Ellie Smale

Sometimes it’s hard to find the words. Sometimes our thoughts, feelings and actions leave us scared, confused and not knowing which way to turn. I am an accredited Art Psychotherapist, and EMDR Therapist based in Sheffield. I offer a safe, confidential space in which, together, we can make sense of your experiences, alleviate distressing symptoms, and find a positive way forward.

Is my therapy right for you?

Studies show that it is the quality of the relationship between a therapist and client that creates the space for healing. So, I offer myself, not a blank screen, to work with you on the issues that bring you to therapy. I draw on different types of therapy to suit individuals but above all else we work together in a relationship of trust and respect. 

You may have a clear idea about why you are coming to therapy, or you may not. You might have a diagnosis that has left you feeling any number of ways; you may feel frustrated by your own behaviour, and powerless to strong emotions that seem to 'take you over' when you you least expect; there may be events from your past that ‘won’t leave you alone’; or you may find that history seems to repeat itself; maybe it feels like something is missing and want life to feel different. 

Whatever brings you to seek therapy, our work will be unique. Yet with genuine curiosity and compassion I commit to offering a safe and non-judgemental space. The therapy I offer makes space for creativity but there is no expectation for you to be artistic, or even to make art. Most people I work with haven’t touched art since early childhood and yet they find that thinking creatively together can unlock resources they didn’t know they had. Many people find making art can be relaxing, sometimes even a distraction from talking. Some people tell me that it was helpful to have a ‘third’ thing in the room which made the work of therapy easier.

Art therapy and EMDR complement each other brilliantly and that art infuses my trauma processing protocols with colour, creativity and flow. Like EMDR therapy, the arts therapies are considered a “bottom-up approach” acknowledging that experiences can be stored in the body. Accessing and integrating these sensory aspects of an implicitly stored trauma memory plays a crucial part of healing and integration.

What is EMDR?

EMDR is recommended in the NICE guidelines for treatment of PTSD and trauma.  

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a therapy that enables people to heal from symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. EMDR therapy shows that the mind heals in a similar way to the body. When we cut ourselves, our body works to close the wound, but if a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. Using the detailed protocols and procedures, EMDR therapy helps clients and activate their natural healing processes.

 (https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/)

What is art therapy? 

"Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain", C. Jung.

Creative expression tends to bypass the 'thinking mind', giving form to what needs to emerge. Creating and reflecting on artwork together often offers faster resolution when talking alone might not.

We all grow up in a society where expressing our embodied feelings is complicated, often not allowed. A life of shutting away these angers, joys, shames and fears away means that when they leak out in our feelings and behaviours, we often have no idea where they came from. When our 'locked away' feelings and memories are welcomed into the safe space of therapy we can understand them, and as we understand them, they often transform, freeing us of the unconscious effect they once had.

Art therapy is not about making ‘good art’.

Art therapy is not an art lesson.

An art therapist will not analyse or interpret artwork.

Art is used for expression, and an art therapist will be curious with you about what your art communicates to you. By slowing down and focusing our attention we are often able to sense and express the stories and emotions our bodies hold. I believe that each person is the expert on themselves and that art therapy can access inner wisdom that can make sense of, integrate, and heal what is needed.

I find that the art of writing often accompanies visual art, and I sometimes encourage clients to respond to their art with free writing. The poetry that emerges often deepens and clarifies the therapy.

I am an enhanced member of the British Association of Art Therapists (www.BAAT.org) who have further information on their website if you are interested. All art therapists work differently so if you are uncertain please drop me a line by email or by phone. I am always happy to talk about what I do and whether my way of working could suit your needs.

How many times/how long would we meet?

We all want things to get better as quickly as possible. For some, short term therapy is all that is needed to move through a period of stuckness or anxiety. EMDR can be a fast process and some report complete cessation of symptoms in just a few sessions. For most, a medium or longer-term therapy is needed to allow the building of relationship needed for deeper work. Creativity can be used to create a body of artwork that finds a momentum all its own. 

