Elisabeth Eitelberger

Play & Art Therapist

Registered Arts Therapist AThR |  Interdisciplinary Artist |        MPhil | MCAT | GradDipCAT

I grew up in Austria and my first language is German. I have maintained a close relationship with my own culture over all these years that I have lived in Australia. It helped me to grow a strong sense of being in this world, because it can be hard at times to feel grounded and connected in a foreign place away from home. I wanted to work as an artist since I was a child. I studied Philosophy, Art History and Theatre in Vienna after finishing school. Then I worked as an interdisciplinary artist for most of my life. I ended up living in Perth, where I engaged in further studies. I have been working as Arts Therapist for the past few years, seeing clients of all ages.

Creative self-expression has been part of my life since I can remember. By now, I am confident that my therapy practices and tools are effective, as they have been my constant companions in personal explorations over the years too. However, having the research back up the action-based methods helps me today, as an Arts Psychotherapist, to demonstrate and defend the richness and powerful ways in which people can achieve change and growth by using their creativity and imagination. Arts Therapy is all about working with the senses. It helps refine feeling communication and our awareness of how we connect and interact with the world around us. And it fosters curiosity. Because it is a holistic and action-based approach, we can take so much from sessions into our everyday lives. When we use creative activities, words often flow more effortlessly. We learn to release tension and relax. This helps build the basis for emotion regulation and self-awareness and it’s truly rewarding to witness a client change, grow, and heal, the more they use their creativity. I engage with people in so many different and individual ways. People feel drawn to a variety of media, tools, and modalities. While some may prefer painting, others benefit from somatic exercises or drama techniques. I truly believe that artmaking can help the individual to open up and learn to strengthen their voice to heal.

My holistic approach of supporting my clients is informed by latest research in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and neuroscience as well as my extensive experience of working with the arts.