Mel Bates

I am a Creative Arts Psychotherapist and have been working with individuals and groups for the past 25 years. I have found that the arts, alongside talking, can provide a powerful and insightful language to help people express and explore their feelings, gain a deeper understanding of themselves and what underlies their motivations and actions, and get a greater understanding about their relationships to others.

I work with dramatherapy and creative arts techniques and draw on a psychodynamic understanding, so exploring both conscious and known thoughts and feelings as well as unconscious and unknown thoughts and feelings.  

Some people find communicating non-verbally a helpful way to express themselves, whilst others might value and need to explore issues, thoughts and feelings through talking. I aim to build trust and a relationship with you through talking and listening and together selecting creative ways to work.   This might include: Sand tray, Improvisation, Working with symbols, Puppets, Movement, Art-making, Working with myths and stories, Role-play. Sessions are client-led. You can choose how you want to work and there is no expectation to work in a particular way. There is no need to have previous experience in drama or art.

Experiences, feelings and relationships can be explored in therapy. Sometimes the arts can offer a way to more easily express yourself, or see things from a different perspective to what solely talking would bring. It can be a helpful therapy for children as well as adults and families.

How can it help?

By developing greater awareness and understanding of ourselves, therapy can support living more fully and with more choice in how we live. It can help find and develop ways to be aware of emotions and a language to express them. The different roles we play in our lives and relationships can be explored as well as the different aspects of ourselves which are often played out internally in our minds. eg. The critic, the child, the sabatour, the rescuer, the victim. Therapy and the therapeutic relationship provides a space to explore and experience trust and communication and what might feel difficult. It can be an opportunity to develop confidence and to think about how we value ourselves.

I have worked with people who have come to therapy with a wide range of issues such as:

• Low self-esteem and confidence
• Emotional difficulties
• Bereavement
• Depression
• Bi-polar disorder
• Sexual abuse and trauma
• Domestic abuse
• Sexuality
• Anxiety
• Generalised anxiety disorder
• Social anxiety
• Social isolation
• Stress
• Panic attacks
• Self harm
• Eating disorders
• Autism and ASD
• Learning Disability
• Child related issues
• Attachment disorders
• Family issues
• Relationship difficulties
• Being at a time of transition and change
• Personal development and well being

Family work

When I work with families I draw on both my systemic therapy training and my dramatherapy training and experience. Sometimes it is helpful for families to talk and hear each other and understand a little more about each other's positions, feelings and thoughts. Sometimes working creatively together can offer a different language for communication and understanding. After an initial assessment, a contract of work is made with the family which is reviewed regularly. I am experienced in working with families where there are mental health issues, learning disabilities, substance misuse, domestic violence, separation and divorce, and anxiety and worry about a child. All families are welcome including same sex families.

Please do contact me if you would like further information on:

• Individual adult work
• Individual child work
• Family work
• Groups

I am LGBTQI affirmative.

MIND recommend Arts Therapy as 'helpful for any kind of mental health problem. This includes conditions which are given the label 'psychosis'.'

Testimonals:

'Thank you for your help, for your calm and constant way of being and for understanding.'
Adult client.

'She seems so much more in herself and able to manage the challenging moments'.
Parent of young woman with eating disorders.

'Thank you so much for your kindness, wisdom and support. You have helped me so much and I really appreciate all you have done. I would recommend you to anyone.'
Adult client.

'If you are concerned that your child might be getting stuck in a point of their life and not able to go forward - arts therapy is a good way / easier for the child to express what they are feeling without feeling that they have to talk or answer questions or be in the spotlight.'
Parent.

'I have seen positive changes in my daughter. She has said that she has found the space given to her very helpful and has appreciated going into counselling short-term."
Parent.

'Therapy has helped me express my emotions in a clear and concise way.'
Adult client with learning disabilities and ASD.

'I've looked at the dark and the light and am not so frightened of the dark times anymore.'
Adult client with autism.

Outdoor psychotherapy
Currently, due to the pandemic, I am offering work in a private outdoor setting.

My fees are:
£65 -  per session for individuals.
£85 -   for family sessions.
£25 - £50 for groups

Clinical Supervision

Please do contact me if you are interested in clinical supervision, either as a creative arts therapist or a counsellor / therapist who would like to explore client work using creative techniques as well as discussion and talking.

I offer supervision for individuals and also group supervision.

My fees range from £60 - £80 for individuals and £25 - £50 for group supervision.

Testimonals:

'The support, guidance and collaborative enquiry within my supervision sessions have been critical to my progression and development.'

'I find the use of creative arts in supervision really valuable for exploring material from different perspectives, gaining different insights and developing hypotheses.

''Mel provided me with clinical supervision over a few years during which time, she supported me through a number of changes within my professional development.  My time with her provided an empathetic and compassionate space where I could explore and express challenging and complex cases.  My growth as a therapist has been enriched through Mel’s support, to the benefit of myself and the young people I provide therapy for.  The children and young people I brought to supervision felt safe in the hands of Mel and she always held them well.'

'Thank you for your support and guidance - I have felt very held and cared for. Thank you for your shared knowledge and input into my work.'