Michael Cousin
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
An art psychotherapists’ training is extensive and intensive over a three-year period, and it provides us with a framework that can be used to support you with many mental health struggles up to the most complex issues.
My experience is broad and I am happy to work with clients at any stage of life. My main areas of expertise are with children and young people but also have significant experience of adults with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit (Hyperactive) Disorder (ADD / ADHD). I also have a wealth of experience working with clients affected by sexual assault and violence.
I am registered with the HCPC (Health & Care Professions Council) and have an enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) and have regular supervision on a monthly basis.
Sessions
Sessions with me will draw on three main areas, talking therapy and creative psychotherapy in order to get a full sense of you as a client and if appropriate to identify unresolved trauma to target with EMDR.
My Approach
Anyone who is seeking a therapist will be doing so because they have been emotionally harmed by an event or events which has become an obstruction in their daily life and is preventing them from healing. This harm is often referred to as trauma.
'Trauma' comes to us from the Greek word for 'wound' which is the infliction of serious harm. But the Greeks meant this word holistically, that not only the body but also the psyche could be harmed. Psyche was used to describe, breath, life and soul, the forces that animate the body.
What affects the body can affect the psyche, what affects the psyche affects the body. The two are very much intertwined and wounding either one can have a long-term effect on the other.
Any serious wound can drastically restrict or limit our capacity to function and this can be both physically and emotionally. Trauma can leave us stuck in one mode of being, reducing flexibility and mobility. The aim of therapy is to begin restoration of that movement over time, akin to physiotherapy for the mind.
The definition of your trauma is your own. Trauma can be a single catastrophic act or many small acts perpetrated over years that are unreasonable to bear. If your experience or experiences have left you stuck in a particular way of being in the world to the point where parts of your life are stuck then this could be considered trauma.
The aim of therapy with me is to explore you as a whole being, your past, present and future, to see where your trauma is creating patterns of behaviour that are preventing you from moving more freely. By understanding these patterns and where they have their roots we can begin the work of adjusting them to allow you to heal.
When you experience emotional trauma, your body responds like there’s a physical threat in the room and you go into survival mode. These are typically, fight (attack) or flight (run away), fawn (appease) or freeze (play dead), one of which will offer the best chance of survival (attacking a rampaging elephant is not only unethical and probably not the best way to survive that threat).
Post-trauma there can be elements left unresolved. For some this is the main part of the trauma and for others it can be a sensory reminder of the trauma, a sound or smell, a texture, taste or something you see. It can also be a feeling. When we encounter reminders in our daily life that are similar to the unresolved parts our body responds as though confronted by the original threat which again triggers a survival response.
By working with the whole person I will guide the client in recognising these triggers as they occur in the present and connect them with the past experience. By doing so we identify root causes for current issues and thus begin the healing process.
Getting in Touch
I offer a no obligation, free consultation via Zoom where we can discuss your needs, and I will answer any questions you have before deciding if you would like to work together. These consultations will last up to an hour and is an opportunity for you to discuss your current situation and what you would like to achieve with therapy. Consultations are always online.
Fees and Bookings
I believe that the therapy should be available to as many people as possible so my fees will be reflected by a client’s ability to pay. My standard session fee is £60 with further reductions for those on a reduced income or receiving financial support.
Sessions last one hour and would typically be at the same time and day each week.
To book a consultation or a session please send an email to info@michaelcousin.co.uk or call my mobile on +447852133772
I operate a 24-hour cancellation policy.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council, London.
- Registered with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine.
- Enhanced DBS.
I am registered and licensed by the Health and Care Professions Council to legally practice under the title of Art Psychotherapist. I also have an enhanced DBS check and specialist professional liability insurance. I have recently qualified as an EMDR Therapist.
Prior to my training, I was a contemporary artist and curator with over 20 years of experience of national and international exhibitions. I have both a BA (Hons) and a Master’s Degree in Fine Art and a Master’s Degree in Art Psychotherapy (2016).
I have completed a CPCAB Endorsed Sandtray Therapy Foundation Course (2021), Solution Focused CBT course at the Anna Freud Centre (2019), and Dyadic Parent-Child Art Psychotherapy Training Level 1 by BAAT (2018).
Before setting up my thriving private practice I was employed as a therapist by the charity New Pathways to work with children, young people and adults who have experienced sexual violence. I currently work sessionally with Chepstow Counselling Services, Compass Community fostering services and ACT Training and am employed as a Primary School Therapist with Torfaen Council through the Cwmbran Centre for Young People. In the past, I trained as a Listening Volunteer with the Samaritans and had a placement with Bethel Community Church in Newport working with refugees.
I am one of the therapists registered with the MA Art Psychotherapy course offering sessions to students throughout their three-year tenure.
Education
- EMDR Therapist (Parts 1-4) with EMDR Academy.
- Solution Focused CBT.
Two-day training course by Dr. Biba Rebolj / Ribalon Institute. - Trauma Focussed CBT for Children & Young People with PTSD.
Two-day training course with David Trickey at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. - Dyadic Parent-Child Art Psychotherapy Training Level 1 by BAAT.
- Childhood Sexual Exploitation & Sexual Exploitation Risk Assessment Framework training by New Pathways.
- ASIST training (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) by New Pathways.
- 10-week training programme with New Pathways in rape and sexual abuse counselling.
- University of South Wales, Caerleon. Art Psychotherapy, Masters Degree (Merit)
- University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. Fine Art, Masters Degree.
- Southampton Institute of Art and Technology. Fine Art, BA (Hons), First Class.
If you would like to know more about my training and any additional voluntary work, please get in touch and I will be happy to share this.
Member organisations
school 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.
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£40.00 - £80.00
Free initial online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I believe that the therapy should be available to as many people as possible so my fees will be reflected by a client's ability to pay. I always offer a no obligation free consultation by Zoom where we can discuss your needs.
I will be offering mainly online and some face to face sessions on a Thursday.
Sessions are £60 with a reduction for students and those on a low or reduced income. For those with institutionally funded sessions, the fee is £80.
Sessions last one hour and would typically be at the same time and day each week. There is no obligation to commit to several sessions and dependent on your needs and my availability I am happy to discuss less frequent sessions if appropriate. I am also able to offer spaces to trainee Art Psychotherapists.
I operate a 24-hour cancellation policy.
When I work
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I have a flexible schedule so please get in touch to see if I can offer you sessions to suit your availability.
