About
I am an experienced Art Therapist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC AS01409) since 2003. I am also trained in informal education, youth work and working with organisations.
From 2010, I trained extensively in the McCluskey Model and Exploratory Goal Corrected Psychotherapy with Dr Una McCluskey and gained a particular interest in making contemporary attachment theory accessible within health, wellbeing and arts contexts. I am a founding member of the Association for Exploring the Dynamics of Adult Attachment (AEDAA).
My work has its roots in the wide experience I gained over two decades working as an art therapist and senior professional and clinical leader in the NHS. Most recently, I worked as Clinical Lead with a specialist service for people with a history of trauma and complex emotional and relational needs.
My approach is trauma-informed, gentle and compassionate. Although the work is supportive, I don’t avoid facing difficulties with the people I work with, whether as a therapist, educator, supervisor or mentor.
I have taught and supervised professional caregivers for many years including at the British Association of Art Therapists; Bowlby Centre; Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust; University of Brighton; YMCA George Williams College and in the NHS.
I have worked in outdoor spaces with the more-than-human world and the interplay between growing and healing, care for the land and care for ourselves over many years.
As part of my commitment to making arts more accessible in health settings, I founded and led an award-winning NHS arts and health programme. I have written on the relational power of drawing, the role of art therapy and the arts in psychological education and in mental health recovery.
