Art Therapy International Centre (ATIC) is a creative arts therapy centre dedicated to using creative art therapy approaches to help people. This includes arts therapies, play therapy and counselling. We integrate the creative arts with a neuroscience approach.

Our therapists are trained, licensed practitioners that are experienced with working with a wide variety of people from different cultural backgrounds. Our centre is licensed by the Community Development Agency. The Dubai Government Authority.

ATIC sees people with a wide variety of needs, children, adults, families, couples and older people. We also run a variety of group creative art expression programmes and workshops and training. Other specialised areas include addiction, eating disorders, learning difficulties and anxiety/stress management. ATIC’s space includes a private therapy rooms for adults, an art studio and a children’s play and art therapy room.

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art as its primary mode of communication and has been successfully applied to patients with physical, mental or emotional problems. Any type of visual art and art medium can be used to aid the healing process, including painting, drawing, sculpting and photography as well as other creative arts and play. The art therapist facilitates the persons exploration of the art materials and enables them to explore the artwork created during the session.

Art Therapy does not teach artistic skills but enables the person to use the creative process of art making to express feelings and emotions whilst enabling a therapeutic relationship to develop with the therapist via the artwork. This can lead to the client being able to communicate feelings and emotions that may be difficult to speak about. As the process of art making provides a more hands on and tangible way to explore emotions.

Art Therapists are able to provide insights into what particular images and marks could indicate. But they are more interested in helping a person find out what they mean to them as therapy is more powerful when a person can go on their own journey of self-discovery. Art Therapy is about expressing how you feel so it is not important to be skilled at art to be referred for art therapy.

In order to work as an art therapist , it is mandatory to possess the post-graduate qualification or masters in Art Therapy or Art Psychotherapy. Art therapists are trained in the psychology of mark making and symbolism, in non-verbal communication, psychotherapeutic understanding of child development and family dynamics, and the importance of boundaries, Art therapists should have a licensed title (AthR) which stands for art therapist registered.