About me
I am an HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist, filmmaker and Shadow Work facilitator with more than 30 years of experience spanning creative arts, mental health and community development. My work sits at the intersection of creativity, psychotherapy and social justice - exploring how art, storytelling and deep emotional work can support transformation, connection and healing.
My practice focuses on helping people who are feeling anxious, disconnected or stuck to build a more authentic, compassionate relationship with themselves and then with others. I believe that real change happens when we are able to meet all parts of ourselves, including those we’ve learned to hide or silence. I work with men and women, parents and with children who have experienced difficulties in life including loss, bereavement and separation. I also support people who are neurodivergent and ADHD who have higher sensitivities to stimulation and anxiety.
Training, qualifications & experience
Background and approach
Before retraining as a therapist, I worked as a filmmaker for the BBC and Channel 4, producing documentaries about race, migration and identity. I was part of the BAFTA award-winning series The Tower: A Tale of Two Cities and created a number of films that explored issues such as social exclusion, belonging and child protection.
Working on these projects gave me a rare and humbling insight into people’s lived experiences - moments of both courage and pain - and helped me understand how often trauma and silence are carried beneath the surface, particularly for men who are taught to “be strong” rather than to feel. During the filming of Operation Landslide, an international investigation into online child exploitation, I was deeply affected by the stories of survivors and the scale of suffering I encountered. Seeking therapy for myself became a life-changing experience, revealing the power of reflection, empathy and creative self-expression. It led me to train as an Art Psychotherapist at Goldsmiths, grounding my creative background in psychodynamic theory and clinical practice.
Therapeutic work
Within the NHS, I offered support to adults with learning disabilities through art psychotherapy. My work focuses on enabling self-expression, communication and emotional regulation through creative and sensory processes. Many of my clients have experienced profound loss, trauma and isolation. Through the art-making process, they can express feelings that may have no words, reconnecting with themselves and others in ways that foster confidence, dignity and emotional integration. This experience has strengthened my belief that creativity transcends language and ability - that expression is a human right, not a privilege.
Alongside my NHS role, I am Co-Director of deep:black, an arts and health organisation that has worked across schools, communities and cultural institutions for over a decade. Our work uses creativity and dialogue to improve mental health outcomes and strengthen emotional resilience. I have developed partnerships with schools, NHS trusts and charities, designing therapeutic and educational programmes that bring art into everyday life.
A key part of my work at deep:black has been developing projects for children and young people who have experienced trauma, exclusion and systemic inequality. My programme Photographing Feelings invites young people to explore emotions through photography, supporting reflection on themes such as violence, racism, isolation and neurodiversity. Through these projects, I have witnessed how creativity offers a pathway to self-understanding, belonging and agency - particularly for those whose stories have been marginalised or misunderstood.
Shadow Work, teaching and facilitation
My therapeutic approach is rooted in a psychodynamic training and enriched by my training as a Shadow Work facilitator. Shadow Work helps people explore and integrate the hidden or disowned aspects of themselves - the parts we often judge, fear or suppress. This process can be deeply transformative for those who feel caught in patterns of anxiety, anger or self-doubt. It offers a structured yet compassionate way to reclaim inner strength and authenticity.
I have also served as a Director at Women in Power UK, an organisation dedicated to supporting women’s personal and collective empowerment through embodied practice, community and ritual. This work continually informs my understanding of leadership, trauma, belonging and gendered experience - and how these intersect with race and cultural identity.
In addition to my clinical and facilitation work, I teach on an integrative psychotherapy training course, Homa Psychotherapy Training supporting trainee therapists to develop confidence, self-awareness and creativity in their practice. I am passionate about helping future practitioners work with complexity - integrating body, mind and imagination in their understanding of human experience. Teaching keeps me grounded in reflection, ethics and lifelong learning, as I believe good therapy begins with the therapist’s own willingness to grow.
Research, writing and published work
My work has been featured in publications and professional journals focusing on arts, health and social justice. I have contributed writing on the use of photography and film in therapeutic practice, on creative approaches to conflict and belonging, and on anti-racist practice within psychotherapy. I continue to explore how visual and narrative methods can bridge the gap between inner experience and social change - and how creativity can make the unseen visible, both within individuals and across communities.
Values and philosophy
At the heart of all my work - whether in therapy, training, or facilitation - is a commitment to creating spaces where people can feel safe enough to be fully themselves. I work relationally, with compassion and curiosity, believing that even the most painful emotions carry valuable information about what matters most to us.
For people who have learned to survive by keeping emotions contained, therapy can offer a vital space to breathe, to question inherited stories, and to discover new possibilities. My approach is collaborative, creative and culturally sensitive. It is about moving beyond survival - towards authenticity, purpose and connection.
Whether through art, conversation or shadow work, my aim is not to “fix” but to support transformation - helping people rediscover the creativity, clarity and strength that have always been within them.
Continued professional development is important to me and I always stretch myself to learn. Each year I update and renew safeguarding training. The following are relevant qualifications:
Qualifications
- Clore Social Impact Leadership Training (current)
- Deep Democracy Training - Level 3 (2024)
- Shadow Work: Leadership Training, Advanced Facilitator Training, Basic Facilitator Training (2018 - 2023)
- MA Art Psychotherapy (2019 - 2022)
- BA (Hon) Film & Video (1992 - 1995)
- Mental Health First Aid (2023)
- Mindful Photography (2022)
- 3 A levels - English, Maths & Sociology
- 9 GCSE's
Clinical Work
deep:black 2012 - current (supporting children in schools by working with creativity to improve mental health outcomes)
Hertfordshire Mental Health Trust, Specialist Learning Disabilities and Forensics 2023 - 2025 (art psychotherapist working with adults with learning disabilities
Resources for Autism - Art Psychotherapy trainee (Oct 2021 - May 2022) Supporting children with a diagnosis of autism
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
I am especially keen to work with an intersectional lens and areas in which identifies can intersect
Therapies offered
Fees
£30.00 - £120.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Please don't let limited finances be a barrier to working with me if you feel I might be a good fit. I have a range of fees and am willing to have an honest conversation with you about how I can best support you and what feels manageable for you.
