+ GST
Professional Development
Understanding Complex Trauma; Applying Art therapy, Somatic Nervous System Principles and Support for you as the practitioner with Tania Virgona
This Professional development is designed for clinicians and Arts Therapists who would like to better understand how Complex Trauma presents in the nervous system, where to focus Art Therapy interventions, and how to best look after yourself as the practitioner. The 4 hours will involve Art making, discussion and reflective practice and theory.
The link between Art therapy and the body is a common and natural association. We will be viewing Complex Trauma through the lenses of the Polyvagal theory and Somatic Experiencing principles to understand the underlying nervous system mechanics and states. We will be referring to Kathy Kain’s work as an expert body worker in the field of SE, complex trauma and attachment; from her latest book, Restoring Resilience. www.somaticpractice.net/about/
Connections will be drawn between Art and its therapeutic function, the body’s experience, expressed via the nervous system and how repair and recovery may appear for this population group.
Two sessions will be available, in person and online. Term 2, dates are yet to be confirmed.
Presenter: Tania Virgona is an Art Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and Supervisor with a range of experience working with trauma. She has worked with refugees, veterans, in drug and alcohol, mental health and with survivors of family violence where she initiated the Children’s Therapeutic Program. Tania currently runs her own private practice and studio working with trauma and creativity. She primarily works with developmental and complex trauma using Art Therapy and advanced Touch skills for trauma regulation and renegotiation and The Creative Continuum studio offers individuals and groups art and therapy for the continuum of health and wellbeing.
When: TBC
Where: Online
Time: 12pm -4pm
Fee: $302.50 +GST
The Nourishment of Clay: the Felt Sense of Contact and Connection
This workshop will guide you through an exploration of clay and the felt sense (Peter Levin). This process aims to develop the felt sense of touch through the hands and to connect to deeper layers of you and your body. You will be led through a non-verbal mindful process, that will enable you to connect with the earthen, forgiving and yielding clay. You will be supported to find what touch, text, pressure, movement or holding feels nourishing and right for you at any given moment to slowly allow a 3D object to emerge. Reflection of the process will follow to integrate your experience.
To find out more about Tania your facilitator
www.integratedtraumatherapy.com.au
When: Saturday, 30th August
Time: 2-4pm, 2hours
Investment: $165 incl. GST
Where: The Creative Continuum , upstairs 2/2 Colin Ave Warrandyte www.creativec.com.au/worshops
Teas and coffee provided. All materials supplied. Please where comfortable clothing
Altered Books
Creating an alter book can be a transformative and empowering experience!
This workshop will provide you with the opportunity and materials to creatively alter a book. Experience how your creativity gives you access to the agency within to recreate your narrative. Using paints, images, fabrics, collage, craft, text and more, you will be invited to alter a pre existing book to create your own personal object exploring themes unique to you. The book you choose to alter will lend you ideas and guide you in a direction that is different to a blank canvas.
Altering a pre existing book can offer possibilities and ideas that will ignite your imagination. Share in this creative process in the company of others and allow the group environment to support your themes and open you to possibilities.
To find out more about Tania your facilitator
www.integratedtraumatherapy.com.au
When: 2025 dates TBC
Time: 1-4pm, 3 hours
Investment: $190 + GST per person
Where: The Creative Continuum
All materials provided. No prior experience required. Beverages and afternoon tea available.
Image to Symbol – Expressive Play with Collage
This workshop guides you though the creative process to make an intimate book or set of cards unique and personal to you. It aims to expand your awareness while settling you into a mindful state of being. Based on Jungian psychology and Sena Frost’s Soul Collage, this visual journey will nurture your personal growth, strengthen your intuition and recognise your innate wisdom.
In whatever stage of life you may find your self, collating images into a personal artwork in the company of others is a joyful and rewarding way to nourish and expand your self-understanding for greater acceptance.
To find out more about Tania your facilitator
www.integratedtraumatherapy.com.au
When: Saturday June 14th 2pm
Time: 1-4pm, half day, 3hours
Investment: $209 incl. GST
Where: The Creative Continuum, upstairs, 2/2 Colin Ave Warrandyte 3113
www.creativec.com.au/worshops
No prior art experience needed. All sessions will guide you step by step through a creative process to connect with your inner experience.
Teas and coffee provided. All materials supplied.Please where comfortable clothing
Drawing for Regulation
Drawing For Regulation
Find your way out of stress and feeling overwhelmed by surrendering yourself to the process of Guided Drawing. The use of bilateral movement will support you to find your rhythm and connect to your authentic impulses to move stress and tension from your body and mind, to experience greater presence, stability and space. With drawing materials you will be guided to explore the experience of expansion and contraction, fast and slow, soft and hard gestures in your mark making and within your body. This is a wonderful method to discover and build your internal resources to experience greater capacity, resilience and understand where your choices, preferences and desire lies.
To find out more about Tania your facilitator
www.integratedtraumatherapy.com.au
Workshop time: 2 hours
When: Saturday Mar 29th 2pm
Time: 2-4pm, 2 hours
Investment: $165 incl. GST
Where: The Creative Continuum, upstairs 2/2 Colin Ave, Warrandyte
www.creativec.com.au/worshops
Teas and coffee provided. All materials supplied. Please where comfortable clothing
Pandora’s Box
Free from the constraints of everyday life, this creative journey is all about you. The workshop focuses on tactile experiences and uses words, images, objects and fabrics to transform a 3D box that reflects your authentic self. During this creative process, we learn to slowly de-stress, trust our intuition and develop self-acceptance. We also gain hope, the final wonderful gift in Pandora’s Box.
Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us – S. Smiles
Workshop time: 4 hours
Investment: $220 +GST
When: 2025 dates TBC
Time: 10 -4pm
Where: The Creative Continuum, upstairs 2/2 Colin Ave, Warrandyte
www.creativec.com.au/worshops
Register by emailing info@creativec.com.au with Pandora’s Box in the subject heading
Teas and coffee provided. All materials supplied. Please where comfortable clothing.
Paint with Passion
This is an energetic guided workshop to inspire your creativity, have fun, and allow your heart to sing. The playful drawing and expressive painting exercises focus on stress and conflict reduction. The workshop assists in overcoming your self-critic by developing the experience of flow. We connect and work together by moving through blocks and finding openings that are available at every layer.
Workshop time: 5 hours