Art Therapy in Schools CoP

Welcome to the Art Therapy in Schools Community of Practice (CoP)!

Strategic Objective

To foster a supportive and collaborative space for school-based art therapists to come together and share their learnings, reflections, and resources in order to better support children’s wellbeing within a school context.

What is a Community of Practice?

According to Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2015), “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly”. CoPs comprise the following three features:
1. Discipline – an area of interest;
2. Community – a group of people with a shared interest or passion; and
3. Practice – an intent to exchange, refine and improve practical resources.

Context

School-based art therapy can help with supporting children’s wellbeing, social, and emotional needs (BAAT, 2025). Art therapy at schools offers students the opportunity to receive therapeutic service that may otherwise be unaffordable or difficult to access. In Australia, while the Victorian Government has introduced the school mental health menu (which includes art therapy), and some schools employ art therapists in various capacities, there is an opportunity for Australian school-based art therapy practices to further expand and mature.

School, an education setting, presents a unique context for students to receive art therapy support compared with other therapeutic settings. Art therapists have to navigate within the established educational systems and frameworks, as well as implementing new and creative processes that will best support the needs of the students, while balancing competing demands and ethical considerations.

This CoP is established to connect art therapists working within school settings and facilitate the sharing of ideas, resources, learnings and reflections. Ultimately, the underlying goals are to improve the quality of therapeutic support provided to students, and to advocate for the art therapy profession within the school context.

Cost to Participate

Free

Who is it for?

Australian art therapists working at schools, as well as student art therapists undertaking their clinical placements at schools.

What does it Entail?

Reflective Practice: Periodic reflective and knowledge sharing groups (in person and online) for art therapists to hold the space for each other, check-in, reflect, share and discuss in a supportive and non-judgemental manner. And of course, there will be art making.

Resource Centre [Coming soon]: A repository to access resources, references to relevant literature, knowledge and ideas.

Discussion Forum [Coming soon]: A moderated discussion forum for art therapists to come together and exchange their ideas, challenges and insights.

How to Get Involved?

Whether you found what you were looking for from the resource centre or discussion forum; or want to get involved on an ongoing basis, you are absolutely welcome to partake in the community in a way that works for you. If you wish to join our upcoming reflective practice meeting, please send us a message via the “Contact Form“.

What is Cerulean Space’s role?

The Founder of Cerulean Space, who also works at a school as an art therapist on a part-time basis, is passionate about sharing resources and knowledge, and connecting like-minded art therapists. We understand that everyone is extremely busy. In addition to initiating and driving the CoP, Cerulean Space will play the role of a facilitator and coordinator, as well as hosting relevant resources and moderating forum discussions. All contributions by members of the community and external sources will be acknowledged and referenced. Cerulean Space does not hold any financial interest in facilitating this CoP; and there is no potential conflict of interest reported.

Reference

The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). (2025). Art therapy with children in primary schools. https://baat.org/art-therapy/evidence/art-therapy-for-supporting-children-in-primary-school/

Wenger-Trayner, E. and Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). An introduction to communities of practice: a brief overview of the concept and its uses. https://www.wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice