Module 1week 1 of 8

Safety First

Build your calm before anything else

Created by Dr John Forbes, Clinical Psychologist, and Hannah Nyx, registered arts therapist (AThR)

Start this week Check in for a new sitting
or download the workbook as a PDF

Welcomefrom John and Hannah

Welcome to Draw It Out

We're glad you're here. Draw It Out is an art-based course in eight modules, created by a clinical psychologist and a registered arts therapist. It uses simple art-making to help you understand the different sides of you.

Over the coming weeks, you'll meet them one at a time. There's the young part of you that feels things deeply, and the critical inner voice that can be so hard on you. There are the protective habits that step in when life feels like too much. And there's the kind, steady adult in you, who can take the lead.

You don't need any art skill. Stick figures, scribbles, colour and collage all count. The aim is never to make a good picture. It's to see something about yourself more clearly.

How every module works

  1. Check in30 seconds
  2. Learn8 to 10 minutes
  3. Seeabout 5 minutes
  4. Make20 to 40 minutes
  5. Reflect10 to 15 minutes
  6. Settle3 to 5 minutes

Every module follows the same steps, in the same order, so you always know what's coming. Most people spread a module over two or three sittings in a week, and check in at the start of each one. Please go through the modules in order. This one teaches the safety skills you'll use in all the others.

Three ways to do every exercise

The full version

All the steps, with paper and colours.

A low-energy version

About 10 minutes, for days when you're tired, unwell or short on time.

A no-materials version

Your imagination, a few words or an everyday object.

All three are good choices. Pick the one that suits you on the day. And your art is yours. Nobody needs to see your images or your workbook unless you choose to show them.

John and Hannah

Module 1week 1 of 8

This week: Safety First

Before you look at any of the different sides of you, you'll build a few things that keep you steady. There's no work with modes this week. That starts in Module 2.

Time

About 45 to 75 minutes in total. Most people spread it over two or three sittings.

You'll need

Two sheets of paper, or the pages in your workbook, a pencil, and coloured pencils or crayons. You can also make both images on screen.

Art skill

None needed. Simple shapes, scribbles and blobs of colour all count.

Your workbook

This week's pages as a PDF, with your calm place page, your container page and a tracker for your numbers. Print the pages you'd like to use, or write on them in a PDF app.

You're welcome to print it for your own personal use.

What you'll build this week

  • A way to check in, with a number from 0 to 10 and your own words for it
  • Pause rules, so you know when to stop and settle
  • A calm place image, to look at whenever you need it
  • A container, for anything that needs to wait

Nothing you type, draw or choose on these pages is saved or sent anywhere. It all clears when you leave or refresh the page, so keep anything you'd like in your workbook or journal. Everything is optional. Skip anything that doesn't suit you, and stop whenever you need to.

Before you begin

Is this right for you right now?

This course asks you to slow down and get to know some tender sides of yourself. For most people that feels interesting and manageable. For some people, at some times, it can stir up more than is helpful. Please read this before you start.

Please wait, or use this course only alongside a therapist, if any of these are true for you right now

  • You're in crisis, or you're having thoughts of suicide.
  • You're currently harming yourself.
  • You often lose track of time, or feel unreal or outside your own body.
  • You're having flashbacks, where a painful memory feels as if it's happening again.
  • You're experiencing psychosis (for example, hearing or seeing things other people don't) or mania (for example, very high energy, racing thoughts and little need for sleep).
  • You're living with an eating disorder that is active at the moment.
  • Something traumatic happened to you recently, in the last few months.
  • You're in a relationship or a living situation where you don't feel safe.

Draw It Out is designed for adults aged 18 and over.

If any of these apply to you, it doesn't mean the ideas here aren't for you. It means the timing or the setting needs care. You could wait until things feel more settled. You could work through the course alongside a psychologist, counsellor or arts therapist. Or you could talk to your GP about what kind of support might suit you now.

If you're thinking about suicide, or you're not safe, please contact someone now. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time, 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 if you're affected by domestic, family or sexual violence, or 000 if anyone is in danger. There are more options on the Support page.

If you're already seeing a therapist, you're welcome to use Draw It Out alongside your sessions. It's a good idea to let them know, and you can bring your images along if you'd like to talk about them.

