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Megan Walker: Hello and welcome to Healthcare Online. My name is Megan Walker and today our very special guest is Chris Petrie. Chris is a Creative Arts Therapist from UpBeatCat (Cat stands for Creative Arts Therapy). And Chris and I are going to be having a chat today about his journey, his background, what he's working on, and his vision for creative arts therapies in the online space.

So how are you, Chris?

Chris Petrie: I'm very well. Thanks Megan. 

Megan Walker: Kick us off. You've got a very fascinating work history. So share with our audience. Where did you start and where have you ended up?

Chris Petrie: So I've always had a love of art even as a child and went through art school and became an art teacher.

So I taught secondary, tertiary and adult classes. For over 10 years, all the while wanting to be a graphic designer. So I reduced my teaching to part-time and started a graphic design business which I suppose I could really say is still running. So that's been from over 35 years. And then whilst running that, that graphic design business, somebody mentioned art therapy to me.

And I'd never heard of it. So, you know, as you do, I Googled it and I thought, oh wow. That is a really interesting mix of my skills and my interest in art, I'm also a practicing artist. So there's that background and, and the teaching background. I thought that's a really good mix. I looked into it and found a master's degree course here in Melbourne and applied and did that for the next three years and have now had my own private practice for eight years as a creative arts therapist.

Megan Walker: Okay. Fantastic. And with your three year study, did that take you into some new environments that you hadn't worked in before? What did that involve with the practical side?

Chris Petrie: Yeah, absolutely. Particularly on the psychotherapy side of things. So it's basically a psychotherapy course, but with art as the main modality. And when I say art, it's art or creativity of any form. So it could be singing, dancing, musical instruments, using clay, using paint.

It all depends on what the client wants to use and where they want to go with it. So the beauty of art therapy is that it can be nonverbal and a lot of people find it very difficult to verbalise their issues or problems, particularly if they're triggering and they don't want to revisit. But through art they can do that in a much more relaxed way.

Megan Walker: And if you don't mind, a lot of people will be hearing this and learning it for the first time, can you tell us where other advantages of what a creative arts therapist could help someone with different to that of say traditional psychology?

What are some of the other benefits that they can get from CAT?

Chris Petrie: Well, with myself, it's mainly building trust with a client. On a personal level, I see all my clients one-on-one. Some of them I see online. Then it's a matter of working with them as to what modality they want to work with. And some of them actually contact me because they want to learn art.

And then it becomes more as art, as therapy rather than art therapy.

But the therapeutic side comes out in the relationship that you form with the individual and they're trusting you. And it could take, I found out some things about a client recently that I've been seeing you for over a year. So, you know, it's just that time nurturing the space, holding the space for them as they enter into the more psychotherapy realm of the artwork.

And yeah, really just being there for them. A lot of time you can spend just being silent and listening and observing. So, it's quite an interesting field.

Megan Walker: Yeah. It's fantastic. And do you also then inject like homework or strategies or have you tried working on this? How do you then put some of your coaching and suggestions style of therapy in or, or you don't, how does that fit work?

Chris Petrie: Well with some, yes. Again, it comes down to the individual.

 I've got a young fellow who's been seeing me for six years and he likes to get homework. Okay. And that's what he calls, it's his homework. Whereas others will continue on some work on their own.

I had a client this morning, I worked with her via Zoom, and she wants to learn how to paint.

But underlying all of that are certain issues that she faces in her life. Difficulties that also get discussed and worked through at the same time. Right. Thank you for explaining that to me. 

Megan Walker: Yeah. And so you just mentioned working with a lady over Zoom. You are doing more and more in the online space. What's led you to that? Exploring the digital world.

Chris Petrie: I've always been involved in the digital world. Having been a graphic designer, I had to get into computers pretty early.

 So, around about 1987, and it's an integral part of what I do as far as tools go.

And over the last few years I've developed a few side hustles doing apparel designs, t-shirts and the like. Cool. So I'm kind of ok with selling online. Not that I sell a great deal and I won't plug anything here. You but having got into this line of work, I just realised there is, there is a much bigger need for art therapy out there.

More than just with people within NDIS funding. It can be financially impossible for some people to afford to do the therapeutic work. And I thought there's got to be some way of reaching more people with products that I can infuse with the art therapy side of creativity.

Megan Walker: Fantastic. And so what are you working on building at the moment?

Chris Petrie: Well, there's many ideas in the pot, but I have been working recently on 20 different art modules that parents or carers can do with their child. So co-creating, so it involves an art therapy activity.

Discussion questions around that activity that the parents can have with the child. A guided meditation script, that's kind of a bonus that can be done prior to the activity. And then bonus activity sheets for coloring in or continuing with, with that particular module. So I've got a sample module at the moment that's called exploring Emotions through Art that the parent or carer can do alongside their child.

Megan Walker: Yeah. Oh, that's beautiful.

Chris Petrie: That may be done by anybody. It doesn't have to be people with disability. It can just be parents wanting to create a bit more resilience with their children. And topics can include things like anxiety, bullying, loss, and grief. There's a whole range of modules that can be built in.

Megan Walker: Yeah. That's so good. And it's a different activity than watching screens actually more engaging. Oh, and what's the vision for your business, Chris? Then where do you see yourself going over the next five years?

Chris Petrie: Well, as I'm entering that time of life that I really need to be considering retirement, although I don't see it ever happening. No, I love what I do too much. But this is why I want to look into the digital side of things.

 I would like to have some form of evergreen products out there that earning come in the background that allow me to reduce the amount of face-to-face time I have with clients. Yeah. And to pursue my own ycreative activities as well.

And as much as I love what I do, in order to give myself a creative break. But you know, to be able to have more of that. I've traveled a lot in the past and I'd love to be able to do that again, but to be able to just, you know, check the screen on the phone and go, oh, look at that while I was sleeping, somebody bought a product and it helps them and it's a benefit to them.

Megan Walker: Oh, that's fantastic. Where can people go to find out more about you and what you're doing?

Chris Petrie: So I have a website, which is upbeat cat.com.au. Oh. And that'll certainly tell people a little bit about myself and what I do with my art therapy. People can always message me through there.

Megan Walker: Okay. Wonderful. Thank you so much Chris, for sharing what you are working on. I love how you evolve where there's opportunities, but also where your creative passions take you, but also where the need is emerging as well. 

Chris Petrie: Okay, thanks Megan.

Megan Walker: Thanks Chris.

Chris Petrie: Bye. 

Links and further information

For more information, visit https://upbeatcat.com.au.