From Ireland to China: taking Cultural Art Therapy into a new international setting
Cultural Art Therapy is expanding internationally.
This month, I had the opportunity to bring my established Cultural Art Therapy framework to Shanghai, China, delivering an in person professionals training, an online information session and beginning conversations about how the approach can be implemented within Chinese cultural and therapeutic settings.
I visited the Irish Consulate and got to meet the team there to speak about my work here in China. This feels like an important milestone in the development of my work.
Cultural Art Therapy has been developed and practised through my work in Ireland across museums, galleries and cultural environments, including the National Gallery of Ireland and the Royal Hibernian Academy. The framework has continued to develop through practice, research, training and collaboration, and I am now beginning to bring this established approach into international settings.
From Ireland to Shanghai
My visit to Shanghai represents the next stage of that development.
Rather than developing a new framework specifically for China, I am bringing the existing proven Cultural Art Therapy framework into a new cultural context and working collaboratively with professionals in China to consider how it can be implemented appropriately within their own cultural institutions and professional environments.
This is an important distinction.
Cultural Art Therapy already has a foundation in practice through 7 years of consistent delivery accross 3 settings. It provides a structured approach for practitioners working with people through meaningful engagement with museums, galleries and cultural heritage environments.
The international work is now about implementation, training and collaboration.
The in-person training in Shanghai provided an opportunity to introduce the framework directly to Chinese professionals, work through its principles and practical applications, and begin conversations about what implementation could look like within China.
A framework that can travel
One of the reasons I have been so committed to developing Cultural Art Therapy as a clear and replicable framework is the possibility that it can be used beyond the settings in which it was originally developed.
At its core, Cultural Art Therapy brings together:
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psychotherapeutic thinking
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art and cultural engagement
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structured reflective processes
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trauma-informed practice
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psychological safety
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facilitation within cultural environments
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meaningful opportunities for connection and wellbeing
These principles can provide a foundation for practice across different cultural settings.
The role of international implementation is then to consider how the framework can be delivered responsibly and appropriately within the specific professional, cultural and institutional context.
Why China?
China represents an exciting opportunity for the next stage of Cultural Art Therapy's development.
The country has a rich and diverse cultural heritage, alongside a growing network of museums, galleries, cultural organisations and educational institutions.
There is enormous potential for cultural spaces to play a role in supporting wellbeing, connection, reflection and community.
My aim is to work with professionals in China to explore how Cultural Art Therapy can be introduced into these environments through training, collaboration and practical implementation.
The longer-term ambition is to support professionals to understand the framework, develop confidence in applying it and consider how it can become part of their own cultural and professional settings.
From international presentation to international practice
This international expansion follows several years of developing Cultural Art Therapy through practice and professional exchange.
In November 2025, I completed a workshop while travelling with National Gallery of Ireland internationally at the NEMO European Museum Conference in Denmark, contributing to wider conversations about museums, wellbeing and resilience.
Now, in 2026, I am taking the next step, moving from presenting the ideas internationally to actively delivering training and supporting implementation in another country.
The Shanghai training is therefore an important moment.
It demonstrates that Cultural Art Therapy is moving beyond its origins in Ireland and beginning to operate as an approach that can be shared with practitioners and cultural organisations internationally.
Building international partnerships
The next stage will be about continuing to develop relationships in China and identifying opportunities for further training, implementation and collaboration.
I am particularly interested in working alongside Chinese therapists, cultural professionals, museums, galleries, universities and organisations who are interested in the relationship between culture, creativity, psychological wellbeing and therapeutic practice.
International expansion is not about losing the identity of the framework.
It is about demonstrating that a clearly defined approach can be transferred, taught and implemented while remaining responsive to the setting in which it is used.
Shanghai is the beginning of this next chapter.
I am very excited to see how Cultural Art Therapy develops in China and to continue building international opportunities for this work.
From Ireland to Shanghai, Cultural Art Therapy is going international!
