About Art Therapy …
You don’t have to be ‘good at art’ to undertake art therapy!
Art therapy is about self expression and an exploration of the things we often find hard to put into words.
Whether you have an official diagnosis or just feel you need to work on something in particular, Art therapy can help you design strategies to cope, build confidence and self-esteem, develop your social and emotional skills, strengthen your sense of self and process any unresolved trauma.
I work in a person centred way. This means I respond to what you bring to each session in a curious and respectful manner. This is not to say I may not gently challenge you in order to help you look at something from a different angle or gain a different perspective. The therapy space is a safe space to learn about yourself, your relationships, what’s important to you and how you relate with the world around you, not to mention having some fun and exploring your creative side!
I have experience with a variety of mediums from paint to woodwork, sewing to metalwork, paper craft to clay. If you want to use a variety of materials to aid your therapy work, I can support you in doing so.
What ever reason brings you to art therapy, I can ensure that it is a private and confidential process undertaken with kindness and compassion in a calm and secure space.
Your journey could be deeply profound, sensorially satisfying or downright fun. Art therapy is here to support your needs.
The British Association of Art Therapists have more information here https://baat.org/art-therapy/ if you’re interested in reading more.
What my clients are saying …
Laura has been working with my autistic teenage son for several months, and I have noticed a significant benefit to him in terms of emotional regulation.
My son has struggled to find enjoyment in hobbies and interests for many months prior to starting with Laura, but actively looks forward to his sessions and states that they enable him to unwind and cope with day-to-day stresses.
My interests, training and experience
I specialise in working with young people aged 11-25 with mental health challenges in various settings and private practice.
I have expertise in working with young people with additional educational needs such as Autism, Aspergers, ADHD, Global Developmental Delay, young people in the care system, who are homeless, have experienced trauma and who are struggling with an eating disorder.
I have experience of working therapeutically with adults providing group workshops in various disciplines for pleasure, relaxation and wellbeing.
I’m interested in the mind-body connection within art therapy and how clients relate to and use their body during art therapy in order to recognise the importance of the body’s felt sensations in the processing of emotions.
Research and reading in this area has led me to undertake a number of training courses around this subject.
I have recently attended a two and a half day training on Children’s Accelerated Trauma Technique (CATT) for PTSD and Complex PTSD delivered by Trauma Psychology Training. This is a holistic trauma focussed 12-stage creative protocol which helps young people work through their trauma while remaining regulated and was developed by Dr Carlotta Baby in 1997.
Please visit https://traumapsychology.co.uk/about/ for more information.
I am trained in Bilateral Art Therapy with Cornelia Elbrecht, a sensori-motor guided drawing process based hands on approach to art making. I now use as the basis for a therapeutic self exploratory and messy workshop for adults.
Please visit https://www.sensorimotorarttherapy.com for further information.
I have also attended an introductory training in Somatic Experiencing training with the Somatic Experiencing Association UK to understand how the body stores, processes and discharges traumatic experiences.
I am experienced in Mindfulness based art therapy practices and participated in the Breathworks Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course over ten years ago. You can read more about how Mindfulness can help you alongside evidence based published studies on the effectiveness of Mindfulness at https://www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk/Pages/Category/what-we-do
The main aim of my work is to help clients return to their most authentic vibrant embodied self through personal exploration and body orientated processing using a tailored approach to meet their needs.
