Emotional Art Journey was born precisely from this intersection: an innovative, creative and conscious idea that brings together counselling and tour guiding, using artworks, spaces and atmospheres as tools for listening and for authentic encounters with oneself.
It is neither a simple guided tour nor a traditional counselling session. It exists somewhere in between: we walk, we observe, we pause, we listen, and we create connections between what we see outside and what we feel inside.
At times we talk, we play, we open up, and we meet ourselves, others, the place and the art.
I accompany small groups or individuals in exploring museums, galleries, ancient streets, parks, churches and all those spaces that carry beauty, memory and silence. No specific knowledge of art is required, nor is it necessary to feel “in search of solutions”. All that is needed is a genuine desire to be present and to experience something slow, human and emotional.
This is my proposal: a path outside conventional frameworks, designed to help us feel again, to be present, and to get to know ourselves.
A new way of encountering art, places and oneself.
What is Counselling?
Counselling is a helping relationship focused on personal wellbeing. It is designed to support people as they navigate sensitive moments or periods of change, fostering awareness and autonomy, always without offering ready-made solutions.
The counsellor provides a space of listening, authentic presence and understanding, helping individuals to manage emotions, relationships and important life choices.
Who I am as a Counsellor and how I apply Counselling to art
I have deeply reimagined the traditionally static role of the counsellor.
Through more than 1,200 hours of training in Person-Centred (Rogersian) Counselling (active listening and empathic communication), Humanistic NLP, Transactional Analysis, Gestalt therapy, and one year of Psychodrama, I have developed an innovative approach that integrates creative and experiential techniques.
In my work I use practices such as mindfulness, bioenergetics, creative writing, drawing, theatre, movement and art itself: tools that encourage exploration, growth and awareness, allowing people to express themselves and discover new dimensions of who they are in unexpected and meaningful ways, through art, its beauty and its layers of meaning.
The approach I offer is human, dynamic and engaging: free from judgement, open to innovation, and centred on experiential presence and deep listening. It is designed to help each person recognise and develop their own inner resources in a creative and authentic way.
My name is Emanuele Arru.
I was born in Rome, I am fifty years old, and I work both as a counsellor and as a licensed tour guide.
For many years, I have been accompanying individuals and groups not only in discovering themselves, but also in exploring the places and artworks that make Rome unique. Art has always been present not only in my professional life, but also in my everyday experience: for me it is not just a matter of beauty or aesthetics, but a true gateway to emotions and to the deeper parts of who we are, where words often cannot reach.
Curriculum
Profession: Professional Counsellor – Licensed Tour Guide
Languages spoken: Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French
Base: Ladispoli (Rome area), active in Rome and throughout Italy
Education
Humanistic–integrated Counselling training – IPOD (Institute of Psychodrama and Dialogue)
Degree in Literature and Philosophy – Sapienza University of Rome
Qualification as Multilingual Tour Guide – Lazio Region
Training in Psychodrama, Theatre Therapy and Empathic Communication
Experience
Counsellor and facilitator in individual and group pathways (since 2021)
Interactive tour guide in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French (since 2013)
Founder and creator of Emotional Art Journey – guided experiences combining art and introspection
Former long-haul flight attendant with Alitalia – several years of experience in an international context
Skills
Active listening and group facilitation
Experiential and psychodramatic techniques
Intercultural communication
Narration, storytelling and theatricality applied to cultural tourism
Leading emotional and experiential journeys in artistic and natural settings