Parkinson’s disease is a disorder that affects the midbrain's reward system, the production of dopamine (the feel-good chemical) that influences mood, motivation and movement.
This professional development workshop is open to ANZACATA members who are interested in increasing their understanding of Parkinson’s and the important role art therapy can play in supporting patients.
“Parked in” will serve as an invitation to witness a personal sample of working closely with Parkinson’s clients, navigating both client and practitioner limitations. There will be real examples of how a person-centred approach to working with clients with Parkinson’s – meeting them where they are at – can be beneficial both to client and practitioner.
The workshop provides an opportunity to understand how art therapy can help with neuroplasticity, loss of visuospatial function and emotional distresses in addressing Parkinson’s challenges.
There will also be an emphasis on the importance of good supervision to help practitioners with self-care, especially at the beginning and end of engagement, with a focus on providing a holding space for the support needed to work with such clients.
The audience will be invited to engage in an experiential component during the workshop. Please bring different sized papers (A5 and A3) and coloured markers to work with. The session will finish with a reflective Q&A discussion.
Note that this presentation will include references to a 10-minute TED Talk (“Embrace The Shake” by Phil Hansen). Attendees are strongly encouraged to watch this talk before attending the workshop.
Learning Objectives
- To have a better understanding of what Parkinson's is, rather than what it is not
- To create a safe space for art therapy to help boost confidence in making a mark when "parked in"
- To understand the importance of good supervision to help with self-care, especially when dealing with the end of the journey.
Presenter Details
Anna Barten MA (ATh), AThR, MACA (Level 2), BEd Clinical Art Therapist was awarded her MArtTher from Western Sydney University. Registered with ANZACATA, the peak professional association for Creative Arts Therapies in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, Anna also holds a degree in Visual Arts Education from the UNSW and is registered with the Australian Counselling Association. Anna has been passionate about working within a partnership with a diverse audience, discovering the best solution for managing difficulty when words alone are not enough to help identify, understand and manage emotional upset. Her humanistic approach has created a safe environment to build trust to discover the power of art making in promoting general mental health wellness. When Anna is not helping clients find their joy, she finds hers in spending quality time with family and friends, often travelling to visit with them. Anna also enjoys practising her own art, photography, cooking, and spending time in nature, engaging in long walks, swimming and kayaking.
When: Friday 25 July 2025
Time: 12:00–1:00 pm AEST
2:00–3:00 pm NZST
10:00–11:00 am AWST/SGT/HKT
Duration/CPD: 1 hr
Where: Zoom
Cost: $12 (+ GST for Australian members)
Open to: All ANZACATA Members (except subscription only)
Max: 50 participants
Recorded session: No (Privacy Reasons)
Cancellation Policy
When you register and pay to attend one of our events, you are holding a space on our calendar that is no longer available to other members. In order to be respectful of your fellow members and the presenter, please email Michelle as soon as you know you will not be able to attend the event. We keep our events as affordable as possible and need to pay presenters the fee they request. While we understand sometimes urgent matters come up, if registrants cancel at the last minute, we struggle to pay presenters. A full refund will be given if the cancellation occurs more than 24 hours before the event. If the cancellation occurs less than 24 hours before the event, 50% of your registration fee will be refunded only to defray our costs.
