My Approach

As an integrative arts psychotherapist, I hold the imaginal realm in high esteem, and an important part of this approach to psychotherapy is to facilitate a process where you can access your imagination as a means of knowledge, perspective, and healing. The imagination, as Coleridge said, is not just something superfluous that we ‘fantasise’ with, it is itself an important thinking function. The imagination therefore offers unforeseen perspectives; it has its own particular, - and sometimes peculiar - kind of wisdom.

Routes to the imaginal in psychotherapy may be found through a dream you have had, or by talking about a piece of music, painting, or book which you relate to: you absolutely do not need to be an artist to work in this way in therapy. This is an important process as the arts, mythology and folklore that we feel drawn to, also relate to our emotional lives at the deepest level.

ART THERAPY

I am a trained art therapist/psychotherapist but it is not a pre-requisite that you use art materials in therapy. You may feel that conversation is enough, and I have worked with many clients in this way. If you wish however, you might like to work with expressive arts such as drawing/ painting. Drawing/ artistic skills are not needed at all. These non-verbal methods of expression are sometimes very helpful in terms of accessing the unconscious mind and the deeper layers of the self that otherwise cannot be articulated through words. It can also help you to make sense of whatever emotions you are experiencing.

WORKING WITH RELATIONAL PATTERNS AND THE UNCONSCIOUS

Perhaps the most important part of psychotherapy is that it facilitates a process which enables you to explore the ways in which you relate to the world, and, of course, you cannot be aware of all of these. As psychotherapy progresses, you will become increasingly aware of your own processes of relating to yourself and the outside world, and, by virtue of this process, you will experience a deepened sense of contact and ownership of the breadth of your thoughts and feelings. Although new perspectives can sometimes be challenging, they also offer a feeling of hope and possibility. Psychotherapy therefore has the potential to open a ‘space between’ yourself and your experiences. This is rather like when you have not seen a painting or film for a while, and when you return to it, you notice something different; you now see with new eyes, which deepens your emotional response.

About Me

I have worked in diverse settings in London for the NHS, charities and in the private sector as a psychotherapist, art therapist and clinical supervisor to nursing staff. I hold all forms of creative expression in high esteem, and regard them as very important in informing my work as a therapist. I also have a particular research interest in religion, spirituality, magical practice, and folklore, and the way in which they relate to one’s psychological and emotional life. I have also written a book entitled ‘Trauma and the Supernatural in Psychotherapy' which considers perspectives from psychoanalysis, anthropology, literature, and folklore to explore the relationship between relational trauma and spiritual beliefs and experiences.

I work with

• Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

Types of Therapies Offered

• Integrative Arts Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Anxiety
• Depression
• EMDR
• Relationships
• Spirituality
• Trauma