Hello there!
I am a trainee Psychotherapist undertaking a Masters in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy with IATE (Institute For Arts in Therapy & Education). Integrative Arts Psychotherapy (IAP) concerns the therapeutic application of the arts and the creative imagination to help address a particular problem.
I invite a range of multi-therapeutic communication through seven art forms; Art, Drama/Puppetry, Sculpture/Clay, Poetry, Sandplay, Music/Sound and Bodywork/Movement. These tools are offered to help to find meaning, understanding, self-awareness in ways that words can’t easily express.
I have extensive professional experience working with vulnerable individuals in the public sector and NHS. This ranges from Social Work for children with disabilities and adults with severe mental health conditions, to Team Lead within specialist services for perinatal mental health and group therapy for complex emotional needs diagnoses, as well as group facilitation for peer-led therapy provision.
I combine creative therapeutic methods with discussion to invite self-empowerment that is paced on client’s own safety level. This is supported by my ethical value base that emphasises the importance of Intersectionality features such as race, sexual orientation, sexual identity, neurodiversity, age, disability, social-economic position when considering identity and understanding the self in therapy.
I offer a space where we can explore various forms of emotional difficulty that impact quality of life, functioning, purpose; such as anxiety, depression, stress, self-esteem issues, emotional dysregulation, sleep issues, appetite/disordered eating, relational trauma, family issues, social isolation/issues, maladaptive patterns of coping such as; self-neglect/care, self-harm, suicidal ideation, misuse of substances, disruptive financial behaviours to name a few. Other formal diagnoses are welcome to be explored, as well as beliefs, feelings or experiences in life which are having a detrimental impact on your wellbeing and mental state
My therapeutic approaches are underpinned by;
- Experiential; to invite clients to ‘experiment, reflect and learn through doing’
- Phenomenological; recognising individual’s subjective lived experience to find meaning and avoid assumptions
- Relational; building trust, calm co-regulation, compassion, empathy, curiosity, non-judgmental, repairing rupture
To guide our mutual understanding, I may use theory such as; Mentalisation Based (MBT), Attachment, Gestalt, Humanistic, Transactional Analysis, Jungian and Existentialism theory.
During your first few sessions we will spend time identifying your aims and goals for therapy and where you would like to focus. Over time I will track your comfort levels with the therapeutic arts and where it may take you. I offer talking therapy if this is your preference.
I have particular interest in movement and sound as therapeutic tools. I am a qualified Sound Therapist and Yoga Teacher in my personal time and I welcome ways to bring these disciplines in the therapy space.