ABT 2024 - Bapu Foundation

“ABT is the evidence-based use of art forms, integrated in a way to offer choices for people with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities, to accomplish their own individualized mental health goals within a safe, recovery-oriented, therapeutic relationship”.

Why use ABT in Mental Health, Disabilities, and Development?

  • The disabilities sector in India and Asia is today powered by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The ABT View and skill-sets are congruent with the vision of the CRPD of disability-inclusive development.
  • Our framework is interdisciplinary, including basic counseling, body psycho-therapies, trauma-informed counseling, Indian psychology, philosophy, research-based on arts-based therapies, cognitive sciences, and social justice theories. ABT is a safe way of approaching deep-rooted habitual behaviors, building insight, empathy, compassion, and connection among individuals and families.
  • ABT addresses low and high support needs of persons with mental health issues and psychosocial disabilities, and indeed persons with disabilities in general.ABT mobilizes social capital and support systems for the client group students work with.
  • ABT does help the student practitioners to achieve desired levels of self-care, clarity, and compassion.
  • ABT, with other psychosocial interventions, empowers people and families to have the necessary support for feeling fully included in their homes and communities.
  • Support interventions using ABT can be broken down into specific actions, based on therapeutic goals, so that support can be customized to the client’s express needs.

Origin Of ABT

“ABT is primarily an art form, practiced scientifically and based on the Subtle Energy Guide (SEG), organized and consistently practiced by the World Centre for Creative Learning Foundation [World Centre For Creative Learning Foundation (WCCLF)] since 2005.” SEG teaching falls under the broader Buddhist teachings offered now and again by WCCLF. (Please visit https://wcclf.org for more information.).

  • WCCLF invented Arts Based Therapy in its present form; and has over the last 12 years (2005-2017), trained over 250+ professionals, to enable work in a number of Disability and Development areas, including de-addiction, children and women at risk, persons, especially children, with disabilities, mental health, cancer care, dementia, Parkinson’s, etc. In this time, WCCLF created the evidence base of the day-to-day effectiveness of ABT in diverse settings among a diversity of people with needs.
  • ABT founding figures include Ms. Asha Pillai Balsara, Mr. Zubin Balsara, Mr. Aanand Chabukswar, and Ms. Deborah Daniels. These founders of ABT continue to offer various special and upgraded courses on useof specific artistic skills in the context of healing.
  • Bapu Group is hosting the course, now in its fifth year, in the format prescribed by WCCLF. Faculty of the ABT course are trained and certified as Arts-Based Therapy Educators by the World Centre For Creative Learning Foundation.

About Bapu

The Bapu Group is, located in Pune city, India. Bapu works with multiple stakeholders within the Development sector on the inclusion of persons with mental health issues and psychosocial disabilities, including 1.Disabilities 2.Policy and Law 3.Poverty 4.Gender 5.Marginalization 6.Urbanization 7.Community Development 8.Health 9.Social Justice 10.Livelihoods 11.Human Rights 12.Education

  • Bapu Group was started as a novel idea in advocacy for human rights-based community mental health services. Our domains of work include Research, Training, Enabling dialogue platforms in India and Asia on policy issues, and innovative services in Development. ‘Seher’, the service wing of Bapu Group, has been working in urban community mental health. We work in collaboration with Pune Municipal Corporation in several low-income pockets of Pune, through ‘Community Wellness Centers’.
  • Bapu Group has always straddled two universes of practice – non-medical healing practice and social justice practice. In building synergy across these two dynamic universes, the Bapu has been strongly grounded in the two pillars of contemporary healing arts and disability thinking – Arts Based Therapy [ABT] and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [UNCRPD].
  • For the last 10 years, Bapu Group has focused on realizing the full potential of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), especially Article 19 (Living independently and being included in communities). We have been involved in developing social innovations for the full inclusion of persons with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities. Bapu Group, working with a cross-disability perspective, offers several opportunities for engagement with communities, including direct community inclusion services, advocacy, research, training, and leadership development in disability inclusion.
  • Visit www.baputrust.com for more information.

Psychosocial wellbeing in Development, Using Arts-Based Therapy a Certificate Course “Bringing Arts Based Therapy to Asia

ABT is the evidence-based use of art forms, integrated in a way to offer choices for people with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities, to accomplish their own individualized mental health goals within a safe, recovery-oriented, therapeutic relationship”

ABT as a creative modality fulfills to the maximum, the purpose and vision for which Bapu was created: “healing environments will be creative, non-hazardous, non-violent and playful; and will respect the dignity and autonomy of the person.”




  • Who is an Arts Based Therapy Practitioner?


  • Duration


  • Unique Features


  • Aims and Learning Outcomes


  • Useful for


  • Learning


  • Course Flow at a Glance


  • Fees Structure


  • Eligibility

ABT is practiced by a credentialed professional who has completed the ABT Certificate Course. Such a practitioner would follow the value base of the Subtle Energy Guide (SEG), use integrated ABT with clarity and specificity, will devotedly engage in daily practices of compassion and wisdom, and will have an enduring longing to be of use to people and the planet.

ABT is a unique training of both the View and the Method, giving a profound value base to healing professionals and skillsets intended to multiply choice for the diverse needs of groups of persons with disabilities across intersectional factors of gender, disability, culture, caste, sexuality, identity, age, etc.

