Supporting Geelong mums through early-parenting with art therapy

30 Jul 2024

Becoming a new mum often brings a rollercoaster of emotions which can be difficult to manage. Being able to express your feelings and deal with the isolation that can sometimes come along with early parenting can be tough – that’s where art therapy can offer a creative outlet where unspoken emotions find expression.

Stepping into her role as Psychologist at St John of God Raphael Services in Geelong a year ago, Kirsty Bowness, has helped the service to make a significant impact in the local community by supporting new mums who may be experiencing postnatal depression, loneliness, overwhelm, anxiety and other struggles with mental health.

Sparked by a Post-Graduate Diploma in Art Therapy, Kirsty launched St John of God Raphael Services Geelong’s ‘The Art of Motherhood’ program in 2023 which focuses on early-parenting, specifically:

• managing difficult emotions using mindfulness
• the idea of ‘self-compassion’
• normalising feelings of overwhelm
• kindness and understanding for yourself.

“Art therapy uses art materials and processes to explore and express our emotions and our internal experience in a supportive group environment. It aims to foster self-awareness in an accepting and observing way. It doesn’t require any art skill from our mums. The value is in the process of art-making, not the aesthetic value of the final product”, says Kirsty.

The program, now in its second year, is supported by Belinda Schmidtke, a mental health social worker at St John of God Raphael Services who focuses on mindfulness activities, equipping mums with take-home tools to support their journey beyond each session.

Raphael Services in Geelong has four programs planned for 2024, run during school terms, with term three starting at the end of July. The six session program, held in a safe and supportive environment, runs with small group sizes of eight to ten mums. Kirsty says “Whatever the theme is for the week, the mums get an opportunity to represent this visually. Mums are invited to share their art, but there is no pressure”.

Research on art therapy groups highlights the significance of social connection, particularly for new mums who may feel isolated. To gauge the program's impact has been assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Self-Compassion Scale, both commonly used ‘self-reports’. The data paints a compelling picture – a visible dip in the EPDS scale signifying less anxiety and depression post program, along with an uptick in the self-compassion scale, reflecting an overall improvement in well-being for participating mums. “While this isn’t all mums, this is the overall trend we are seeing which is great”, Kirsty says.

‘The Art of Motherhood’ program along with other forms of creative initiatives currently happening at St John of God Health Care, demonstrate the value we place on holistic wellbeing initiatives.

For more information contact St John of God Raphael Services Geelong.