Rebecca Harp
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Are you looking for a different way to explore your mental health and wellbeing? Are you searching for ways that you can create long-lasting change in your life, not just a short-term sticking plaster?
What can I support you with?
Since qualifying as an Arts Psychotherapist (MA Dramatherapy) in 2016, I have dedicated myself to supporting people with their mental health and wellbeing, having worked with hundreds of people to improve their lifestyle, mental health and to re-connect with themselves and those around them. I have vast experience working privately as well as for organisations such as The Fire Fighters Charity & The Intercom Trust. I currently support adults over the age of 18.
Issues I have particular experience working with include anxiety, depression, stress & burnout, trauma, loss & bereavement, major life transitions, loss of identity, low self-esteem & low self-confidence, perfectionism, neurodiversity (including autism & ADHD), existential & spiritual exploration, relationship & family dynamics, navigating the menstrual cycle & coping with menstrual conditions, such as PMS & premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). I also have specialist experience of working with the LGBTQ+ community, supporting individuals with issues such as coming out, gender dysphoria, transitioning, LGBTQ+ fertility treatment and parenting, family rejection and internalised homophobia. I have a passion for supporting those who identify as LGBTQ+ or who may be questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation & aim to provide a space where you can feel safe to be whoever you truly are.
What is my approach?
My primary training focussed on dramatherapy, a type of arts psychotherapy that uses many different means to explore how you might be feeling. In addition to talking during therapy sessions, we may also use techniques such as creative writing, artwork, object and metaphor exploration, ritual, archetypes, myth & folklore, sand play, music and other creative means. It is important to know that no previous experience of creative arts is necessary to access therapy that works in this way, all that’s required is an openness to explore and be curious!
I am also trained in yoga, mindfulness, nature connection & cacao, and as a result my approach to therapy is holistic and transpersonal. This means I work with the spiritual aspects of one’s self as well as the mind and body, supporting you to connect to that all-knowing, instinctive part of yourself that many of us struggle to access in this busy, fast-paced world we live in. This is always integrated in to our work in a way that you feel comfortable with and which aligns with your own beliefs and values.
As a person-centred integrative therapist, I will work with you to explore, create & grow within our therapy sessions, providing you with a non-judgemental, safe space in which you can express your most true, authentic self. I look forward to connecting with you.
How do you get started?
If you would like to explore working with me, you can book a no-obligation free 15 minute phone call to talk things through further. You can book this via the 'book intro call' button at the top of this page, or you can email me here.
Once we've had an initial chat, we will then book in your first therapy session. This first session will give us a chance to talk about the issues you'd like support with in more detail & helps us to make sure the support I offer is right for you at this time.
Sessions can typically take place weekly or bi-weekly. I do not work within a set number of sessions, unless this is something you would like. I usually work in an open-ended way, which means we can continue to work together for as long as is necessary. We would review this on a regular basis and I require a minimum of two sessions notice for our work to come to a close.
Training, qualifications & experience
Primary qualification:
- MA Dramatherapy: 2014-2016- University of Derby (HCPC regulated)
Additional relevant qualifications:
- Cacao Practitioner Training: 2024- Keith's Cacao
- 200 hours Hatha Yoga Teacher Training: 2015- Shiva Yoga Peeth
Additional relevant training:
- Who Defends the Queer Child?- British Association of Dramatherapists
- Nature Connectedness and Mental Health- University of Derby
- Mindfulness for Wellbeing- Monash University
- Addressing Postnatal Depression as a Healthcare Professional- University of Exeter
- Self-Care in the Age of Burnout- British Association of Dramatherapists
- Adult Safeguarding- Training Exchange
- Working with Relational Trauma- Carolyn Spring
- Mental Health and The Body: Treating Trauma- Carolyn Spring
- Online and Telephone Counselling- Counselling Tutor
- Suicide First Aid (ASIST)- LivingWorks
- Advanced Helpline Skills- Helplines Partnership
- Working with Abuse in LGBTQ+ Populations- Women's Aid and Galop
- The LGBTQ+ Population and Homelessness- Stonewall Housing
- Understanding Violence Against Women and Girls- University of Strathclyde
Relevant Work Experience:
- Elk&Ether- Arts Psychotherapist and Cacao Practitioner (2023-current)
- The Fire Fighter's Charity- Psychological Therapist (2021-2024)
- Intercom Trust- LGBTQ+ Practitioner (2018-2021)
- Revenge Porn (image-based abuse) Helpline- Helpline Practitioner (2017-2018)
- Royds Hall Secondary School and Nottingham Carers Federation- Trainee Dramatherapist (2014-2016)
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas I have experience & specialist knowledge of:
- PMS (premenstrual syndrome), PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and PME (premenstrual exacerbation)
- Image-based abuse
- Cacao-Assisted Psychotherapy
What is Cacao-Assisted Psychotherapy?
In addition to being an Arts Psychotherapist, I am also a qualified Cacao Practitioner having trained under the guidance of Keith’s Cacao & I feel passionate about using ceremonial grade cacao* to support individuals in their therapeutic journey. Cacao is one of the world’s biggest superfoods and comes with a whole host of physical, mental and spiritual benefits, having been used in ceremony & rites of passage for at least 5000 years.
Traditionally known as a 'food of the gods', cacao is a powerful psychoactive plant medicine that can support you to have more clarity, focus & connect to yourself in a grounded and present way. It also contains substances such as theobromine (a cardiovascular stimulant found almost exclusively in cacao), PEA (‘love chemical’), anandamides (‘bliss chemical’) and MAOI’s, all of which can reduce depression & low mood by increasing dopamine, oxytocin & serotonin in the brain, as well as targeting brain receptors that can help you feel more blissful & creative.
On a physical level, cacao is one of the highest forms of magnesium in the world, a great source of iron & very high in antioxidants. This makes it a great plant medicine to help tackle low energy, tiredness & illness, as well supporting those who need it with PMS & menstrual cramps.
In cacao-assisted psychotherapy sessions, I use ceremonial grade cacao to enhance your therapeutic experience. We take time at the beginning of our therapy sessions for a mini cacao ceremony, during which time you'll be able to drink cacao, meditate & ground in to the space before proceeding with our therapeutic work.
*The term, ceremonial grade cacao, means the cacao being used is of the highest quality & minimally processed with the intention of being used for physical, emotional & spiritual healing. Keith's Cacao is the cacao I use for all of my work, which is the world's finest ceremonial grade cacao.
N.B: Using ceremonial grade cacao as a therapeutic tool may not be suitable for everyone. If this is something you would like to explore, please contact us and we can discuss it in more detail as part of our initial session.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 - £75.00
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Initial chat-phone call: free of charge (15 mins)
1-1 psychotherapy session- online or in person: £60 (50 mins)
1-1 cacao-assisted psychotherapy session- online or in person: £70-£75 (60 mins)
I offer a number of discounted slots to students & those on a low income. Please speak to me for more information if you feel this may apply to you.
When I work
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Please contact me for further details regarding my current availability.
