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    Copyright Silvia Tafur 2023 - 2025

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    Silvia Tafur

    Silvia Tafur holds a City and Guilds Level 7 MCGI Award (MA) from Tobias School of Art and Therapy in the UK,  accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and the International Association of Anthroposophic Arts Therapies Educations (iArte). She completed a BA degree in Fine Arts specialised in painting at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and she has trained in photography, sculpture, engraving and design. She has used Arts as a therapeutic tool for more than 15 years in various educational contexts like fairs, private settings, corporate events, community projects and wellness retreats in Peru, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S.

    She works in diverse socio-cultural contexts, adapting techniques and materials to local resources. She is currently working as art facilitator for the Creative & Healing Arts Program at Stanford Hospital and she develops a private practice as Transpersonal Arts Counsellor at Live Oak Medicine. She is also a Community Educator at Berkeley Adult School.

    Currently residing in San Francisco’s East Bay, Silvia offers individual and group sessions both in person and online. Her work involves nature observation, breathing techniques, somatic movement, meditation, image making, and overall the use of diverse creative processes aiming to help clients strengthen their life forces and reconnect with their sense of balance in order to achieve holistic wellbeing. More information here.

    Arts Counselling

    Arts Counselling supports clients’ connection with their healing forces through creative processes. Art media is used as sensory stimuli to unveil universal archetypal forms that reconnect us with our intrinsic regenerative qualities. Personal imagery is used as a resource to promote self-care, strength, and agency to pursue integrative health. There is no intention to read client’s images to them, as some people may expect; conversely, the objective is to help clients reflect on their own images, and connect with their own healing qualities.
    The work is process oriented, and the results are expected to enhance a sense of wellbeing. However, there are moments where an encounter with an image can elicit difficult emotions. That is why the counselling component is important, it allows participants to integrate these emotions and images that in many cases come from unprocessed memories as a result of traumatic and/or adverse experiences.
    The images can be created by the client spontaneously, or guided; and in extreme cases of discomfort (for example, during bedside art), the arts counsellor can paint for a client. There are different techniques besides fine arts (painting, sculpture, drawing) that can be used, like breathing exercises, movement, writing, and visualization. We can also co-create images, and use role playing in order to make the activities appropriate for every need. Please inquire if you have a disability, there are several ways to adapt materials to every specific case.

    The Sessions:

    Our sessions involve the production of images, open conversation, subjective and objective observation. It is a fun, active, and profound experience of honouring space and time, while experimenting with different art techniques and materials that are chosen according to each particular situation and in agreement with the client. Different components and techniques are incorporated along the duration of the sessions to promote neuroplasticity and balance. The exercises are simple, and the focus is on the creative process rather than the result. The counselling process prioritises compassionate listening, guidance, and objective observation rather than image reading or direct prescription of any kind. The ultimate goal is to awaken and strengthen the sense of self, reason for which decision making is a key element for clients to exercise agency.
    Anyone undergoing a transition period or carrying questions about their destiny benefits from working with integrative practices like Arts Counselling. These processes bring forward parts of ourselves that may not be easy to discuss or even perceive through regular interactions. It allows the participants to reframe their approach to their difficulties and perceive broader patterns in their lives. Working with images is beneficial for integration, and by exploring different techniques and materials we stimulate the sensory somatic nervous system to connect our experiences with deeply enrooted aspects of ourselves. 
    If you have never heard of art therapy, please look at this video.

    Anthroposophic Art Therapy

    Anthroposophic Art Therapy encompasses artistic and medical work, incorporating components of transpersonal psychology. It is based on philosophical principles developed by Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman, as well as exercises and theories developed by Margaret Hauschka and Collot D’Herbois. There are various other authors and artists who have contributed to the development and shaped the appreciation of anthroposophic artistic practices, such as Eleonor Merry, Hilma Das Klimt, Joseph Beuys and W. Kandinsky, to name a few. The main processes used in anthroposophy are painting, drawing, clay modelling and sculpting. The former, have an emphasis in balancing our emotions and feelings, they work on a level that is directly related to our breathing, our connection between our physical body and our sense of self. The latter address our formative qualities, grounding, balancing, movement and sensory processes. There is a large number of activities within this spectrum, and many other materials and processes that are used to transition between the techniques mentioned here. A comprehensive view of the human being is the core of anthroposophic medicine.

