If you like working with images and feel more comfortable with the medium of photography over other forms of art, working with photographs may speak to you. And if you’d like, the photographs can also be combined with other forms of art.

Similar to Art Therapy, Photo Art Therapy can be beneficial when you feel you need some support with challenges in your life. It can be a specific current issue or something you’ve been struggling with for a longer time. It is a safe space for processing present and past experiences.

Working with photographs in the supportive therapeutic space can be helpful if you are dealing with depression, anxiety, social or relationship challenges, loneliness, lack of fulfillment, chronic illnesses, grief, or any other mental, emotional or physical challenge or illness.

Photo Art Therapy is especially useful if you are dealing with topics relating to identity, self-esteem, self-confidence, empowerment, self-image, authenticity, me and others / the world outside me.

Photographs can evoke feelings that are deeper beneath the surface than words alone can reach. They speak to us directly.

When you take a picture, the choice of motif, of the moment, and of the specific framing all reflect your feelings and thoughts in that situation. The photograph continues to carry these personal meanings and their transformations also later on.

When you view a photograph that is meaningful to you, the experience is direct and at the same time you can relate to your inner world with a comfortable distance and from another perspective. It is easier then to separate between yourself and any strong emotions, bothersome thoughts or undesired behaviors, in order to process and deal with them.

Your choice of a photograph and the way you perceive and respond to it contribute to understanding both conscious and unconscious feelings, thoughts, behaviors and needs. We naturally project our personal, relational and cultural filters on to it. And so, photographs can serve as a mirror to yourself and to your life, enabling you to gain insight into aspects that you appreciate and into those you would like to change.

With any photograph, and especially if you choose to work with photographs of yourself, you can deeply explore and express different feelings and parts within yourself, which you can come to accept and integrate through the therapy.

The act of photographing itself also holds therapeutic value in that it lets you be mindfully very much in the moment. By choosing what to photograph and how, you can gain a sense of control and empowerment, leading to more self-confidence.

The photographs we work with can be pictures that you took yourself, that another person took, or photographs that have meaning to you from other sources, like magazines or the internet.

The structure of our individual and two-person sessions will depend both on your individual preferences and needs and on the topics we are dealing with. In most sessions we will observe and explore photographs, guided by my questions. Sometimes we may choose to take photos during the session. And other times you may want to combine other art forms with the photographs during the session.

In group sessions we will have short initial and closing check-in rounds. In the main part of the sessions, each person will be able to share their photos for supportive reflection in the group. In some sessions we may decide together to take photos or to work on the photographs in combination with other materials.

In all session formats, photographs that you take outside of our sessions are always welcome and can be an integral part of the therapy. We may also agree together on photographic explorations that you can do in between sessions.