Something to keep in mind

Even when the timing is right, some exercises may bring up strong feelings. That's normal, and every module shows you how to pause, settle and get support. You're always in charge of how far you go. Skipping a step, or a whole module, is a good decision when it looks after you.

Check in30 seconds

Check in

This is your first check-in, so the scale may feel new. That's fine. The Learn page explains it, and later this week you'll put it into your own words.

Check in at the start of every sitting, not just the first one. Notice how you feel right now, and rate your distress from 0 to 10.

How distressed do you feel right now?

0 to 6: carry on, and keep checking in7 or above: skip the art and settle

Tap your number. You can also write it in the tracker in your workbook, or in your journal.

Use these anchors

  • 0calm and settled
  • 3a bit unsettled, but easy to manage
  • 5stirred up, but you can think clearly
  • 7very upset, hard to think clearly or stay present
  • 10the most distressed you can imagine

If you're having thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, don't start today. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger.

This sitting

Start ?End ?

These pages don't keep your numbers. Write them in the tracker in your workbook, or in your journal, if you like.

Learnwith John

Why we start with calm

About 8 to 10 minutes to read

Hi, I'm John. Over the next eight weeks, Hannah and I will help you get to know the different sides of you, one step at a time. Before any of that, though, there's something more important to build: a reliable way to steady yourself when feelings run high.

Steady first, then explore

In my years as a psychologist, I've learned that the order of things matters. When people look closely at painful feelings before they have ways to settle, they can end up more stirred up than when they started. So in my own practice, we build steadiness first and explore second. This course follows the same order.

That's why Module 1 has no work with modes at all. Instead, you'll learn three skills that you'll use in every module after this one: checking in with a number, pausing when you need to, and settling with an image you've made yourself.

In this lesson

Your workable range

It can help to think of your feelings as having a workable range. Inside that range, you can notice what's happening, think clearly and take in something new. You might feel sad, nervous or irritated, but you can still stay with yourself.

Above that range, your body's alarm system takes over. Your heart might race, and your thoughts might speed up or jam. It gets hard to think straight. This is your body trying to protect you, and it's very good at that job. But nobody learns much while the alarm is ringing.

Below that range, things can shut down instead. You might feel numb, foggy or flat, or far away, as if you're behind glass. This is another way your body protects you. It can look calm from the outside, but it isn't the kind of calm where learning happens either.

The skills in this module help you notice when you're heading out of your range, in either direction, and help you find your way back.

Where are you right now?

Take a moment to notice. Are you inside your range, above it or below it? There's no right answer.

Tap one here, or tap a band in the picture.

The 0 to 10 scale

Every module begins with a quick check-in, where you rate your distress from 0 to 10.

  • 0means calm and settled
  • 3means a bit unsettled, but easy to manage
  • 5means stirred up, but you can think clearly
  • 7means very upset, hard to think clearly or stay present
  • 10means the most distressed you can imagine
0 to 6: carry on, and keep checking in7 or above: skip the art and settle

Foggy, far away or unreal? Settle, whatever your number.

There are no right or wrong numbers.

The number simply tells you where you are, so you can decide what to do next. If you're at 7 or above, you skip the art that day and go straight to the Settle practice at the end of the module. And if you feel foggy, far away or unreal, you settle first, whatever your number.

Numbers mean different things to different people, so this week you'll describe your own signs of a 3, a 5 and a 7. Here's an example. Mei isn't a real person, but their experience is a common one.

Mei's 5

Tight shoulders and racing thoughts, like when they're stuck in traffic and running late.

Mei's 7

A tight chest, cold hands and a mind that won't settle, like the moment they realised their wallet was missing.

Your signs may be quite different from Mei's. When you describe your own, focus on the signs, like Mei's tight chest and cold hands, rather than on the situations. You don't need to picture a particular time.

You'll write your own signs of a 3, a 5 and a 7 in Reflect.

Pausing is a skill

Every module has pause rules. They tell you when to stop, what to do instead, and when to reach out for help. Here they are in full. You'll also find them on the Support page.

Pause rules

If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop now and get help. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time, or 000 if anyone is in danger.