 

  • A yearlong "BT-ABT" Psychosocial Wellbeing in Development, Using Arts-Based Therapy Certificate Course: is hosted by the Bapu group of Organizations every year, in Pune. The course is now open for the 7th year, BT-ABT batch of 2024-2025.
  • A certificate course on Arts-Based Therapy [ABT] is offered by the Bapu group of Organizations, with a key focus on mental health and disabilities, within the overall frame of disability-inclusive development.
  • Course trainers of the BT-ABT course are trained and certified as Arts-Based Therapy Educators by the World Centre For Creative Learning Foundation, Pune, India.

  • ABT course is unique to bring art forms (drama, music, visual arts) 'together' in an integrated manner to address diverse psycho-social and disability support needs.

  • The course is based in Indian Psychology and Ethics, Cognitive sciences, studies of Social Justice and Disability Inclusive Development.

  • ABT course is only for the Asian region.

  • The ABT course brings the additional strengths of Bapu Group’s 20 years of work in community mental health and its expertise on the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

"The student is certified as an"ABT Practitioner"when s/he is able to:

  • Demonstrate understanding and specific practice in the area of each of the arts in support of giving, and facilitating healing and recovery of persons with a spectrum of psychosocial needs.
  • TDesign and implement ABT customized to individual and group needs within arange of "at-risk" groups in development practice.
  • Expand consciousness through realizing the full capabilities of oneself, meaningful relationships, and purposeful/useful living as recovery support persons, healers,and or as therapists.

 

Professionals, Para-professionals and volunteers:

  • Working in the Human service sectors

  • Working in Disability Development Practice with experience or interest in providing psychosocial support.

  • Working in health, mental health, social work, or other support-providing sectors.

  • Experienced artists; working in a psychosocial support role or those trained in a particular art therapy form, seeking more integrated arts-based approaches.

  • Experienced senior volunteers; with a lifetime commitment to dedicate themselves to the service of people and families with psychosocial / disability support needs.

 

  • Highly interactive and participatory

  • Seminars on ABT Theory

  • Lab workshops for the practice of all ABT Skills (rhythm, voice, and drama, visual arts)

  • Individual Assignments (Practice of Theory and Skills)

  • Practical work on ABT through Action Research

 

Jul-24

Jan-25

Learning Workshop- I Pune Assessments HBA*

Action Research Project HBA*

Aug-24

Feb-25

Pilot Project HBA*

Action Research Project HBA*

Sep-24

Mar-25

Pilot Project HBA*

Action Research Project Supervision-2 HBA* Submissions

Oct-24

Apr-25

Pilot Project Phone Viva HBA*

Action Research Project

Nov-24

May-25

Learning Workshop-II in Pune Assessments HBA*

Report Submissions

Dec-24

Jun-25

Action Research Project Supervision 1 HBA*

Results and Certification

  • Application and processing fee: INR 500/- (compulsory and non-refundable, to be paid at time of applying to the course).
  • Course Fee: INR 86500/- for entire course period inclusive of complete ABT kit, classroom resources, student resource materials, on-call supervision by guides, training fee, lunches and refreshments during the workshop days and certification ceremony.
  • There are no discounts or concessions on fees.
  • Options for fee payment: Payment of fee can be initiated soon after the announcement of admission is made. Fee payment details can be obtained by writing to abtcourse.baputrust@gmail.com
  • In case a student drops out, the fees will not be refunded.
  • What is not covered by the course fee? Accommodation, food during the workshop or contact days, supervisor's travel and stay, any additional costs incurred by the student in doing the assignments or the projects is not covered by the course fee.

    Eligibility for the Applicant:

  • Asian nationals from any of the regions (West Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and South East Asia) can apply.
  • Masters level or higher education could be in any of the subjects, Medical / Psychology / Counseling/Development Practice / Humanities
    Graduation with a minimum of four years or more field experience, and working with people.

  • Applicants must The formal education criteria will be waived for applicants having field experience of consistently working with persons with disabilities for seven years or more.have a clear understanding of lived experiences, risks, and restrictions in participation, of the group that he/she will be working with.

  • Applicants must be working with an organization where s/he could directly apply what s/he learn under the supervision of team leaders and peers.

  • Inclination or passion for the art forms. However, prior formal training in drama, music or other art forms is NOT mandatory.
    • Note: Undergraduate students or fresh graduates with no other experience need not apply.

    Eligibility for the Organization:

  • Registered Organizations working in Development or social services.

  • Organizations working in disability, mental health sectors.

  • Commitment to incorporate ABT in their organizational processes.

 



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The course is now open to the
7th year, BT-ABT batch of 2024-2025. Course starts in July 2024

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Admission:
Enrolment into the Course for 2024-25 starts by 1st Jan 2024. Application Form Submission: Latest by 1st May 2024 to 30 June 2024.

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    Communication Address
    1 Kaul Building, Second Floor Above Ministry of Labour Office, Off, Shankar Sheth Rd, opp. Kumar Pacific Mall, Gurunanak Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411042
    Registered Address
    Flat No 704, Fillicium, Nyati Estate, Mohammedwadi, Pune 411 060
    Phone No
    Telephone: + 91 20 29993272
    Email
    abtcourse.baputrust@gmail.com
    Faculty Contact
    On all weekdays between 10 A.M. and 6 P.M Bhargavi Davar: 9823291989 (WhatsApp only) Kavita Nair: 7709045080 (WhatsApp only)