Women’s Art Therapy Group

Mondays from 6:00pm-7:45pm

OR

Wednesdays from 6:00pm-7:45pm

Asheville, NC

What if the path to mental health didn’t have to be so lonely?

Practice self-care and relieve stress through creative self-expression in a supportive group setting.

The path to mental health can be lonely, especially when we are stuck in the hustle and bustle of daily life, leaving us feeling exhausted, burnt-out, and uninspired.

Having a sense of belonging and community to share our challenges and celebrate our accomplishments with can help us develop acceptance and growth within ourselves.

Allow me to show you how to tap into your creative wisdom and release emotional tension through creative self-expression.

Sessions focus on mindfulness-based creative approaches – including drawing, painting, sculpting, and writing combined with mindful meditations, authentic movement, and breathing exercises to help you move through daily stressors with more ease, while being in a supportive community.

Group members report feeling more self-aware, patient, vulnerable and accepting of themselves and the world around them.

Together, through deep self-exploration, creativity, movement, and play, we can find an artful path to a more meaningful life.

In this group, you will…

  • Stress Reduction: Women's art therapy groups have been shown to significantly reduce stress levels, with studies demonstrating a decrease in cortisol levels—the stress hormone—after engaging in creative activities.

  • Improved Mood: Art therapy has been linked to enhanced mood and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety among women, as it promotes the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and mood regulation.

  • Enhanced Self-Esteem: Research indicates that participating in art therapy can boost self-esteem and self-confidence, fostering a more positive self-image in women.

  • Emotional Expression: Art therapy provides a safe outlet for emotional expression, allowing women to process and communicate complex emotions more effectively, which can lead to improved emotional well-being.

  • Sense of Community: Engaging in a women's art therapy group fosters a sense of community and social support, reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness, as well as promoting a sense of belonging and empowerment.

Required Materials & Skill

Participating in this art therapy group requires no previous art skills or training. It is designed to be simple and accessible. All materials are provided.

FAQ

Where do sessions take place?

Riverview Station

191 Lyman St. Studio #231 

When do sessions take place?

Mondays or Wednesdays from 6:00pm-7:45pm - You must commit to at least 3 months of sessions upon signing up.

What is the cost?

Each art therapy group session is $55 per person, all participants must commit to at least 4 sessions upon signing up, for a total payment of $220. All materials are included in this fee. 

How many participants are in the group?

This is an intimate group setting. There are only 8 spots available.

How do I sign up?

  1. Schedule a 15 minute introductory phone call to meet & determine if this group is right for you.

  2. Fill out consent forms sent to you after intro call.

  3. Make your payment. Payment options will be emailed to you.

Testimonials

 

Banksy says: Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. Ella embodies this quote. She guided me through my discomfort with compassion, non judgement and curiosity. As a therapist I know the greatest learning happens at the edge of discomfort but when it comes to creating art my inner critic is loud and judgy. With Ella's gentle and direct facilitation and encouraging the group to support each other, that voice dimmed and she gave us permission to play and experiment with ease.

-Inez

Ella’s group was a restorative space for me every week. I got to slow down and open up with others as well as open up with myself. I loved the meditations before starting our art and I enjoyed all of the art that was created each session! We all need time to check in with ourselves, relax and let our creativity flow and that is the space Ella is providing!

— Candis

Meet Your Facilitator

Ella Raphëlle Dufrene is a French-Haitian-American visual artist and art therapist. Ella believes that art is our most primitive style of communication and expression, dating back to our earliest forms of art making in prehistoric cave paintings. Driven by the instinctual knowledge of the innate and powerful healing powers of art, Ella received her Masters in Art Therapy & Creativity Development from the Pratt Institute in 2015.

Deeply connected to the restorative flow and wisdom fostered by Mother Earth, Ella began exploring eco-art therapy techniques, and moving toward an ecological artistic context that emphasizes ritual, ceremony and connection to our Mother Earth. This led her to facilitate her first Eco-Art Therapy Retreat in 2016 in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.

Currently, Ella is based out of Asheville, NC where she works as an art therapist in private practice. She has experience working with people on the autism spectrum, at risk youth, children and adults with special needs and developmental delays, drug/alcohol addiction, psychiatric rehabilitation, eating disorders, as well as adults and children in both individual and group settings. She is a former mentor at Guitars Over Guns and continues to volunteer on her spare time. Ella emphasizes a holistic approach to wellness and utilizes a playful ‘person first’ approach to therapy.

Ella has worked with people who felt disconnected from their happiness and uninspired by the pressures of life. Through the magic and science of art therapy, she’s seen them transform into happier, more curious, more satisfied versions of themselves.  

All of those that know and work with Ella can feel her passion for the healing properties of nature, art, travel and movement. She approaches her day to day and work-life with a zest for life, a youthful spirit and a contagiously open mind.

Ella has been featured in exhibitions in Miami’s Wynwood Art District during Art Basel and in galleries including Jakmel Art Gallery, Performing Art Exchange (PAX), GAB Studios, Art Miami, and Arteamericas. Her art is currently featured at Sculpted Studios in Miami, Fl.