Stop and settle if, at any point:

  • your distress reaches 7 or above
  • a memory of something painful or frightening starts to come back
  • you feel foggy, far away, numb or as if things aren't real
  • you feel a strong pull towards an old coping habit that harms you or someone else, such as drinking, using drugs or lashing out

What to do instead:

  • put the art away: turn it over, fold it, or picture it going into your container
  • do the Settle practice, then look at your calm place image
  • do something ordinary: make a warm drink, step outside, or call or message someone
  • leave the rest of the module for another day, or skip it altogether

When to get help:

  • your distress is still 7 or above after settling twice, or stays high for more than a day or two
  • you've been at 7 or above at most check-ins over a week or two
  • painful memories keep coming back

Your GP is a good first step for ongoing support. Crisis and support lines are on the Support page.

  1. Stop
  2. Settle
  3. Come back another day,or not at all

Stopping can feel like failing, especially if you're used to pushing through. I'd invite you to see it differently. Knowing when to stop is one of the most useful skills a person can have, because it lets you go at a pace your mind and body can handle.

Every time you pause when you need to, you're doing this course well.

Why a picture can help

This week, you'll make a calm place image. It's a simple picture of somewhere, or something, that helps you feel a little more settled. At the end of every module, you'll finish the Settle practice by looking at it.

Many people find that a glance at a picture can shift how they feel, sometimes faster than words can. Think of how a photo of the ocean, a favourite mug or a much-loved pet can soften something inside you. When you make the picture yourself, with your own hands and colours, it can feel even more like yours.

Your calm place doesn't need to be real, peaceful or polished. It doesn't even need to be a place. It could be:

  • A place from your adult life, like a beach, a garden or a favourite chair
  • An imagined place, as simple or as strange as you like
  • A colour, a pattern or a texture
  • An object, an animal or a plant

It usually works best without people in it, even people you love, because feelings about people can shift.

We say 'calm place' rather than 'safe place' on purpose. Not everyone has had a place that felt completely safe, and that's okay.

Calm, or even a little calmer, is enough.

If your image ever stops feeling calm, or something upsetting turns up in it, that happens to many people. It doesn't mean anything is wrong. Turn the page over, or close your workbook, and choose a colour or an object instead.

A container for later

You'll also make a container image: a drawing of a box, a jar, a chest or anything else that closes. It's somewhere to put difficult thoughts and feelings when now isn't the right time for them.

  • a box
  • a jar
  • a chest
  • an envelope

Putting something aside on purpose is different from pushing it away. In my experience, feelings that get pushed away tend to keep knocking. Putting something in a container is a choice. You're saying, 'Not now. I'll decide when, and whether, to come back to this.' You never need to name, write or show what goes in.

Pushed away, it keeps knocking
Put aside, you choose when

'Not now. I'll decide when, and whether, to come back to this.'

What this course will and won't ask of you

Draw It Out works with how you feel and what you need now, in the present. It will never ask you to go back into painful memories, or to draw or describe hard things that have happened to you.

Even so, things can come up on their own, and that can happen to anyone. Here's what to do if they do.

When something comes up

If a memory starts to come back

Stop. If your eyes are closed, open them. Look around the room and name what you can see. Put the art away, picture it going into your container, and do the Settle practice. If memories keep coming back, talk to your GP or a therapist.

If your calm place stops feeling calm

This is common and not a failure. Switch to a colour, an object, an animal or a plant, or rest your eyes on something in the room.

If you feel foggy, far away or unreal

Ground yourself first. Press your feet, or your hands, against something solid. Name five things you can see, hold something with an interesting texture, and say today's date and where you are. Keep your eyes open for every exercise if this happens. If it happens often, pause Draw It Out and talk to your GP or a therapist.

If you have thoughts of suicide or strong urges

If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop and call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger. If a pull towards an old coping habit that harms you gets strong, stop and use the support options straight away.

Coming up next

Next, Hannah will guide you through making your calm place image and your container. Take your time. There's no rush, no right way to do it, and no art skill needed.

JohnDr John Forbes, Clinical Psychologist

Seewith Hannah

How the two images come together

About 5 minutes

Hi, I'm Hannah. I designed the art in this course, and I'll guide you through it each week. This week you'll make two simple images: a calm place and a container. Here's how they come together. The numbers match the steps further down this page.

In this example, the calm place is a soft green hill with a tree and a sun, and the container is a jar with a lid. Yours can be anything at all.

