Dominique Crawford

Project title: Reclaiming Learning and Belonging: A School-Based Art Therapy Group for Young Boys, Connecting Through Art Making.  

Dominique Crawford is an emerging expressive therapist and social worker, registered with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). She integrates knowledge from her art therapy and play therapy training into her practice to foster meaningful relationships and applies a critical lens to the policies and systems that impede social connection. Dominique brings a patient, caring presence to her work, guided by trauma-informed principles, cultural humility and a commitment to lifelong learning.  

Her professional experience includes working in urban, regional, and international contexts, within schools, refugee-related trauma, and indigenous community health, disability services and child protection. Dominique’s understanding of behaviour and emotional wellbeing looks beyond the label of ‘disorder’ to recognise coping patterns to manage pain, disconnection, and unmet needs across the lifespan.  

The knowledge and insights gained from undertaking UQs Masters of Mental Health – Art Therapy have strengthened Dominique’s ability to create a therapeutic space where clients can explore their inner worlds, develop emotional insight, and connect meaningfully.  

Dominique’s research was driven by her desire to explore the broader social and emotional factors underlying classroom disruption and student absenteeism, and within this context, how art therapy can support student wellbeing. The research involved a small group of young boys participating in weekly group art therapy within a school setting. Designed to offer creative play, relational safety, and opportunities for shared meaning-making, the research project aimed to provide a space where students could strengthen emotional regulation, develop connection, and experience the therapeutic benefits of art-making when facilitated by an Art Therapy Masters student. While the design and ethics process challenged Dominique, an opportunity arose to trust her authentic self, become more grounded in her values and build greater resilience as she embraced the imperfections.  

The artworks submitted for this exhibition track Dominique’s research journey, as she processed emotions and made sense of the world around her. Each piece holds an unconscious gift, where art making, creative expression, processing and reflective distancing meet. Viewing these works, Dominique hopes you can witness art therapy’s power to bring the hidden and unspoken form into a narrative that weaves together insight and awareness of the human experience. These gifts affirm the future of art therapy as a practice that honours resilience and the creative process for healing and transformation. 

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