The Madras Institute of
Art Psychotherapy
The Madras Institute of Art Psychotherapy (MIAP) was founded with a simple purpose, to bring the language of art into the practice of mental health in India.
Rooted in both psychology and creative expression, the institute aims to make art-based therapeutic training accessible, ethical and relevant to the Indian context.
MIAP creates a learning space where art, reflection, and clinical insight come together. Our program blends international best practices with local cultural awareness, helping mental health professionals build the confidence to use creativity as part of their therapeutic approach.
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy opens a quiet, non-verbal space for healing, where feelings take form through colour, texture and movement.
It enables people to express what words often can’t, allowing emotions, memories, and insights to surface safely and gently. By engaging with the creative process, both therapist and client begin to understand, process and transform inner experiences. It is a personal exploration of expression that our inner self yearns to communicate.
Vision
To build a community of mental health professionals in India who integrate art-based interventions into therapy — fostering deeper healing and resilience through creativity.
Mission
To introduce professional counsellors and psychologists to the foundations of art therapy through experiential learning, reflective practice, and ethical supervision — rooted in the Indian context and aligned with global standards.
Facilitators
Guided by experienced art therapists from India and Europe, this program is led by two experts who bring together decades of experience, cultural depth and genuine compassion for the process of healing through art.
Sibylle Cseri
Sibylle Cseri is an accredited clinical supervisor, lecturer, and practicing art therapist with over 20 years of experience. She has been instrumental in developing art therapy as a profession in Spain, working with leading mental health institutions and training organisations.
A faculty member at Metàfora – Studio Arts and Art Therapy in Barcelona and a guest lecturer with the Master’s in Art Therapy at the Kunstakademie Weissensee in Berlin, she brings both depth and international perspective to her teaching.
Sibylle is also a co-founder of the European Federation of Art Therapy (EFAT), where her continued leadership helps shape the growth of art therapy across Europe.
Uma Balachandran
Uma Balachandran is a Counselling Psychologist, Art Therapist, and Professional Supervisor with a strong foundation in both psychology and creative practice.
She holds a Master’s in Counselling Psychology and a Master’s Diploma in Art Psychotherapy from the Canadian International Institute of Art Therapy.
A Professional Member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA) and Executive Committee Member of the Indian Academy of Professional Supervisors (IAPS), Uma brings both international training and deep cultural understanding to her work.
Since 2019, she has facilitated individual and couple therapy, as well as workshops for corporates, schools, and colleges—helping clients explore self-esteem, resilience, and emotional expression through art
Mugdha Shivapurkar
Mugdha is a registered Art Psychotherapist (HCPC, UK) with a deep-rooted affinity for the arts and their therapeutic potential. She holds an MA in Clinical Psychology from Fergusson College, Pune (2015) and an MA in Art Psychotherapy from the University of Roehampton, London.
She brings a decade of diverse experience in integrating creative arts into mental health work across corporate, educational, and counselling contexts. She holds a Mental Health First Aid certification (MHFA England, 2024) and has additional foundational training in Dance Movement Therapy, the Therapeutic Value of Arts, Adlerian Therapy and Drum Circle Facilitation. Mugdha’s therapeutic approach is anchored in the arts, with a strong emphasis on cultural identity, intersectionality, and accessibility. She is particularly drawn to working with grief and personality vulnerabilities always centering the individual, not just the diagnosis. She prioritizes the person over the diagnosis, valuing the humanness and accessibility that the arts bring to therapy.
In 2019, Mugdha co-founded The Secret Ingredient Mental Healthcare, a holistic initiative aimed at reducing stigma and expanding access to inclusive mental health services in India. An experienced educator and facilitator, Mugdha has taught on various Psychology and creative arts therapy courses across undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma levels in India. She is deeply committed to promoting culturally sensitive, ethical, and arts-integrated research in psychotherapy.
Ready to bring creativity
into your therapeutic practice?
The Certificate of Applied Art therapy practice for Psychologists and Counsellors is designed to provide professional counsellors, psychologists, and mental health practitioners with foundational knowledge and practical skills to integrate artbased techniques into their existing practice. This course does not qualify participants as certified or registered art therapists. It is not a substitute for formal postgraduate training in art therapy. Participants are encouraged to use the skills learned here within the ethical scope of their existing professional qualifications.