Our colours are only for this example. Calm might be blue for one person and orange for another, so choose the colours that feel calm to you.

A few tips before you start

  • Start with colour, not a plan. The picture can find its way.
  • Simple shapes are all you need: a tree, a window, a cup, a cloud.
  • Press as lightly or as firmly as you like.
  • If something upsetting turns up, turn the page over and choose a colour or an object instead.

Three simple examples

These examples were made for this course, to show how simple your images can be. John has added a note on what each one shows.

Mei's calm place

Mei chose the view from their kitchen window, with a cup of tea on the sill. Three pencil colours and simple shapes, nothing more. Everyday details like these often make strong calm places, because they're easy to find again in your mind.

Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.

Tom's calm place

Tom's image has no objects at all, only a field of blue and green scribbles. Tom says the colours remind them of being near water. A calm place doesn't need to be a place. A colour or a texture can do the same job.

Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.

Amira's container

Amira drew a chest with a big padlock. They haven't written anything on it, or said what's inside, and they never need to. You choose what goes in your container, and when, or whether, to open it.

Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.

What these three have in common

Each one took only a few minutes, uses a few colours and simple shapes, and has no people in it. None of them explains itself, and none needs to.

Your images will look different from all three. Every image does.

Makewith Hannah

Make your calm place and your container

About 30 to 40 minutes. You can split it into two sittings: your calm place first, then your container.

Before you start. Stop and settle if your distress reaches 7 or above, if a painful memory starts to come back, or if you feel foggy or far away. Put your art away and go to the Settle page. You can come back to it another day, or not at all.

If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop and call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger.

Starting a new sitting? Check in first. If you need to stop, go to Settle.

Neither image needs any art skill. Simple shapes, scribbles and blobs of colour all count. What matters is that your images feel like yours.

Go gently

  • If something upsetting turns up in your calm place, or it stops feeling calm, turn the page over and choose a colour or an object instead. If it stirs up a lot, stop and go to Settle.
  • If you're making a collage and a picture stirs something up, turn it face down and choose another.

Choose your version

Full version (30 to 40 minutes)

Follow the eight steps below, on paper, on the pages in your workbook, or on screen.

Low-energy version (about 10 minutes)

On one sheet of paper, fill a small square with one calming colour. That's your calm place. Beside it, draw a simple box and give it a lid. That's your container, and that counts as finished.

No-materials version

For your calm place, choose a calming photo on your phone of a place, object, animal or plant from your adult life, without people in it. Or hold something, like a smooth stone, a soft scarf or a favourite mug. Spend a minute noticing its colours, shapes and textures. That's your calm place for now.

For your container, use a real box, jar or envelope, or picture one in your mind and imagine closing the lid. You can make the images on paper another time, or not at all.

What you'll need

  • two sheets of plain paper, or the calm place and container pages in your workbook
  • coloured pencils or crayons
  • a pencil

Materials

For collage, you can also use old magazines, scissors and a glue stick. They're optional. Use non-toxic materials, and take care with scissors. If a material feels unpleasant to touch or smell, leave it out.

Make your calm place

About 20 to 25 minutes

  1. 1
    Set out your materials

    Find a table or another flat surface. Lay out your two sheets of paper, your pencil and your colours, so everything is within reach. If you're using your workbook, turn to your calm place page.

  2. 2
    Choose your calm place

    Think of somewhere, or something, that helps you feel even a little calmer. It could be a place from your adult life, like a beach, a garden or a favourite chair. It could be somewhere you imagine. It could also be a colour, an object, an animal or a plant. It usually works best without people in it, even people you love. If nothing comes to mind, that's fine. Start with a colour you like and see where it takes you.

  3. 3
    Choose two or three colours

    Pick two or three colours that feel calm to you, and set them to one side. There's no right answer here. Calm might be blue for one person and orange for another.

  4. 4
    Start with colour

    Before you draw anything, fill part of the page with colour. Use soft strokes, scribbles, swirls or blocks, whatever feels good. Press as lightly or as firmly as you like. You don't need a plan.

  5. 5
    Add one or two things that belong there

    Now add one or two simple things that belong in your calm place: a tree, a window, a cup, a cloud, a cat. Simple shapes are all you need. If your calm place is a colour, a pattern or a texture, you can skip this step.

