Definition
Drawing and Talking is a short-term, non-directive therapeutic intervention where a child draws freely in the presence of a trained adult who asks open, non-leading questions. Developed by Claire Le Mare and registered as Drawing and Talking Therapy Ltd, it is delivered by school staff or ELSAs who have completed the two-day accredited training.
In context for parents
Key checkpoints
- A short-term, non-directive therapeutic intervention developed by Claire Le Mare; registered as Drawing and Talking Therapy Ltd.
- Weekly 30-minute sessions over 12 weeks; child draws freely while a trained adult asks open, non-leading questions.
- Delivered by school staff or ELSAs who have completed the two-day accredited training.
- Positioned as emotional support, not clinical therapy.
- Not appropriate for trauma processing or moderate-to-severe mental illness. Those require clinical psychology or CAMHS input.
Drawing and Talking is positioned as an emotional support intervention rather than a clinical therapy. The structure: weekly 30-minute sessions over 12 weeks; the child draws whatever they choose; the adult sits alongside, asks gentle open questions ("can you tell me about this drawing?") and does not interpret, direct, or reassure. The accumulation of drawings becomes a record of the child's processing.
The evidence base is largely practitioner-reported case studies and small-scale evaluations. Drawing and Talking Therapy Ltd reports significant improvements in self-rated wellbeing and teacher-rated SEMH; independent peer-reviewed trials are limited. The intervention is most often used in primary schools for children processing loss, family change, anxiety, or low self-esteem.
What it is good for:
- A child who has experienced a difficult event (bereavement, parental separation, a friend moving away) and who would benefit from a contained, non-directive space to process.
- A child whose verbal expression is limited but whose drawing is a comfortable medium.
- A child for whom counselling or clinical psychology is not appropriate or not available.
What it is not:
- It is not trauma therapy.
- It is not appropriate as the only intervention for moderate or severe mental health presentations, OCD, eating disorders, or for processing significant abuse. Those require clinical psychology or specialist therapeutic input.
- Schools sometimes use Drawing and Talking as a default SEMH provision where a higher level of intervention is needed; this is a misfit.
In an EHCP for SEMH, Section F should specify the therapeutic level appropriately. Drawing and Talking can be a sensible early-stage intervention; for clinical-level presentations, named clinical psychology or CAMHS input is the correct provision.
Related terms
The terms parents most often see alongside Drawing and Talking.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health(SEMH)
One of the four broad areas of SEND need. Covers difficulties with emotional regulation, mental health, attachment, and behaviour, including anxiety, withdrawal, and challenging behaviour.
Emotional Literacy Support Assistant(ELSA)
A teaching assistant who has completed accredited training to deliver short-term, one-to-one emotional literacy support in school, supervised by an educational psychologist.
Trauma-Informed Practice
A framework that recognises the impact of trauma on behaviour and learning and prioritises safety, predictability, and relationships over compliance and consequence.
Where parents ask about this
Parents usually find this page when a school has offered Drawing and Talking and parents are weighing it against external therapy. Searches include "Drawing and Talking Therapy school", "Drawing and Talking versus counselling", and "Drawing and Talking evidence base". A Beaakon clinical psychologist or specialist can advise whether Drawing and Talking is the right level of intervention for your child, or whether a higher level of therapeutic input is needed.
References
The primary legislation, statutory guidance, research, and clinical tools this page draws on.
- Claire Le Mare: Drawing and Talking Therapy Ltd
- Drawing and Talking Therapy: accredited training and case study research
- DfE: Senior Mental Health Lead training (school-based interventions context)
- NICE CG28 (2005): Depression in children and young people
- SEND Code of Practice (DfE / DoH 2015), paragraph 6.32