About me
I offer a warm, non-judgemental, creative space where a client is able to think about issues affecting them. My priority is to establish a therapeutic relationship that is safe, trusting, and collaborative. As an art psychotherapist, working with images is at the heart of my practice, and this can take a variety of forms, including the exploration of a client’s imagination and dreams, as well as art-making.
My overall approach is rooted in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic theory, which means that together, we can explore deeper into unconscious processes that might be affecting a person’s emotions, behaviours, or relationship patterns. This takes into consideration how past experiences can shape and influence someone’s present situation and circumstances.
Art psychotherapy combines talking and image making, enabling a client to explore difficulties that may be preventing them from engaging fully in life. Prior artistic experience is not required, just an openness to the idea of working with art materials and creative processes as a means of developing a deeper understanding of oneself. I encourage clients to be open and curious about the images created so that we are able to reflect on what emerges, consider how this might relate to current situations and circumstances, and offer meaningful insight that will help the client to move forward.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am an art psychotherapist with over 13 years of clinical experience, working in a wide range of settings with adults, young people and children.
My experience includes working in NHS adult mental health services alongside private practice, working with charitable organisations, mainstream and special education settings, foster care and post-adoption services. I am experienced in working with complex trauma and a variety of mental health diagnoses and conditions.
I have worked for the NHS for over 7 years and continue to do so part-time, while working in private practice. I also provide clinical supervision to qualified and trainee art psychotherapists.
I hold an MA postgraduate degree in Art Psychotherapy from Goldsmiths University, London, and a certificate in Clay Field Therapy® from the Institute of Sensorimotor Art Therapy.
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.
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Further information
I am professionally accredited and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). I work in line with professional codes of ethical practice, which include: protecting client confidentiality, actively promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, and serving the best interests of every client.
To ensure a high standard of practice, I attend regular clinical supervision and continuous professional training activities.
Next Steps
If you would like to know more, I offer a free 20-minute introductory call without any commitment or obligation from either party. This allows an enquirer the opportunity to ask questions, explore options, and to assess how any potential input might be helpful.
