Bridget Salter

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she/her
Art Psychotherapist
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Weston-Super-Mare, BS23
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

My Practice

Welcome. 

I am a fully qualified and accredited art psychotherapist and specialise in offering art therapy to children, adolescents, young adults and trainees. In conjunction with that, I also offer therapeutic support for parents and carers. My experience includes work across the age range, from 4 year olds and above, in a variety of settings. 

Children and young people can sometimes become overwhelmed and worried about their lives or aspects of it, struggling to find the words, and need support that is separate from family and friends. They might seek help themselves, or parents/carers might see their need and respond. 

For young adults, transitioning from childhood to adulthood is a particularly challenging time and can bring with it difficulies that need space to work through and make sense of, to give them the confidence to make their own way.

Art therapy is an accessible, recognised and regulated therapeutic approach which young people often readily engage with. They can find it easier to explore thoughts and feelings through creative means rather than just with words, particularly when they feel confused and unsure, and it is often a mix of image and words that can provide a bridge to feeling understood. 

My practice is led by the young person and their needs. We might use different mediums depending on age and inclination; younger children will often use play and storytelling as a means of communication, whereas young adults might gravitate primarily towards art making.  Sometimes talking is enough, sometimes working things through in silence is better. Perhaps playing games together enables a connection to be made while we talk. In each case, I respond to the individual and what they bring, with creativity underpinning the work.

Things we might think about might include relationships, anxiety, self-esteem, feeling low, identity, loss, managing emotions, change, trauma. And just being you.

Often behaviour is the outward sign of distress, for instance debilitating anxiety or explosive anger, and my focus will be on the underlying issues that might lie beneath. Art therapy can be really helpful to explore unconscious processes in a gentle and supportive way, especially when these feel confusing to both the young person and those around them.

I offer a space where the child or young adult can feel safe to explore the difficulties that might be on their mind. I go at their pace, giving them time to make sense of their life experiences and thoughts. Sometimes things are resolved in a few weeks, sometimes it takes longer. Regular reviews will help determine this, and I will always work within the time frame that is possible.

I offer individual sessions, or where appropriate, with parent and child (dyadic), or sometimes a mix of the two. With children I always offer concurrent sessions with parents. We can decide what might work best in the initial assessment sessions. 

I also offer therapy for trainees who are on arts therapy training courses, a uniquely challenging and exciting undertaking, providing space and support to work through both the opportunities and demands this training brings, and what emerges..

Art Psychotherapy

Art psychotherapy, or art therapy, is a form of psychotherapy that uses image making, art forming and creative expression as the primary means of communication and exploration. It allows a conversation to develop between the client, the artwork and the art therapist that gives space for understanding, reflection and healing. 

It is not a recreational activity nor an art lesson; you do not have to be good at art or have experience doing it. The focus is on the process and not on the final form; there is no judgment or critique. I often refer to it as improvisation. 

Art psychotherapy allows feelings and thoughts to emerge, to be seen and thought about. It can help untangle and make sense of life experiences and troubles, the therapist there to guide and support, giving space wherever it is needed.

MA Art Psychotherapy / HCPC / BAAT

Training, qualifications & experience

I qualified as an Art Psychotherapist in 2017, and have extensive experience of working with children and young people and their families, parents and young adults, and therapist trainees. This has included employment in a wide variety of settings, including CAMHS (Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services in the NHS), charity organisations, in schools and in a private setting. My private practice runs alongside these other commitments. 

I work with children and young people with a huge variety of presentations, whether severe anxiety, pervasive depression, seperation difficulties or struggling with friendships. I have experience and specific training to support young people with developmental trauma. I work with Adoption West and local councils to support adopted and fostered children and their families. I work with young people with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD. I work with the local council to provide psychotherapy to refugee children and their families.

An Art Therapist (or Art Psychotherapist, both titles are interchangeable) is someone who has undertaken training in art therapy approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). In the UK Art Therapists are statutorily regulated by the HCPC and must be on this register to practice legally. 

I am registered with the HCPC and a member of the British Association of Art Therapists (www.BAAT.org), and I abide by these organisations' codes of professional and ethical conduct. I hold a current Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate and am fully insured.

I have regular supervision and am committed to continuing professional development, pursuing my interest in a psychotherapeutic approach to children’s and young people’s mental health.

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.

HCPC
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.

They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.

Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.

Fees

£50.00 - £60.00
Free initial telephone or online session

Additional information

After an initial free conversation on the phone or online, I offer a period of assessment of a few sessions which allows for both the young person and myself to work out if therapy and my approach is a good fit. At any point the young person can decide to stop. This may be enough, or we may decide a different approach is more suitable at this point. There is no obligation to continue. If we agree to proceed with therapy, sessions are offered to an agreed timescale, with regular reviews included.

All self-referred sessions are £50 each, and commissioned work is charged at £60/session. All last for 50 mins each.

Payment is made on the day by BACS; cancellations within 24hrs are charged the full rate.

Sessions are normally held weekly.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

At present I have availability on Friday mornings only

Further information

At present I run my private practice on Fridays only, and currently have availability on Friday mornings. I practice from dedicated clinic rooms in central Weston-Super-Mare that provide a calm and friendly space.

Sessions are held face to face, with safety protocols in place to prevent risk of Covid 19 transmission.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Weston-Super-Mare, BS23

Type of session

In person

Types of client

Children
Young people
Adults
Families

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Unfortunately the clinic space I work from is on the second floor and the building does not have a lift. Please contact me if this is an obstacle to you visiting.

Bridget Salter
Bridget Salter