How can creative practice help us process experience, connect with others, and challenge structural inequalities? The Art Therapy Booklet, developed as part of the Take pART! project, offers a rich set of tools for doing just that—whether in a workshop setting, community group, or on your own.

This resource was created by facilitators working across Europe with women and youth from diverse backgrounds, including those facing systemic discrimination, displacement, or violence. It is available in seven languages—English, French, Spanish, Greek, Dutch, Italian, and Estonian—and provides exercises that combine self-expression with a gender-aware approach to emotional wellbeing and collective reflection.

Download the booklet here

What’s Inside the Booklet?

The booklet opens with a grounding framework for understanding art therapy through a feminist and intersectional lens. Key themes include:

  • Empowerment through creative expression

  • The impact of gender stereotypes and artistic restrictions

  • Empowerment and intersectionality in art therapy sessions

  • The role of safe and supportive environments

  • Considerations for gender diversity and disability inclusion

  • Ethical and safety considerations

It also introduces practical exercises using mediums such as drawing, movement, theatre, photography, puppetry, and collage, making it a flexible tool for facilitators, youth workers, educators, and community organisers seeking low-barrier, inclusive, and reflective creative practices.

Download the full toolkit here
Or explore all versions on the Take pART! site

Two Activities to Try

Here are two exercises from the booklet that can be easily adapted for various settings:

Documentary Photography Workshop: Safe and Unsafe Spaces

Page 19

This activity invites participants to explore their environment through the lens of safety and discomfort. Using photography, they document places that evoke feelings of comfort or anxiety, and reflect on the emotional responses these places trigger. The goal is to build self-awareness through visual storytelling.

Why it works: Photography allows participants to examine their surroundings in a personal and reflective way. By capturing places tied to strong emotions, they gain deeper insight into how space and safety interact in their daily lives.

How to do it:

  • Provide participants with cameras or smartphones

  • Ask them to photograph two types of places:
    — Ones where they feel safe, grounded, or at ease
    — Ones that trigger discomfort, unease, or anxiety

  • Encourage reflection with guiding questions:
    — What makes this place feel safe or unsafe?
    — What does discomfort or comfort look like in your daily routine?
    — What memories or emotions are attached to these places?

  • After the photo walk, participants write captions to accompany their images—explaining their choices and emotional reactions

  • Create a supportive space for sharing: participants can present their photos and discuss their thoughts and feelings

  • Facilitate a group dialogue on common patterns, contrasts, and what the images reveal about the environments they navigate

This method combines visual expression with emotional reflection and can be adapted to both group and individual settings. It’s especially powerful for exploring relationships to space, community, and self.

Collage

Page 35

This activity uses collage as a way to explore and express personal feelings, values, and experiences—without needing to rely on words. Participants create two collages: one representing what they like, and another showing what they don’t like. The act of selecting, cutting, arranging, and layering visual elements becomes a tool for self-reflection and emotional release.

Why it works: Collage is intuitive, flexible, and non-verbal. It allows participants to externalise complex thoughts and feelings using images that speak to their subconscious. It’s especially helpful in group settings with language or communication barriers.

How to do it:

  • Offer a variety of materials: magazines, newspapers, photos, fabrics, natural elements, stickers

  • Let participants choose their background (paper, cardboard, board—anything works!)

  • Begin with a sensory warm-up: blindfolded touch or smell of materials to engage non-visual senses

  • Ask participants to create a collage of “what I like”—encourage free expression without rules

  • Follow with a second collage of “what I don’t like”—on the reverse side or a new surface

  • Allow drawing, writing, or layering as part of the collage process

  • End with a voluntary group reflection, inviting participants to share their images and experiences in a safe, non-judgemental space

This is a simple yet powerful exercise for deepening emotional awareness, making inner experiences visible, and fostering group connection.

Want to Use the Booklet?

Whether you’re designing a workshop, supporting youth work, or simply exploring art as a means of expression, the Art Therapy Booklet is here to support you.

Reach out if you:

  • Want to use or print the booklet for your community
  • Are planning a workshop or community activity using these tools
  • Would like support bringing this work into your context

Let’s keep building spaces where creativity can lead to connection, reflection, and action.