We recently made the decision to come off the Counselling Directory. Why? Because Art Psychotherapy isn't the same as counselling, also - its hard to find the practitioner that fits with what you need in a sea of information and sales pitches. We know its hard to find the right therapist (and no, it's not just you), so I have written a bit of information about what we do below as a bit of an update and please get in touch if you have any questions or think that we might be able to help :)
Hi, My name is Claire and I am an Art Psychotherapist based in Worcester (West Midlands) offering 1:1 Art Psychotherapy to adults in a community setting.
I can currently offer appointments via Zoom, or face to face depending on what you feel you may need. I am passionate about creativity and well-being and am confident that Art Therapy has a lot to offer those who feel stuck, misunderstood and unseen. Maybe you have tried counselling in its traditional sense and it didn't meet your expectations or you felt something was missing? Working in a visual way could help.
Are you wondering what Art Therapy is and how it may be able to help you? It's similar to regular counselling or talking therapies that you may have experienced before. The main extra benefit is that there are art materials available for you to express yourself in a visual and creative way. This is not just useful for children, but also helps adults to tap into thoughts and feelings that can be stuck or express things we may find hard to say. The art made in the safe space with us both there can be used to look at together and help us both understand your experiences more, allowing us to gain insight and focus our attention and discussion. Just think of it as a different way to communicate. It can be particularly helpful when things are difficult to talk about, this could be because we just don't have the words or because the experience is impossible to explain. We might look together at how something feels in a visual way to aid understanding and processing of thoughts, events and feelings which make us feel like we can't move on. We might just feel stuck or down and we don;t really know why? Working in a curious and exploratory way can help to unblock our self expression and get to the underlying causes of why we feel how we do.
Art therapy doesn't require any previous artistic knowledge or ability, in fact, no art has to be made at all. We may talk in metaphors or visual language to help gain understanding of circumstances and feelings - or even focus on images during dreams.
Therapy is usually recommended weekly so that we can continue to meet and process what is going on for you. We will check in every 6-8 weeks together to check if we are progressing and if things are moving in a direction your are comfortable with. You can discontinue therapy at any time but sometimes when its difficult, it's important to discuss why we feel like we don't want to sit with what is happening around us.
I am registered with British Association or Art Therapists (BAAT) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). More information on Art Therapy can be found here https://www.baat.org/About-Art-Therapy.
We currently have some spaces on a Wednesday so get in touch for a free 30 minute chat (on the phone or face to face) about how Art Therapy might fit with where you are.
I am also available for clinical supervision for therapists as well as therapy for students who are studying to qualify in a related field. I also offer non-clinical supervision for practitioners working in the community in challenging settings. I work for the NHS part time as a Senior Art Psychotherapist around my private practice. Home visits can be arranged by request (prices may vary). I also have experience with SEN young people and although I predominantly work with adults in the community - I may consider young peoples cases if I feel I can help.
Have any questions? Why not get in touch and we will do our best to answer them for you. You could comment on this post of contact us privately if you prefer.