  6. 6
    Look at your image

    Sit back and look at what you've made for about 30 seconds. Notice anything in your body that softens, even a little. If you like, give your image a title and write it at the bottom of the page.

If your image stops feeling calm. Sometimes something upsetting turns up in an image, or a calm place stops feeling calm. This happens to many people, and it doesn't mean anything is wrong. Turn the page over, or close your workbook, and choose a colour or an object instead. If it stirs up a lot, stop and go to Settle.

Or make it here, on screen

The same steps work with a finger, a pen or a mouse. Pick your calm colours, start with colour, then add one or two things.

3Pick two or three calm colours
4Start with colour
5Add one or two things

Pick a calm colour, then draw on the page. No plan needed.

Sit back and notice anything in your body that softens, even a little.

Your picture stays on this page. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere, so save it as a picture if you'd like to keep it.

Stopping here for today? You could finish with Settle and the check-out, and make your container another day.

Make your container

About 10 to 15 minutes. Starting a new sitting? Check in first.

  1. 7
    Draw a container

    On your second sheet, or on your container page, draw a container that's strong enough to hold things for as long as you choose. It could be a box, a jar, a chest, a safe, or something you make up. Make it as big or as small as you like.

  2. 8
    Close it

    If you like, add a small dot of colour inside your container first. It can stand for anything you might want to put away one day, and it doesn't need to mean anything yet. Then give your container a lid, a lock, a tie or anything else that closes it. You never need to name, write or show what goes in.

Or make it here, on screen

You never need to name, write or show what goes in.

7Choose a container
Colour
8Add a dot, then close it

Your jar is open. Tap inside it to add a dot, if you like.

When you've finished

Put your two images somewhere you can find them easily, like your workbook, a folder or a drawer. You'll look at your calm place image at the end of every module.

Then go on to Reflect, or take a break and come back to it later. If you're stopping for today, you could finish with Settle and the check-out.

  • a folder
  • a drawer
  • your workbook

Other ways to make it

  • Use a drawing app on a phone or tablet.
  • Make a collage from pictures and colours cut or torn from magazines.
  • Write a few words that describe your calm place and your container, instead of drawing them.
  • If your hands get tired or sore, ask someone you trust to make the marks while you tell them what to draw.

Reflectwith John

Your images, your scale, your rules

About 10 to 15 minutes

These prompts help you notice what your images show you, and put the check-in scale and the pause rules into your own words. Answer as many or as few as you like. Words, colours and marks all count. If a prompt stirs up more than you expected, leave it and go to Settle.

Starting a new sitting? Check in first.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

    What are your signs of a 3, a 5 and a 7?

    Describe the signs, not the situations: what you notice in your body, in your thoughts, and in what you feel like doing. You don't need to picture a particular time. If 7 is hard to describe, leave it blank and fill it in when you notice it in the weeks ahead.

    Words you might use. Tap a box, then a word to add it.
    My 3
    My 5
    My 7

    Any box can stay blank, especially My 7. If what you feel like doing at a 7 includes an old coping habit that harms you or someone else, the pause rules say what to do.

  4. 4
  5. 5

    Where will you keep your two images, so you can find them when you need them?

Nothing you write here is saved or sent anywhere. Copy anything you'd like to keep into your workbook or journal.

Something to keep

Draw a tiny version of your calm place, about the size of a postage stamp. In Module 8, you'll copy it onto a wallet-sized card, along with the other small symbols you collect along the way.

Draw on paper, or here with a finger, a pen or a mouse.

My calm place

Settle3 to 5 minutes

Feet, Seat and Breath

Every module ends here, with a short practice to help you land. If your check-in was 7 or above and you've come straight to this page, you made a good decision. This page is here for exactly that.

  1. 1

    Sit somewhere comfortable. Feel your feet on the floor. You might press them down gently and notice the floor pushing back. If noticing your feet doesn't suit you, notice your hands resting, or wherever your body is supported.

  2. 2

    Notice the seat beneath you, taking your weight. For now, you don't need to hold yourself up.

  3. 3

    If it suits you, breathe in as you normally would, then let your out-breath be a little longer than your in-breath. Do this four or five times. If paying attention to your breathing makes you uneasy, skip this step and stay with your feet, or your hands.

  4. 4

    Look around and name three things you can see, out loud or in your head.

