Art Therapy is a psychotherapy using art materials and processes to express difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences. You can talk about your concerns and we reflect on your personal journey and how this is understood and re-framed through the art making experience. It is not necessary to be able to draw or to be 'good at art' to benefit from art therapy.
Art therapy can be accessible for any age group and is used to support a wide range of challenges such as anxiety, depression, learning difficulties, ASD, trauma, loss and many more. It can also be used in group debriefing, personal reflection and growth. You don't need to be good at art, just willing to work with the therapist as they take you through the therapeutic and creative process.
Art therapy can be found in lots settings including private practice, hospitals, adult and child mental health services, hospices, prisons, mainstream and special schools, family and counselling centres.
Art therapy uses art materials and art-making as well as talking and reflecting together, to help clients understand themselves better and explore different ways forward. Using art materials in a spontaneous way during a session can help us express things we find difficult to articulate and may have multiple layers of meaning for us; it helps us to manage, contain and process our thoughts, feelings and experiences. Art therapy can often throw light on things we struggle to understand.
Sessions may take the form of single workshops, or regular sessions held at the same time and place each week, developing containment and safe, professional boundaries. The work between the client and therapist is confidential.
I am UK based and have an eclectic background as a psychological therapist, artist and illustrator.
I have an MA in Art Therapy, and certificates in mindfulness, CBT and mentalization based therapy; I am a registered art psychotherapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT).
