A Guide for After an Art Therapy Session:
- Chloe
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Gentle Ways to Ground, Reflect & Look After Yourself
Art Therapy Manchester — Hey From Within
There’s a moment after an art therapy session, especially online, where everything goes quiet. The artwork is still in front of you, your materials haven’t moved or your thoughts linger back to what you made. Something inside you has… shifted.
Clients often tell me this is the part they didn’t expect: the way the session stays with them afterwards.
Art therapy (whether you join me online or at the art therapy studio in Manchester) tends to linger. The body continues processing. The artwork still feels “alive” somehow. Thoughts and feelings keep unfolding.
So instead of rushing back into emails, parenting, work, or the rest of your day, I often invite clients to create a gentle landing ritual. A soft return. A moment to help your nervous system catch up with the emotional work you’ve just done.
Below are grounding practices, reflections, and journaling prompts woven into a narrative, not a checklist, so you can use them in whatever way feels right for you.
Tending to Your Artwork
(especially after online art therapy)
When a session ends, the room often feels different. Your materials hold the faint echo of what you explored the pressure of a line, the colour you didn’t expect to pick, the unfinished shapes that still feel charged.
Rather than tidying immediately, you might take a moment just to look.
Not to analyse. Not to judge. Just… notice.
And when you are ready to move, the small acts of rinsing a brush, stacking your pencils, or placing your artwork somewhere safe can act like a quiet ritual:
We’re slowing down now. You’re safe. You’re returning to your day.
This simple pause supports grounding something especially helpful in online art therapy, where the transition from deep emotional work to everyday life can feel abrupt.
Returning to Your Breath
Sometimes, after a session, breath becomes shallow without us noticing. A gentle inhale… and a longer exhale… can help your body settle.
There’s nothing to fix here. No perfect breathing technique needed.
Just an invitation to arrive back into your body, noticing the rise and fall of your chest or belly a small signal to your nervous system that you’re safe.
Orienting to Your Space
Whether you’re still sitting at your desk or stretching on the sofa, slowly taking in your surroundings can help ease the transition.
Look around the room and let your senses meet what’s here. The colours. Textures. Sounds.
This isn’t grounding as a task it’s grounding as a gentle return to the present moment.
Checking In With Yourself
Therapy doesn’t switch off when the session ends; it continues quietly.
You might ask yourself:
What am I feeling right now? What do I need next?
Sometimes the answer is simple a glass of water, a stretch, a moment of quiet.
Sometimes it’s rest.
Sometimes it’s moving your body after sitting with something difficult.
All of these responses are valid.
Stepping Back Into Your Environment
Noticing the space around you and your place in it, can help emotions settle in the body.
Some people find it helpful to:
• step outside for fresh air
• feel their feet firmly on the floor
• stretch their arms
• gently shake out their hands
Small physical movements can support integration after art therapy, especially when the session has involved big feelings.
If you're curious about how different emotions show up creatively, including anger, you may enjoy my blog:👉 “How Anger Shows Up in Art Psychotherapy”
Letting the Day Be Gentle
It’s completely normal for something from the session to linger, a feeling, a memory, a piece of artwork that still feels “alive.”
This isn’t a sign that something is wrong. It’s often a sign that something important is unfolding.
I always tell clients: You don’t have to wrestle with it. You can simply note it down, tuck it into your journal or phone notes, and bring it with you next time.
After-Session Journaling Prompts
gentle suggestions if reflection feels helpful via my post therapy session journal pack
If You Need Support Between Sessions
I can’t offer emergency support outside session times, so if something feels overwhelming or unsafe, please contact your local crisis services or urgent care options.
It’s absolutely okay to reach out for additional support.
If you’re curious about working with with me, creatively and at your pace, you can read more here:
Resources I Use in Practice (https://www.heyfromwithin.co.uk/resources)
Or visit my About and Contact pages at www.heyfromwithin.co.uk.
I offer Art Therapy in Manchester, Art Psychotherapy in Manchester for adults and children, and online therapy for adults across the UK.
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