  5. 5

    Finish by looking at your calm place image for a few moments. If you haven't made it yet, look at a colour or an object you like.

If it helps with step 3, follow the dotted path with your eyes or a fingertip. The dot climbs for about four seconds and slopes down for about six.

Check out

Rate your distress again from 0 to 10, and compare it with your number from the start.

How distressed do you feel now?

6 or below, and no higher than at the start: that's it for todayHigher, or 7 or above: settle once more

Tap your number when you've finished the practice.

This sitting

Start ?End ?

If you've been at 7 or above at most check-ins over a week or two, pause Draw It Out for now and talk to your GP or a therapist. You can come back to it later.

Write your numbers in the tracker in your workbook, or in your journal, if you like.

Keep closeany time

If things get hard

If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop now and get help. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time, or 000 if anyone is in danger.

Pause rules

Stop and settle if, at any point:

  • your distress reaches 7 or above
  • a memory of something painful or frightening starts to come back
  • you feel foggy, far away, numb or as if things aren't real
  • you feel a strong pull towards an old coping habit that harms you or someone else, such as drinking, using drugs or lashing out

What to do instead:

  • put the art away: turn it over, fold it, or picture it going into your container
  • do the Settle practice, then look at your calm place image
  • do something ordinary: make a warm drink, step outside, or call or message someone
  • leave the rest of the module for another day, or skip it altogether

When to get help:

  • your distress is still 7 or above after settling twice, or stays high for more than a day or two
  • you've been at 7 or above at most check-ins over a week or two
  • painful memories keep coming back

Your GP is a good first step for ongoing support. Crisis and support lines are below.

When something comes up

If a memory starts to come back

Stop. If your eyes are closed, open them. Look around the room and name what you can see. Put the art away, picture it going into your container, and do the Settle practice. If memories keep coming back, talk to your GP or a therapist.

If your calm place stops feeling calm

This is common and not a failure. Switch to a colour, an object, an animal or a plant, or rest your eyes on something in the room.

If you feel foggy, far away or unreal

Ground yourself first. Press your feet, or your hands, against something solid. Name five things you can see, hold something with an interesting texture, and say today's date and where you are. Keep your eyes open for every exercise if this happens. If it happens often, pause Draw It Out and talk to your GP or a therapist.

If you have thoughts of suicide or strong urges

If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop and call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger. If a pull towards an old coping habit that harms you gets strong, stop and use the support options straight away.

Support

If you need to talk to someone, or you're worried about how you're going, please reach out.

  • Lifeline13 11 14any time, day or night
  • 13YARN13 92 76crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, any time, day or night
  • Suicide Call Back Service1300 659 467any time, day or night
  • 1800RESPECT1800 737 732for anyone affected by domestic, family or sexual violence, any time, day or night
  • Emergency000if anyone is in danger
  • Outside Australiafindahelpline.comto find a line in your country

Your GP is a good first step for ongoing support. If you're already seeing a therapist or counsellor, you're welcome to bring your images along and talk about them in a session.

Ready for Module 2?

Tick these off when you can.

If most of your check-ins this week were 7 or above, pause Draw It Out for now and talk to your GP or a therapist. You can come back to it later.

If anything else is missing, stay with Module 1 a little longer. Module 2 will wait for you.

About Draw It Out

Draw It Out is an art-based, evidence-informed self-help course in eight modules, created by a clinical psychologist and a registered arts therapist.

Dr John Forbes, Clinical Psychologist (PhD), is a Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists and is Ahpra-registered. He works in Perth, Western Australia, and has more than 25 years of practice in schema therapy and CBT.

Hannah Nyx, AThR, is a registered arts therapist (ANZACATA) at Creative Minds Art Therapy. Hannah designed every art process in the course.

Draw It Out is educational self-help. It is not therapy and does not replace professional care. If you need support now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.

The eight modules

  1. 1Safety Firstyou are here
  2. 2Meet Your Modes
  3. 3The Inner Critic
  4. 4The Protectors
  5. 5The Child's Needs
  6. 6The Healthy Adult
  7. 7Conversations
  8. 8Keeping It Going

See you in Module 2.

The people described in this module are fictional composites, and the example artworks were made for this course. Support details were checked in October 2026.

Draw It Out is educational self-help, not therapy. Need support now? Call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.