How it Works
In Detail:
Peer Support & Art Therapy

| Copenhagen, North Zealand Region & Online Globally.

Facilitator Charles J. Wolf | Interdisciplinary researcher, artist, peer-led facilitator 

For quick answers to common questions (e.g. “What kind of practice is this?”, “Is this suitable for ADHD?”, “Do I need a diagnosis?”), see the [FAQ]  page.

This page explains the practice in more depth: how it works, who it’s for, what to expect, and the philosophy behind it.

“In 10 Seconds”

• Peer-led trauma-informed art therapy and support

• For trauma, ADHD, burnout, grief, emotional overload

• In Copenhagen, North Zealand, and online

• No diagnosis required

• No artistic experience needed

• Conversation (peer-support) or creative sessions (art therapy)

What We Do

I offer one-on-one therapeutic art practice and peer support in Copenhagen and North Zealand (Nordsjælland) ...and online (globally).

This includes:

• Art-based creative practice, in person or online

• One-to-one support calls (conversation-based)

This is non-clinical, non-diagnostic trauma informed support based on lived experience and research-informed understanding.

One-to-One Support for C-PTSD, ADHD, Grief, Burnout and mindfulness in Denmark & Internationally

Who Can Benefit

I offer peer support for adults navigating experiences that often fall outside clear categories, including:

• Relational trauma and betrayal experiences

• Emotional overload or long-term stress

• Attention dysregulation, rumination, or mental fragmentation

• Burnout in high-performance or high-responsibility environments

• Periods where internal experience no longer matches external functioning

• Situations that feel destabilising, confusing, or difficult to describe

The benefits of this process-led practice of reset, recalibration, and regulation apply across a range of human experience, well suited for trauma, and attention, grounding stress, grief, and burnout through to identity, awareness, and mindfulness, but don’t need any diagnosis to reach out or participate.

I also offer support for people who are struggling internally without clear language for what few in their support group may even understand. Others just want diversion. No Diagnosis needed or created.

What People are Often Experiencing Underneath

I offer support for situations where:

• Experience feels real but difficult to explain.

Often in relational trauma the trusted sounding board is gone, leaving no external validation for internal experiences. Experiences many will never encounter, leaving a vacuum of understanding even among those who care.

• Traditional talk therapy feels too interpretive or has not helped.

• There is fatigue from being analysed or labelled.

• Internal experience feels fragmented, overloaded, or unstable.

• Something feels “off” but does not fit a diagnosis or category.

This support is built for the specific neurological load of relational trauma, often where C-PTSD symptoms or ADHD-coded distractions make standard talk therapy feel impossible or ineffective. Frankly some wounds we do not want touched, so we never see a doctor. We don't even want to talk about it. 

This includes what is sometimes described as a relational or ontological destabilisation of identity and reality, meaning a disruption in how self and world are experienced. Experienced as a shattering, If that describes you, definitely connect. But in general you don't need any circumstance other than a mental health practice.

What I Offer (the work itself)

I offer peer-led trauma-informed scaffolding rather than analysis or diagnosis.

A steady, non-interruptive presence that supports you in staying with your experience without needing to translate it into clinical language.

The work supports clarity, stability, and recognition of experience as it unfolds. Cornerstone Philosophy here.

Art Therapy and Creative Practice

I offer art-based sessions as a low-output or non-verbal way of working with experience.

This is not performance-based and does not require artistic skill.

Creative Work Can Support:

• when words are not accessible

• when thinking becomes circular or overloaded (fogged)

• when emotional experience is difficult to structure much less articulate

The focus is process, not outcome. That process involves trauma-informed understanding, utilising different creative circuitry, externalisation and expression, with a supportive witness. For grounding theory, see Why Art.

Creative process can sometimes access forms of regulation, grounding, and expression that remain inaccessible through conversation alone.

Is this practice suitable for ADHD / AuDHD?

This practice is well suited for ADHD and AuDHD, both for support calls and art therapy.  

Sessions help by giving attention something external to hold onto, rather than trying to manage everything internally at once. Creative process and short focused conversation can reduce overwhelm, interrupt looping thoughts, and make it easier to start and stay with what is present.  

This can support regulation when attention feels scattered, overloaded, or stuck.  

