Child & Adolescent Art Psychotherapy

You've noticed something
in your child. Trust that.

Sometimes children can't tell us how they're feeling. Art psychotherapy gives them a different way in, through drawing, painting, and making, in a space where they feel safe, seen, and accepted.

Ellen Herbert

MSc Child Art Psychotherapy

North Dublin

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About Ellen

A safe, creative space for children to be heard

I'm Ellen, a child and adolescent art psychotherapist based in North Dublin. I work with children and young people aged 6 to 18, using art as a way to help them express what they might not yet have words for.

I've worked with children in some of Ireland's most demanding clinical settings, including the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Tusla. That experience taught me that every child, no matter what they're going through, has the capacity for growth and healing when they're given the right support.

Read more about Ellen

Ellen Herbert, child and adolescent art psychotherapist based in North Dublin

"I believe that children and adolescents need to be seen and heard, and that healing starts when they have an experience of this, and when they are accepted in their vulnerability."

Ellen Herbert

Understanding Art Psychotherapy

What is child art psychotherapy?

Art psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses creative expression to help children communicate and process their feelings. It is grounded in psychological principles and practiced by specially trained therapists. For children and young people, art often reaches places that words cannot.

Your child does not need to be "good at art"

This is one of the most common questions parents ask. Art psychotherapy is not an art class. The focus is on the process of creating, and what that process reveals about how the child is feeling. Some children draw detailed pictures. Others tear paper or smear paint. Both are equally valid.

How a session works

Your child has access to a variety of art materials in a calm, private space. I am there with them, not directing what they create, but observing how they engage and what it might reveal. Over time, patterns and themes emerge that help us both understand what your child is working through.

How it can help

Children come to art psychotherapy for many reasons

Sometimes parents know exactly what's troubling their child. Other times, they just sense that something isn't right and aren't sure where to start. That instinct is important, and it's worth trusting.

Anxiety and Worry

Stomach aches, school avoidance, clinginess, difficulty sleeping. Anxiety in children often looks different than in adults.

Family Changes

Separation, bereavement, a new sibling, moving house. Children feel these changes deeply, even when they don't show it.

Behavioural Changes

When children act out or withdraw, it usually reflects something happening beneath the surface that they can't express.

ADHD and Neurodiversity

Supporting children in managing the emotional challenges that come with a diagnosis, from frustration to feeling different.

School Avoidance

When school feels overwhelming or impossible. Art psychotherapy can help children work through what's behind it.

Difficult Experiences

A gentle, non-intrusive way to begin working through trauma, at the child's own pace, without pressure.

Learn more about what it helps with

Education

MSc Child Art Psychotherapy, UCD & Mater Hospital

Advanced Training

St Vincent's Hospital

Clinical Experience

CAMHS & Tusla

Registered With

ACAP · PSI · BACP

Taking the first step

If you're wondering whether art psychotherapy might help your child, a brief initial phone call can help us explore the best next step together. There is no obligation and no cost for that first conversation.

Get in Touch