"We generally talk about arts therapies,” clarifies Marie-Laure Colrat, who is also a facilitator at the 4A association. “We then specify whether we are discussing visual arts, music, writing, theater, dance...” This is a tool aimed at individuals seeking support for psychological work. We do not give instructions; we are in a space of experimentation. The facilitators adopt a therapeutic stance, maintaining a distance so that the individual can project onto them.
With mediation, the individuals welcomed are not specifically seeking care, but rather support that will help them strengthen their self-esteem and social relationships, through clearer instructions.
“What often emerges in these workshops, frequently attended by a public of exiled individuals, is that they clear the mind,” shares Marie-Laure Colrat. “For people who cannot control either their future or their daily lives, due to administrative reasons or others, making choices about colors, paper sizes, is to regain the possibility of being an actor rather than an object. It’s a moment of support where everything starts moving again. It’s about daring to do, everything that becomes inaccessible when one is in great daily precarity.”