    Different authors in the field of psychology have developed concepts and theories that align with anthroposophical principles. Jungian psychology, humanistic psychology, transpersonal psychology, psychosynthesis, among others, have in common an approach to the human being in a comprehensive manner, seeking health and wellbeing beyond the merely physical body. An important model developed by Vija Lusebrink and Sandra (Kagin) Graves Alcorn in the late seventies has proved to be aligned both with important concepts in anthroposophy and with some trauma-informed practices that focus on the somatic experiences. This model is called the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ECT). It serves as a way to understand how the artistic processes can help integration within the human brain and body. In anthroposophy, this is also understood as a work that incorporates our relationship with the cosmic elements, which are present within us and help us replenish our inner strength and vitality.
    Although verbal communication is relevant, this approach is based on the creation of images that often happen in collaboration between the client and the therapist, and in some cases prescribed by a doctor. My work focuses on integration through artistic processes and somatic sensory experiences that promote healthy living.
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    The sessions can be conducted virtually or in person. The latter can be scheduled directly through Live Oak Medicine or this website. It follows the model of a counselling session incorporating a guided artistic exercise, and we can focus on a specific theme or use the first session as an introduction. You may request a free 15 minute call through email or text message.
    The first session lasts 90 minutes, and there is no previous experience required. Everyone older than 5 years old is welcome (exceptions for younger children are assessed individually).
    These are some of the most common benefits of Arts counselling:
    • Promoting a holistic sense of wellbeing
    • Integration during and post-psychedelic assisted therapies
    • Achieving balance during a life crisis or spiritual emergency
    • Support and advocacy for neurodivergent populations
    • Coping skills for sensory processing disorders or high sensitivity
    • Promoting resilience during life transitions
    • Overcoming trauma and anxiety disorders
    • Support and advocacy for vulnerable populations (immigrants, people of colour, LGBTQIIA+)

    Individual Sessions

    Social Art

    If you are looking for bonding opportunities for your family, workplace, or partner, please consider the options below:

    • Wellness Retreats – Sustainable Tourism: Retreats are organised one year in advance and they can be tailored to your needs. You may choose locations in Peru, US, and Canada (locations TBD). The duration depends on the outcomes desired and travel arrangements needed for each individual.
    Learn More
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    • Integration Post Psychedelic Assisted Therapies: Although this option offers individual consultations, it is recommended to work in groups. Collective healing fosters clear communication, while social art allows a deeper understanding of the areas that need more attention when working on integration. Indeed, group sessions also leave a space for 1:1 counselling . 
    Learn More
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    Our Nurturing Artifacts store is a mother & daughter project made by Peruvian expats living in the U.S., and proud to share a passion for sustainability and beauty. Lea Z. grew up in a creative household, and her love for nature has evolved into a sustainable design project through crocheting. Silvia Tafur has worked in arts since age 17, she loves painting and her body of work is purposely designed to promote health through color, shape, and composition. Silvia and Lea are dual citizens, Latinx, passionate for inclusive cultural practices, and eager to contribute to the efforts of nature conservancy. This is a women owned business that supports sustainable living.
    Through this nurturing approach to design, we strive for harmony and peaceful communication, using art as the element that connects us with our instinctual nature. We use art as the universal language that fuels our harmonic connection with our nature and environment, comprehending all forms of life. Learn more…

    image (32)
    Different authors in the field of psychology have developed concepts and theories that align with anthroposophical principles. Jungian psychology, humanistic psychology, transpersonal psychology, psychosynthesis, among others, have in common an approach to the human being in a comprehensive manner, seeking health and wellbeing beyond the merely physical body. An important model developed by Vija Lusebrink and Sandra (Kagin) Graves Alcorn in the late seventies has proved to be aligned both with important concepts in anthroposophy and with some trauma-informed practices that focus on the somatic experiences. This model is called the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ECT). It serves as a way to understand how the artistic processes can help integration within the human brain and body. In anthroposophy, this is also understood as a work that incorporates our relationship with the cosmic elements, which are present within us and help us replenish our inner strength and vitality.

    Anthroposophic Art Therapy

    Different authors in the field of psychology have developed concepts and theories that align with anthroposophical principles. Jungian psychology, humanistic psychology, transpersonal psychology, psychosynthesis, among others, have in common an approach to the human being in a comprehensive manner, seeking health and wellbeing beyond the merely physical body. An important model developed by Vija Lusebrink and Sandra (Kagin) Graves Alcorn in the late seventies has proved to be aligned both with important concepts in anthroposophy and with some trauma-informed practices that focus on the somatic experiences. This model is called the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ECT). It serves as a way to understand how the artistic processes can help integration within the human brain and body. In anthroposophy, this is also understood as a work that incorporates our relationship with the cosmic elements, which are present within us and help us replenish our inner strength and vitality.
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