Glossary of terms
This is a listing of words relating to our approach and methods, along with brief explanations of what they mean in this context. It’s important to know that these are very complex concepts - they cannot be fully explained in one or two sentences, so the aim of this page is just to introduce them.
The list is in alphabetical order, so you can use it as basic guide for looking up a specific term.
Some entries have words that are underlined, which lets you know that those words have their own entry.
Adverse experiences - Experiences that are harmful or disadvantageous to development at any point in the lifespan. These can range from medical, economic or environmental experiences, to those that are interpersonal or relational in character.
Allied health - A healthcare workforce sector represented nationally by Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA). On the organsiation’s website, it is noted that allied health generally refers to the work of “health professionals that are not part of the medical, dental or nursing professions. They are university qualified practitioners with specialised expertise in preventing, diagnosing and treating a range of conditions and illnesses.”
Arts therapists who are ANZACATA Professional Members are considered allied health professionals represented by AHPA.
Embodied/enactive - Frameworks or approaches grounded in the idea that consciousness and experience (including cognition) are expressions and functions of the body as a whole, and in its ongoing interactions with the material world.
Integration - The coordination and functional alignment of processes across the nervous system, including different types of sensory information, motor impulses, cognitive interpretation, and encoding of information to inform future behaviour.
Nervous system - Bodily system comprising the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Its functions include processing sensory information to enable interaction with the world, and managing regulation of both voluntary actions (e.g. going for a walk) and involuntary actions (e.g. breathing and digestion). ‘Neuro’ at the start of the word generally means it has something to do with the nervous system. ‘Neurology’ usually pertains to the nervous system in a medical context.
Neurobiology - An area of science focused on the brain and nervous system from a biological perspective. This is a broad category that covers lots of ground including anatomy and physiology as well as how these give rise to behaviour.
Neurodivergence - The phenomenon of an individual having a nervous system that differs functionally from the global norm. This framing emerged from activism originating in the autistic community, and is intentionally non-pathologising, offering an alternative to purely medical models of neurobiological difference. Neurodivergence is generally seen to be an umbrella term covering many conditions or expressions of nervous system function.
Neurodiversity- A property of populations, whereby they are made up of a combination of neurotypical and variously neurodivergent individuals. This framing emerged from activism originating in the autistic community, is intentionally non-pathologising and suggests a social model of accessibility and support. Strictly speaking, neurodiversity is a property of groups or populations, not of individuals (although a lot of people use it interchangably with neurodivergence).
Neuroaffirming (or neurodiversity-affirming) practice - Therapeutic practice that incorporates the concept of neurodiversity as referring to a real aspect of the world. It considers the presence of diverse neurodevelopmental expressions as something that needs to be taken into account in shaping therapeutic supports.
Neurodivergence-informed - Processes that are informed by the concept of neurodivergence, which is itself informed by the experiences of neurodivergent individuals. In some cases, a practitioner may be informed by their direct experience as a neurodivergent person, or they may rely on the experience of others.
Neuroscience - A transdisciplinary scientific field concerning the brain and nervous system. This includes subcategories such as neurobiology, neurology, neuroanatomy and physiology, cognitive neuroscience, and much more.
Physiological - Having to do with how living things (in this context: humans) function as organisms. This includes how different body parts and systems function.
Neurophysiological refers to the function of the brain and nervous system as part of the organism.
Regulation - Physiological processes that maintain an energy-efficient functional baseline in the body. These processes take place significantly via the nervous system. Regulation is something that happens constantly and involuntarily. It can also be influenced by actions or strategies carried out intentionally to modulate nervous system reponses, emotions or behaviour.
Stress - A load placed on any of the body’s systems (e.g. cognitive, emotional, physical, neurophysiological) by a demand, challenge or threat. Stress is understood as a naturally occurring tension that prompts actions toward problem-solving and self-preservation. Stress is not intrinsically an adverse experience, although it can be if it exceeds processing capacity - for example, when stress loading is acute or chronic.
Trauma - An acute, repeated/cumulative, and/or chronic stress loading experienced in a way that leads to adverse experience persisting beyond the original event.
Trauma-informed - Processes that are informed by the concept of trauma, in a contemporary mental health or wellbeing context. This includes having the understanding that a particular presentation or behaviour may be a response shaped by trauma, rather than an expression of the person’s intentions. This opens the possibility understanding the person more accurately and providing more effective support.