Weekly therapy is necessary when therapy is beginning, especially if using EMDR. Fortnightly or monthly sessions are sometimes appropriate as therapy progresses, and we will always discuss your availability and needs. 

Sessions can be 60, or 90 minutes.

How do we get started?

If you're interested in starting therapy with me, we will speak on the phone or via email to arrange an initial meeting. Our first meeting will be an informal assessment and is a chance for us to think about how therapy may work, and for you to ask me questions about me and the therapy I offer. We will have the chance to talk about what brings you to therapy, what you are hoping for, or what worries you.

This initial meeting is free of charge and will last about 30 mins.

Sessions can be 60-minutes, or 90-minutes, and are priced at £65, and £95 respectively.

What do you need to know?

I am an accredited Arts Psychotherapist with a Masters and an Advanced Diploma in Arts Psychotherapy. I am trained to Level 3 EMDR with an accredited EMDR Europe Trainer.

I am registered with the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC) and adhere to their safeguarding and ethics frameworks for good practice.

I am an enhanced member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) and adhere to their guidelines for ethic and good practice.

I have Professional Indemnity Insurance with Howden Insurance Group.

I undertake Continued Professional Development (CPD) and have regular Clinical Supervision.

I have experience working with people who suffer from:
Bereavement and Grief - Anorexia Nervosa - Bulimia - Anxiety – Depression – Dissociation, Dissociative Seizures - Those affected by cancer - PTSD -    Those affected by stroke and cognitive impairment  -  'borderline personality' diagnosis symptoms  - 'Dissociative Identity Disorder' (DID) symptoms – Challenges with parenting traumatised children - Childhood trauma, abuse, & neglect. 

I do not get hung up on psychological diagnoses but understand they mean different things to different people. I approach each person's symptoms as a valid response to life experience, not a 'disorder to be fixed'. I believe it is possible to face our symptoms wih curiosity, to understand them better, and move toward a life that can be lived in the way we wish.

Increased understanding of Autism and ADHD is bringing to light greater self-understanding for many people and, whilst I celebrate the stretching of our neuro-dominant culture, I see the challenge that masking and being misunderstood takes on life’s energy. I welcome neurodiversity and your personal story. I am neurotypical and am aware of the privileges this gives me in this society's system.

Privilege

I am a white, able bodied, sis-gendered woman. I recognise my privilege, aware that enduring toxicity in our culture holds ‘others’ back with racism, ableism, sexism, and more. I feel it is important to address the power imbalance that the therapy relationship can hold, and to face subjects that society wants us to shy away from. I hope that, step by step, we can remove the blocks that prejudice creates, and to ReHumanise the world in which we live.

A bit about me

After working backstage in theatre & film and as an artist's technician, I got a job helping young people make art at a children's charity. What I witnessed blew my mind and sparked my interest in the therapeutic potential of creativity.

I saw young people create things of profound beauty when all they had known was anger and ugliness; I witnessed children express what had been inexpressible trauma; I witnessed art give young people a voice to tell their story to their community. 

An Advanced Post Grad. Diploma in Art Therapy at IATE in London took me on my own journey of discovery. My encounters with art through the lens of psychology took me into a whole new relation with myself. Art became a means of telling my own story to me, and I came into relation with myself.

Since then, I've worked with many clients, from older adults to very young children. I gained a Master's in Art Psychotherapy Practice, and find creativity to be a base to the therapy I offer, although I integrate other modalities to help the therapy process. I have been exited to add EMDR to my skills, and find that it can accelerate positive therapeutic change for people. 

In my therapy, I pull together life lessons as well as my professional training. I know that the body remembers - and that with proven protocols, a sprinkling of compassion and curiosity, and some courage and creativity we help our bodies tell us our stories, and begin to live life in accordance with our Self, rather than our past. 

Please drop me an email if you’d like to find out more.

Initial assessment/meeting free; 30 mins.

• £65 for 60 mins.
• £95 for 90 mins