The idea for the Melbourne Art Therapy Studio began one March day in 2003 when Robyn deVries (right), Celia Adams (centre)and Effie Chaniotis (left)embarked on their Masters in Art Therapy together at La Trobe University. Their shared dream of opening a uniquely accessible art therapy studio emerged even before they were let loose in the Art Therapy room for the first time.

And so, the idea was born, germinated, grew, and was nurtured and re-visited with regular peer supervision throughout their training together. (The wonderful Denise Lynch deserves a special mention here. She was part of the core group, but embarked on her own special adventure with her brand new triplets). So just around the time the Abbotsford Convent opened its doors to tenants, a long time “friend of the Convent” Hilary Archer approached Celia to let her know about this fantastic opportunity.

The Melbourne Art Therapy Studio originated in a small studio on the first floor of the Convent, when there were only a handful of tenants. There was no Lentil as Anything, no Convent Bakery, and (hard to imagine) no Handsome Steve’s House of Refreshment. The place was mostly eerily deserted. Since then, it has grown exponentially to become a bustling, vibrant artist community and hub for people from all over Victoria.

The Melbourne Art Therapy has grown from strength to strength since 2005, with invaluable contributions from Celia, Effie and Robyn, each offering their own set of talents & skills to the venture. Their shared vision and goals for the studio have been achieved and even surpassed. They moved into a larger, brighter studio in 2008. They have created wonderful and rewarding relationships with services and clients over the past few years, and are very fortunate to have such a diverse array of experiences on offer to an equally diverse array of client groups.

Epilogue:

Effie moved on in 2008 to concentrate on her own art and exhibitions (see www.efrossini.com.au)

Celia left early in 2009 in order to commit more fully to her family, and works occasionally with the Melbourne Art Therapy Studio. See Celia's work here

Robyn is continuing the dream. She will be employing Art Therapists on a sessional basis and has a long term view to branching out to incorporate other modalities, such as dance, drama and music therapy into the Melbourne Art Therapy Studio. She completed an Advanced Diploma in Gestalt Therapy in 2008, and also runs Inspired Teams (see www.inspiredteams.com.au)