What is creative arts therapy — and what isn’t it? An online conversation on dramatherapy, dance movement psychotherapy, and the space where therapy meets performance.
What you’ll gain
· A clearer understanding of what creative arts therapy is, and how it works in practice
· Insight into dramatherapy and dance movement psychotherapy from registered practitioners
· Clarity around common misconceptions: “Is it just playing?”, “Do I need artistic talent?”, “Is it the same as counselling?”
· A thoughtful look at how therapeutic approaches can intersect with theatre, dance, and performance-making
· Guidance on professional registration, resources, and where to learn more
In this online SHOW TALK session, we invite two London-based creative arts therapists to explore what creative arts therapy actually means in practice. Together, they will discuss how dramatherapy and dance movement psychotherapy support individuals through storytelling, imagery, movement, body awareness, and creative expression.
The conversation will address some of the most common misunderstandings around arts therapies: whether they are “real” therapy, whether participants need artistic training, how they differ from counselling or talk therapy, and who they may be suitable for. Moving beyond definitions, the session will also open up a wider discussion on the relationship between therapeutic practice and performance-making — asking where the boundaries lie, and how creative methods can shape both care and artistic creation.
Guest Speakers
Yuhe Tian
Yuhe Tian is a London-based HCPC-registered Dramatherapist, playwright, and independent theatre-maker. She uses storytelling, imagery, and body movement to support individuals in exploring their experiences, and has extensive clinical experience across the NHS, schools, and charities in the UK.
Her clinical work includes supporting children with autism and learning disabilities, young people and adults experiencing trauma, anxiety, depression, emotional or behavioural difficulties, as well as older adults living with dementia.
Alongside her therapeutic practice, Yuhe integrates dramatherapy approaches into theatre-making, using movement, imagery, and symbolic storytelling to explore emotion, trauma, memory, and identity. Her works have been presented at the British Association of Dramatherapists Annual Conference, Hangzhou International Theatre Festival Youth Programme, Youzhong Theatre Festival, Macau BOK Theatre Festival, Camden Fringe, and Wandsworth Fringe.
Yumeng Hu
Yumeng Hu is a London-based Dance Movement Psychotherapist, ADMP UK registered, and dancer. Her practice focuses on body awareness, embodied expression, and the integration of mind and body.
Yumeng has worked across schools, community settings, and local wellbeing services in the UK, supporting individuals and groups through movement, sensory exploration, and creative expression. Her work includes supporting children, young people, and adults experiencing autism, learning difficulties, ADHD, emotional dysregulation, and anxiety.
Alongside her therapeutic practice, Yumeng has a strong background in dance performance. She represented her team at the 2017 World of Dance World Finals in the United States, where they received the Best Theme Award, and has won multiple national-level dance competition awards.
Who is this session for?
This session is for artists, performers, theatre-makers, dancers, therapists, students, mental health practitioners, educators, and anyone interested in the relationship between creativity, wellbeing, body, movement, and performance.
It may also be valuable for audiences who are curious about creative arts therapy but are unsure what it involves, who it is for, or how to find a registered practitioner.
