what I offer
Expressive Writing
The power of the written word is undeniable: it offers access to inner worlds, fantasies, ideas and feelings, and exploring those on pen and paper can be a safe method of healing.
Writing gives people space to define themselves and can be a hugely useful tool for dealing with trauma and depression as well as boosting joy. I facilitate small writing groups as well as drop in sessions in my local community and offer longer workshops and writing retreats as well.
Ecotherapy
Connection with the earth is at the core of ecotherapy, which typically fuses mindfulness and psychotherapy outside in nature, to restore emotional, physical, and mental well-being. Ecotherapy is structured and involves targeted interventions to achieve a specific goal, rather than just being “therapy outdoors”. It can be delightfully spontaneous and take many forms including walking and talking outdoors; being creative & active; practising mindfulness and celebrating the “here and now”.
I believe that humans, like the earth, have the capacity to self-regulate and heal if they feel connected and in harmony with their environment. Ecotherapy can promote a profound sense of belonging - particularly important in a modern technological world where people spend so much time indoors on screens that they can forget what it feels like to be authentically, naturally human.
“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.” Alan Watts
art and eco-art therapy
Sometimes it’s difficult to find the words to explain how we feel, and art making can enable insights into unhelpful patterns of behaviour and repeating issues. Image making can allow the creation of a dialogue between the self and others by making an internal narrative visible, and deepen understanding of past hurts.
Art therapy is suitable for a wide variety of clients, and may suit those who sometimes find other therapies difficult.
A blend of ecotherapy with art therapy incorporates creativity, mindfulness and psychotherapy in nature; eco-art therapy helps to connect people with the outdoors in order to promote healing and improved mental health.
Being creative may involve using the environment as inspiration to create images, or the use of found or natural materials such as wood, leaves or clay to make things outdoors which reflect the inner world. Eco-art therapy can instil a sense of wholeness and belonging and make us feel more ‘at home’ in the world. See my Gallery for some examples of recent eco art from sessions.