Are you feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, or constant overthinking?
Do relationships feel confusing or heavy, leaving you unsure of how to express yourself or set boundaries?
Are you feeling disconnected from yourself, burnt out, or unable to fully relax? Maybe you are navigating big life transitions, feeling creatively blocked, or noticing emotional patterns you want to understand more deeply.
Whatever your experience, know that you are not alone.
Expressive Arts Therapy offers a gentle, intuitive, and creative approach that meets you exactly where you are. It invites you to explore your inner world through art, movement, music, storytelling, play, and imagination using whatever form feels most natural in the moment.
You don’t need any artistic skill to begin, just a willingness to be curious!
In a safe and supportive space, this intermodal approach helps individuals and groups connect with emotions, make meaning from experiences, and build emotional resilience. It can be especially helpful for those navigating anxiety, stress, life transitions, neurodiversity, or simply feeling creatively stuck or disconnected from themselves.
Whether you are a young individual learning to make sense of the world, an adult carrying invisible burdens, or a group looking to deepen connection and expression, the arts offer a non-judgmental pathway to healing, insight, and growth.
If you're longing to reconnect with your inner voice, move through stuck places, or simply explore through the arts, I invite you to begin this journey with me.
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” – Carl Jung
Manjusha Vijayakumar (She/Her)
Expressive Arts Therapist & Arts-based Facilitator
Hello!
Welcome to Art Stories.
I practice Expressive Arts Therapy with individual clients and groups of all ages, backgrounds, and identities. My work is focused on understanding and strengthening the self, using an intermodal approach and through the lens of self-compassion. I aim to create a space where creative exploration can lead to meaningful transformation and personal growth.
I am committed to building an inclusive and mindful practice, one that honours intersectionality and is rooted in both the creative arts and trauma-informed, body-based work.
As an arts-based facilitator, I’m passionate about weaving together mental health, creativity, life skills, and storytelling in my training programs and workshops. Over the past 10 years, I’ve designed and facilitated experiential learning for a wide range of individuals and organizations including children, adolescents, adults, and persons with disabilities.
My own journey of self-discovery led me to pivot from a corporate career in Human Resources to fully embrace the healing potential of the arts. This path continues to deepen my belief in the creative process as a powerful way to connect, heal, and grow.
Warm regards,
Manjusha
Credentials & Certifications
- Expressive Body Advanced Level Training – SMART, Bangalore
- Foundation Course in Expressive & Creative Arts Therapy – SMART, Bangalore
- Certified in ‘Therapeutic Dance in Education’ – CMTAI
- Certified ‘Train the Trainer’ in Storytelling – Kathalaya
- Certified Storyteller – Diploma & Beginners – Kathalaya
- Diploma in Early Years Childhood Education – Brindavan Education Trust
- Masters in Social Work in HR & OD – MSSW, Chennai
- Bachelors in Business Administration – WCC, Chennai
“Manjusha listened to me without judgement and provided me the tools to deal with it. I am truly blessed she heard me out and helped me make some sense out of my circumstance, past and present. I benefited from her and went on a journey of healing and recovering my self-esteem. The art therapy was just the right tool I needed. The art activities revealed more about me than talking. I found deep within me courage, positivity, love amidst the turmoil I faced with my mind."
AM, 42, Creative Business Owner
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Trauma Informed 1:1 session for Individuals
These one-on-one expressive arts sessions provide a gentle and supportive space to explore your thoughts, emotions, and inner landscape. Through creative modalities, you can deepen self-awareness, gain clarity, and move toward greater emotional wellbeing.
No previous art experience is needed—just openness and curiosity. Sessions are offered online for individuals aged 18 and above.
What to Expect in a 1:1 Expressive Arts Session?
Each session begins with a brief grounding practice—mindfulness, breathwork, or a simple check-in—to help you arrive fully in the present moment. From there, the process unfolds intuitively, guided by your here-and-now emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
Unlike regular talk therapy, Expressive Arts sessions invite you to engage with your inner world through creative expression. You may explore your experiences using drawing, imagery, gesture, or embodied movement—whatever feels most natural and supportive in the moment. Together, we gently process what emerges, making space for insight, regulation, and emotional clarity.
We close the session with a final check-in, allowing you to integrate what surfaced and leave feeling grounded and connected to yourself.
If this approach resonates with you, I invite you to reach out. Together, we can create a safe and grounded space for healing, exploration, and emotional clarity.
Expressive Arts Groups/Workshops
I create collaborative, expressive arts–based spaces where groups can learn, explore, and experience transformation together. Using a blend of painting, movement, music, writing, and creative play, my sessions offer a safe environment for authentic expression and shared discovery.
Participants connect through collective creative experiences, fostering empathy, belonging, and deeper understanding. This approach works beautifully for corporate teams, community groups, and specialized cohorts—helping strengthen communication, build trust, enhance emotional wellbeing, and encourage fresh perspectives.
Each workshop is thoughtfully designed and customized to support the unique needs of the group, team, or organization.
If this approach resonates with the needs of your group, I welcome you to reach out. Together, we can design a creative experience that fosters connection, insight, and emotional wellbeing.
Art for Joy Workshops
Art for Joy offers simple, playful workshops that bring out the natural creativity in all of us. As a self-taught artist, I love exploring different art forms and techniques—and these explorations have shown me how uplifting and therapeutic art can be when approached with curiosity and ease.
These sessions are designed to help you reconnect with joy, spontaneity, and self-expression, without any pressure or complexity. Adults and children alike enjoy discovering new art forms, learning through hands-on play, and experiencing the calming, grounding effects of creating.
Art for Joy workshops are:
- Perfect for all ages and groups
- Fun, experiential, and engaging
- Supportive in reducing stress and anxiety
- Helpful for building self-awareness
- Great for bonding and connection
- Open to everyone—no prior art experience needed
To plan an Art for Joy session for your team, school, or community group, feel free to reach out. These workshops bring people together through creativity and shared play.
