Shellharbour artist Deborah Devaal turns to art therapy

After seeing the impact the creative process had on her art students’ mental health, Shellharbour artist and designer Deborah Devaal decided use her skills to become an art therapist and wellbeing coach.

Best known for her work as a textile designer featuring the Australian landscape on sustainable fabrics, Deborah had a very successful business crafting hand-printed linens that were extremely popular and even featured in Home Beautiful magazine.

Her move into art therapy came about because she could see the demand was there.

“Working with people struggling with mental health challenges, art becomes a medium to help them understand their emotions, once there, we work on ways to manage their emotions and stress, which can help when dealing with trauma,” Deborah said.

The need for tools to help clients cope with mental health issues has inspired Deborah to start writing a book designed to empower both her clients and others, and also provide guidance for those trying to assist friends and family of people with mental health challenges.

The power that art has in the therapeutic recovery process became clear when Deborah joined forces with Fresh TRACS, a Therapy Recreation Activities Community Support Group on the north coast, to provide art therapy to their clients.

After seeing their clients' amazing artwork, Deborah and Fresh TRACS collaborated to curate an exhibition showcasing their art and bring the clients – some of whom were isolated from the community – together. Forster Art Gallery became host to Lived Experience - Expressed through Art in July/August.

In the lead-up to the exhibition, Deborah noticed a shift in the way her clients were viewing their world. Instead of fixating on the past, they focused on the future where they were sharing their work. By involving the clients in the curation of the exhibition – they helped hang the works and write the descriptions, explaining what the works represented – they were taken out of their comfort zones. They were needed and felt needed.

This led to clients interacting with each other and building connections – a milestone for some who hadn’t been able to leave the comfort of their homes for a long time. By viewing each other’s works, they felt inspired to keep working and reaping the benefits the creative process brought them.

Deborah said: “What makes these artworks so special is the raw emotions that have been put into them. The clients have expressed themselves without any ego involved as they weren’t thinking about the work as an exhibition piece, just something they created to help get their emotions out.”

Deborah is now hoping to bring the exhibition to the Illawarra.

For more information, visit Deborah's website or Instagram @deborahdevaal