No diagnosis or artistic experience is required.  

For Wolf’s theoretical research on ADHD, see research.

For a concise explanation of how this works and how it differs from coaching, see the [FAQ].

Online body doubling for ADHD / AuDHD?

I offer online body doubling for ADHD and AuDHD, including Zoom body doubling sessions and virtual co-working support.  

These are live Zoom co-working sessions where you work on your own tasks while I also work in the same space. The shared presence creates external structure that supports focus, task initiation, and accountability through co-regulation.  

This is real-time ADHD body doubling in a Zoom environment, not coaching, instruction, or performance guidance.  

Body doubling in this context means using shared presence as an external support for attention. It helps reduce distraction, supports task initiation, and stabilises focus when working alone is difficult.  

No diagnosis, preparation, or art-making is required.

For a concise explanation of body doubling and how it works in practice, see the [FAQ].

Support Calls (Peer Understanding)

In addition, to in person work, I offer one-to-one support calls for people who may not want creative work, but need someone who knows and understands first-hand what they are experiencing, often in isolation.

These are direct conversations focused on:

• being understood without translation into clinical terms

• holding complexity without reduction

• working through experience in real time

Not a hotline but a warm-line with the understanding of lived experience... you know when it's missing. In person art sessions can have waiting lists. When you really need someone to talk to (or know someone who does) that requires prioritised entry.

Many people reaching out are carrying experiences they feel unable to explain within their existing support circle.

Clients have access to all three: in person, online, and phone support in combination.

Is this practice only for trauma or mental health crisis?

This practice is not only for trauma or crisis. Many people seek refuge for stress, overwhelm, emotional exhaustion, burnout, or sustained cognitive load, including high-functioning professionals (men and women), creatives, internationals, and caregivers.  

It supports stress management, decompression, nervous system regulation, and emotional reset, especially when life feels overloaded but not clinical.  

This can also function as active mindfulness for people who do not connect with traditional meditation, gym-based regulation, or conventional wellness spaces.  

Sessions can support stress, overwhelm, emotional clarity, attention regulation, creative grounding, and nervous system recovery before burnout develops.  

No diagnosis, crisis, or “serious enough” reason is required.

For a concise answer to this question, see the [FAQ]

Language

All sessions, in-person or online in English ("kun engelsk fordi jeg taler lidt dansk")

Expats and Internationals Belong Here

Navigating a foreign landscape is inherently isolating and understood by few. Whether you are an international in Denmark or elsewhere, this is a space where that experience is recognized and understood. This practice is especially suitable for internationals, expats, English speakers, and people navigating isolation or transition within Denmark.

Global & Local Reach: Providing sessions globally online and in person across the North Zealand (Nordsjælland) corridor and Copenhagen.

Systems-Level Approach: A research-led practice focusing on Attention, Trauma, and Systems-Level Cognition.

Informed Empathy: A naturally safe space for those navigating the high-pressure transitions of the international journey.

Online Art Therapy / In Person Art Therapy

I offer both:

Art-based practice in person and online via Zoom.

Support calls online via phone.  Call it  teletherapy,  or more accurately,  peer-support calls.
You may combine all three. 

What happens in the first session?

What happens in the first session?

One of the core principles in this practice is art as buffer. Materials such as sketchbooks, canvas, clay, or movement create a shared focus point that allows experience to unfold without direct exposure or interrogation. This means you are not placed under clinical analysis, evaluation, or interpretation.  

What is created is not the focus, the process of externalising and stabilising attention is.

For a concise answer about the first session, see the [FAQ].

What kind of practice is this?

I offer a peer-led, trauma-informed, non-clinical support practice using conversation, creative process, and attention-based co-regulation. It is not medical or diagnostic and requires no clinical categorisation. 

How often do people attend sessions?

Sessions can be single or ongoing depending on need. Some people attend occasionally for grounding or reset, while others use sessions more regularly during periods of stress, overload, or reduced capacity. There is no fixed frequency or commitment structure.  

Support is non-linear, and sessions can be used flexibly across in-person, online, and phone-based formats depending on what is needed.

For a concise answer about session frequency, see the [FAQ].

