Beginner-Friendly Guide to Starting
Your First Art Therapy Session: What to Expect
Starting therapy can bring up quiet questions — especially when art is involved and you haven't picked up colours in years. Here is an honest, step-by-step look at how we begin, what you need on your desk, and how we keep the pace unhurried.
Zero art skills needed · Free 20-min discovery call available · Online (₹1,000 / US$20) & Mumbai Studio (₹1,500)
Clinically reviewed by Divya Batra Masiwal, MA Clinical Psychology · 11+ years experience
Two gentle ways to begin
In short: You can start with a free 20-minute introductory discovery call to ask questions and sense comfort, or book your first 60-minute 1:1 art therapy session directly. Neither locks you into a multi-session package.
Option 1 · Free · 20 Minutes
The Introductory Discovery Call
A relaxed phone or video conversation with Divya before making any commitment. Ideal if you have never tried therapy before, are comparing art therapy vs. talk therapy, or are a parent enquiring for a child or teen.
- • Share briefly what you are hoping for support with
- • Ask how sessions work for your specific concern
- • Check time-zone slots and format (online or Mumbai)
- • No art supplies or preparation required
Option 2 · Full Session · 60 Minutes
Your First 1:1 Art Therapy Session
Step straight into a confidential, 60-minute session combining clinical intake, gentle creative exploration, and grounded reflection paced around your nervous system.
- • Online across India: ₹1,000 per session
- • In-person studio (Goregaon East, Mumbai): ₹1,500
- • Outside India: US$20 equivalent in local currency via international booking
- • Book single sessions at your own rhythm
Inside the 60 Minutes
How your first session unfolds
Every client is different, so we never follow a rigid script — but most first sessions move gently through four phases.
Arriving, confidentiality & setting your pace
We begin with a warm, unhurried conversation. Divya explains confidentiality, checks how your week and body are feeling, and listens to what brought you here — without requiring you to recount your entire life story on day one.
Gentle, low-pressure creative check-in
Based on your comfort and energy, Divya invites a simple creative prompt — such as choosing two colours for what feels heavy and what feels steady, rhythmic mark-making, or working with clay while talking. There is no timer and no wrong result.
Curious reflection together
We look at what emerged on the page together: What felt easy or frustrating to make? Where did your hand hesitate? Insights arise naturally from your own associations rather than imposed labels.
Grounding close & deciding next steps
Every session closes gently so you feel regulated before returning to your day. Together we check whether weekly or fortnightly sessions feel helpful — with zero pressure or lock-in packages.
What supplies do you need?
You never need professional art materials to benefit from art psychotherapy. In fact, simple everyday stationery often lowers perfectionism so feelings move more honestly onto the page.
Joining Online from Home
For online sessions across India or abroad, set up in a private room with:
- ✓ 3–4 sheets of plain A4 paper or an unlined sketchbook
- ✓ A regular pen or pencil
- ✓ Any basic colours (crayons, colour pencils, sketch pens, or oil pastels)
- ✓ Headphones and a stable surface for your laptop or phone
Visiting Our Mumbai Studio
For in-person sessions in Goregaon East, Mumbai:
- ✓ Bring nothing — all art materials are stocked in the studio
- ✓ Oil & soft pastels, watercolours, air-dry clay, collage & heavy paper
- ✓ Arrive 5 minutes early to settle in with water or tea
- ✓ Private studio at Oberoi Commerz II, WeWork, Goregaon East
Honest reassurance
Six common first-session worries
If you are hesitating because of any of these questions, you are in very good company.
“I haven't drawn since school”
Most adult clients arrive saying they can barely draw a stick figure. That is completely welcome — simple lines, colours, shapes, or torn paper are all we use.
“Will my drawing be analysed?”
Never behind your back. Art therapy is not a personality test or fortune-telling trick. We explore what colours and marks feel like to you, together.
“What if I go blank or get emotional?”
Silence, tears, uncertainty, and not knowing where to start are all normal parts of a first session. You never have to force words or fill every minute.
“Do I point my camera at my paper?”
In online sessions, your camera stays comfortably on you while you create. You simply hold your page up when and if you want to reflect on it together.
“Who keeps the artwork afterward?”
Your artwork belongs entirely to you. In online sessions it stays in your notebook or folder at home; in our Mumbai studio you can take it home or store it confidentially.
“How does Session 1 work for a child?”
For children (ages 4–17), we start by understanding parent context, then give your child an unhurried, playful space to build safety with materials at their own pace.
Who Holds the Space
Divya Batra Masiwal
Art Psychotherapist, Counselor, Life Coach
MA Clinical Psychology · 11+ Years Experience · English & Hindi
Divya Batra Masiwal (MA Clinical Psychology, Bachelor's in Business Economics) has 11+ years of experience helping first-time and returning therapy clients feel grounded, unjudged, and genuinely heard. Rated 5.0★ on Google by clients across Mumbai, India, and abroad.
Frequently asked questions before your first session
Helpful next reads
- What is Art Therapy?The complete clinical guide to how creative psychotherapy works.
- Art Therapy vs. Talk TherapyWhen non-verbal creative reflection helps more than words alone.
- Art Therapy TechniquesExplore mandala drawing, clay grounding, collage, and body mapping.
- 1:1 Art Therapy for AdultsOngoing individual sessions for anxiety, burnout, trauma, and relationships.
- Art Therapy for Children (4–17)How parent consultations and child-led sessions work at Artfelt.
- Online Art Therapy Across IndiaHow live video sessions work across Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad & beyond.
Start gently, at your own pace
Book your first 60-minute session online or in Mumbai, or reach out for a free 20-minute discovery call first.