The CANY model has developed over 35 years of clinical practice. The following guiding principles inform the creative and therapeutic interventions made:

Metaphor as therapeutic tool

The creation of dramatic fiction is central to the therapeutic process, providing a safe container for diverse and difficult feelings, experiences and thoughts. Through the use of fictional characters, dramatic enactment, poetry, art and music, our clients begin to discover and explore their inner worlds, tapping into dormant creative energies within. As the client engages in the creative process, they gain access to the healing potential of the imagination, experiencing a sense of mastery and new possibilities.

Group as therapeutic agent

The group process lies at the heart of the CANY model. Groups serve to bridge experiences that build connections between participating clients. The interactive process of creating stories and building dramas generates a sense of commonality, interpersonal identification and an environment in which relationships of trust can be developed and restored in the here and now of the group.

Creativity as health

A central objective of CANY groups is to explore and connect the individual with their creative potential. Groups do not focus on pathology but rather possibility and the capacity for health, transformation and the expression of a full range of feeling