Getting Started

This is a private one-to-one practice held through direct contact rather than open booking.

There is no intake process or clinical screening. You don’t need to prepare anything in advance or present a structured reason for reaching out. (Use the online form)

If it feels like a fit, you are invited to get in touch through the contact form. Sessions are then arranged privately on a one-to-one basis.

Diagnosis

I do not require or offer diagnosis, labels, or clinical referral.

I offer support that does not depend on categorisation. No notes, No analysis. No Report.

Session format

Sessions are one-to-one and take place online or in Copenhagen and North Zealand region.

There is no fixed protocol. However for the cornerstone theory of my practice see Why Art.

Depending on what you choose, sessions may include:

• conversation-based support

• art-based creative process work

• shared focus or attention-based grounding

Duration 

Typical session online peer support 45 minutes. In person creative sessions 45 to 90 minutes. Plans available.

Location

I offer sessions:

Online globally

In person in Copenhagen and North Zealand (Nordsjælland), From Vedbæk to Hornbæk, at various indoor and outdoor locations (The Harbor, The Beach, The Forest, The Museum, Urban Tour, In Studio). Days vary depending on where I am working. Ideally you will get a chance to do all in a year, a quarter, or a month. 

Materials

Sessions include drawing, painting, and photography. All Materials Provided. Your own welcome.

Museum Sessions: Inside the galleries and sculpture gardens of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, we work exclusively with dry materials: pencils, charcoal, and sketchpads.

Plein Air: Painting sessions at the harbor, the beach, or the forest can utilize acrylics (provided). We work small, handheld, and mindful of environment and conditions. 

Photo Sessions: Urban and nature sessions require only a smartphone camera.

Using a pencil or cellphone is the only "skill" needed to participate. You can use what you like, but we start on the ground.

We primarily use dry or fast-drying materials. Nothing is stored between sessions. Ideally, the work is a complete, contained experience within the session.

Drawing and photography sessions are safe for most any wardrobe; for painting sessions, please dress accordingly.

Note: Louisiana Museum one-on-one sessions are held during slow midweek afternoons but slots fill up fast.

Can I bring my dog? Yes.  If venue permits.

Can I bring my kid? Yes. With caveats. Infants for sure.

Do you work with Children? No

Do you work in groups? No. Aside from corporate bookings, and Key note speaking.

Investment

Art Sessions - Online and in person

Fees are shaped by location, billing country, and scope of work. Sessions typically begin from 1,000 DKK, with final details confirmed following an initial conversation.

Online Support Calls (phone)

Sessions typically begin from 500 DKK, depending on location, frequency, and scope. Final details are confirmed following an initial conversation.

Access -  How to Connect

Work is arranged through direct contact and an initial conversation. This is not a self-service booking model; sessions are individually scoped and scheduled.

Confidentiality

All sessions are confidential and I uphold the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality and choice. Data is subject to protections under GDPR.

Ethical framework

This work is informed by the EFAT Code of Ethics for Art Therapists as an example of a guiding ethical framework for creative therapeutic practice. Available here.

Professional positioning

I am not a licensed psychologist. I offer peer-led scaffolding based on lived experience and direct understanding, informed by Research.  See About Me for more. 

To know the philosophical base of this work read Why Art Therapy here

The Core Intent: Meeting the Experiential Gap

The hardest part of navigating rare or complex trauma is the profound sense of isolation, not just from others, but from yourself. You may find yourself in a state that is outside your own scope of knowing, in a territory where neither you nor anyone you know has a map. It is a harrowingly lonely place to be: where even the most caring people in your circle cannot fully support you because they have no reference point for your reality.

I offer a space where you no longer have to bridge that gap alone. This work is about scaffolding that experiential isolation. It's a space for direct recognition, where you don’t have to exhaust yourself trying to translate the "indescribable" and still lack being understood. If you are in that place where the internal experience is no longer one others can relate to...if you know, you know... I offer a peer-led presence to walk that territory with you. When you've passed the point that connection is rare to find in your care circle, the value of that connection requires no explanation. Connect here.

MEMBER: ESCAN, DFSN, APA, SPSP 

"I've worked as a peer-based counselor... Wolf nails it every time with insight and empathy. Believe in what he says."