Art therapy
Sometimes it’s easier to draw, paint or shape what you’re feeling than to explain it. In our art therapy sessions, you’ll have a safe space for creative expression, helping you explore emotions in ways that can bring comfort and meaning.
Experience the emotional benefits of art therapy at St Luke’s
Art therapy can provide therapeutic emotional support for people living with terminal illness, adjusting to treatment, or coping with loss, trauma or mental health difficulties. Using a range of creative materials and methods, patients and their loved ones can express thoughts and feelings that may be hard to put into words.
Everyone is welcome to try art therapy, regardless of previous experience or artistic skill. The emotional benefits of art therapy come from the process, not the finished piece. It’s about communicating through visual form, exploring colour, shape and symbolism to enable creative self-discovery and emotional healing.
How it works
Get referred for art therapy
Access our art therapy services through self-referral or referral by any member of the St Luke’s team. Sessions are available for patients receiving care at our Hospice or at home, as well as their families and carers.
Talk to our art therapist
After your referral, you’ll be invited to a friendly initial chat with one of our qualified art therapists. Together, you’ll decide whether art therapy feels right for you and agree on what you’d like your sessions to focus on.
Join an art therapy session
Sessions are run by our specialist art therapists, who are trained and regulated by the HCPC. You can attend one-to-one or join a small group, which will take place at our In Patient Centre or Social Prescribing site.
Access our art therapy
St Luke’s is here for people when a terminal diagnosis has turned life upside down. We can’t change that diagnosis, but we can do everything possible to support your journey.
If you’d like to access art therapy services at St Luke’s, you’ll first need to be referred. For more guidance, please contact our team on 0114 235 7650.
Art therapy for children AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Children can access art therapy as they navigate their loved one’s illness or through our new children’s bereavement service. We offer a safe, supportive space for those affected by a loved one’s diagnosis or their death, so they can express their feelings through this difficult time and begin to move forward.
“Sometimes, some things are too painful to find the words for or to express. Art therapy provides a safe and non-judgemental space for patients and families to reflect on their feelings around illness, death and dying. It also provides a space to celebrate life, reconnect with yourself, and find new ways of coping and building resilience in the face of adversity.”
Abbie Parry, Art Therapist
St Luke’s – Sheffield’s Hospice
Wellbeing activities for patients and loved ones
If you’re living with a palliative condition or you care for someone who is, our social prescribing service is here for you. Explore a mix of non-clinical activities to help you stay connected, supported and engaged during this time of change and uncertainty.
Other ways St Luke’s is here for you
FAQs about art therapy
Art therapy is available to St Luke’s patients, as well as their relatives and carers. You can be referred by any member of our team, or you can self-refer using our online form. Healthcare professionals supporting you can also make a referral on your behalf.
Our art therapy services are guided by our specialist art therapists, who are trained and regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). They have experience supporting people living with advanced and often complex illness, as well as their families and carers.
St Luke’s art therapy services are available to patients receiving care at our Hospice or at home, as well as their relatives and carers.
Sessions take place at our Hospice (Little Common Lane, Sheffield, S11 9NE) and our Social Prescribing site (Ecclesall Road South, Sheffield, S11 9PX).
If you’d like to find out more or arrange a referral, please contact our team on 0114 235 7650.
Instead of relying only on words, art therapy helps people communicate through visual expression. Using a range of creative materials in sessions guided by our specialist art therapists, patients and their loved ones can explore and express their thoughts and feelings, encouraging self-discovery and emotional healing.
The emotional benefits of art therapy vary from person to person. It aims to offer a healthy outlet for difficult emotions and provide therapeutic emotional support. For many people, this helps them process the impact of serious illness, grief, trauma or other mental health difficulties.
Patient and Family Support Service Self Referral form for Patients
Please be aware we may need to liaise with your GP for further information
When you submit this form, it will not automatically collect your details like name and email address unless you provide it yourself.