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There can be many reasons why at different times in our life, we may experience feelings of anxiety, depression, or simply not feel like ourselves. Bereavement, trauma, stress and anxiety can all create an imbalance in how we are able to manage our relationships, jobs and or family life. My aim is to explore these feelings with you, using the creative arts to help make sense of your experience.
I am an art psychotherapist who uses the arts within the therapeutic relationship as tools, or pathways that together, help bring awareness and understanding to what you are feeling. I draw from over 20 years experience of being a practising artist and I use this experience to help guide the creativity of my clients, whilst giving space for the imagination to flourish.
My training as an integrative art psychotherapist allows me to create a bespoke approach, that will best suit your needs. I believe that a key component in an individual’s healing lies in developing a nurturing and trusting relationship with the body. The link between our mental and physical health is an area of special interest to me. The body is a powerful communicator of our emotions, we are embodied beings and learning to listen to the body within the therapy allows us to explore the links between past and present and the relationship between the body and the mind.
I am often asked if being able to draw is a necessity, I cannot emphasis enough that it is not. Art therapy is about being curious and using the creative arts to express your inner voice. Within my therapy room there will be a variety of media, including clay, sand tray and found objects, as well as more traditional drawing tools of charcoal, crayon and paint. All of which are there as an invitation to use.
Next Steps
If you think that art therapy might be for you and are interested in learning more about it, I would be happy to chat with you.
I am an HCPC accredited art psychotherapist and run a private practise in Twickenham, South West London. I offer weekly 50 minute appointments, at £80 per session.
Please use the contact page if you would like to book an initial session, or if you would like to find out more about art therapy.
Kintsugi Inspired Workshops
Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese art of mending a broken piece of pottery with lacquered gold. The tradition began as an aesthetically pleasing solution to mending a precious tea bowl in the 15th century. Its philosophy however, is rooted in the idea that an object’s history becomes the very thing that makes the object more precious and by enhancing its ‘brokenness’, which becomes part of its ‘story’, it becomes that much more beautiful.
As part of my practise I also run creative workshops. These workshops have been inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, the art of finding beauty in imperfection. Kintsugi is a beautiful example of this. It is a celebration of repair and transformation.
Each workshop is developed from this philosophy. I work collaboratively with art therapists and artists to create bespoke workshops using different creative methods and skills to explore this concept.
The idea behind the workshops is to draw a parallel between the physical act of repair and the emotional act of repair. The invitation is to bring something that holds meaning to you, which could be an object, a photograph or something remembered and in need of a little Kintsugi. The workshops then offer space to repair, re-create or re-imagine what you have chosen to bring.
The workshop’s philosophy seeks to embrace our imperfections, our fragility, our tender hearts and celebrate these as part of our humanity, particularly in a time where culture not only encourages the opposite but rewards it.
Groups are small, generally five to six people and offer a warm and supportive space for you to come and explore, create and express yourself.
Training & qualifications
BA Fine Art & Art History: Goldsmiths University
MA in Integrative Art Psychotherapy: The Institute for Arts in Therapy & Education
Certificate in Counselling Skills: The Institute for Arts in Therapy & Education
Advanced Diploma in the Therapeutic & Educational Application of the Arts: The Institute for Arts in Therapy & Education
Certificate in Clinical Trauma Training: Working with the Neurobiological Legacy of Trauma (CCTP)
Certificate in Healing Trauma with Guided Drawing: The Institute of Sensorimotor Art Therapy
