Expressive Arts Counselling in Mitcham

I work with children from aged five, adolescents and adult females. I am compassionate and warm. I specialize in difficulties, including trauma, self-esteem, attachment, divorce, aggression, social anxiety, generalized anxiety and body concerns. I have worked extensively with young children and adolescents, both as a child therapist and in previous careers. I have worked at non-profit and for profit organizations, including a national adolescent treatment centre for mental health and substance use, foster homes and a domestic violence organization. I approach the therapeutic relationship with genuineness, curiosity, and warmth.

I am an emotional focussed couple and family systemic psychotherapist, body dramatherapist, and clinical supervisor. I have 40 years' experience in mental health settings and 30 years in private practice. I am a warm, empathic therapist and highly value my relationship with my clients. I go on exploratory journeys with clients, with them leading and together we make meaning and sense as we navigate through difficulties and worries and at times having fun along the way. At some point the therapy stops at an agreed moment by the client when they feel they have reached a more comfortable place in their life and in their relationships.

Is it difficult for yourself to connect to your emotions and feelings? Sometimes it is complicated to find a link to enable us express freely. Unintentionally, we can create a habit in which we suppress, run away, deny or manipulate our emotions. It is normal to try to push away feelings of discomfort like stress, fear or pain; but there are tools you can learn to help you cope with these emotions in a healthy way. Instead of denying, distracting yourself, manipulating or disconnecting, you can accept, observe, acknowledge and connect deeply with your feelings.

Are you someone who experiences things more deeply than others? I see you and I'd love to support you on your journey, which I imagine is not an easy one. You may be going through a big transition, challenge or loss. There may be some old wounds and patterns playing out in your life and your relationships. You might be feeling stuck or overwhelmed, but not sure how to go about it. Whatever you bring - I would love to offer you a gentle, authentic and deeply compassionate space to explore and process your experience in the safety of knowing that in this space all of you and what you bring will be welcome and honoured.

Are social situations leaving you drained or unfulfilled? Maybe you can't speak to friends and family about how disconnected you're feeling and they aren't understanding you. Do you want to be more open, assertive and have a greater sense of purpose in life? Need time for yourself? A space to air confusing or painful thoughts and experiences that build up over the weeks. Sometimes we need to reflect and vent about our relationships with a warm, neutral professional.

Each one of us struggles in life at one point or another. When the difficulties in life feel too much to manage on our own, counselling and psychotherapy offer a confidential and safe environment in which we can explore these difficulties and find the direction to lasting changes. Often our current difficulties have their roots in the past. Problems emerge when we stick to our old ways of coping. Counselling can help us make links to the past and find more adaptive ways of coping. It can help us to tune in to our emotions and thus understand what matters the most and what needs to be changed.

Having been a client myself in the past, I have a strong appreciation of how difficult and painful life can be at times and the benefits of being able to explore what is going on for you in a totally non-judgmental, deeply empathic and confidential space, which is for you and you alone. I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist which means I am qualified and experienced in working with a range of strategies, techniques and modalities, depending on your specific needs with 16 years expc. The therapeutic relationship we will share is central to the work we will do together in order to help you explore and resolve your issues.

We are a team of Art Psychotherapists skilled in offering psychological support to clients who have experienced trauma, sexual abuse, bereavement and loss. We are able to support people of any age experiencing anxiety, depression, OCD, psychosis, agoraphobia, suicidal ideation and self-harm, as well as those experiencing difficulties related to autism, Aspergers and Down Syndrome. We have experience working with gender and sexual identity. We are a social enterprise dedicated to supporting people using art. www.untapped.org.uk

Did you know 1 out 5 children in the UK experiences mental health challenges that affects their ways of relating with loved ones at some point during their childhood? Getting appropriate support at an early stage is important for children who have experienced physical or emotional trauma. Children struggling with their emotions often act out or become withdrawn. These responses are put down as behaviour issues while in fact they are children's way of communicating to adults that they need support. Music Therapy is the perfect tool for children who are not ready to 'talk it through' to express themselves in ways that motivates them.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your emotions? Are you experiencing anxiety, depression or lack of self-confidence? Are you struggling with relationships or difficult events in your life? Do you feel stuck on things that happened in the past? Seeking therapy is a brave choice and a responsible thing to do. By choosing to explore what’s troubling you, you are taking a positive step in getting unstuck. Therapy can be hard work, but it is an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and others in your life, explore and let go of the things that are no longer serving you and feel empower to live a more fulfilling life.

Welcome to my page! I am passionate to help and guide people to find solutions to their difficulties, to make helpful changes and live a meaningful and joyful life. I work with ADULTS with depression, anxiety, panic attack, burnout, stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, domestic abuse, trauma, anger management, transition life. I can help you to create believes to support your recovering and healing process. I work with CHILDREN with autism, ADHD, learning difficulties, emotional/behavioural issues and help them to improve self-esteem, confidence, assertiveness, to increase their attention spam.

Whether due to recent events or past ones, many people struggle with grief, loss, food and body, and traumatic experiences, leaving them feeling stuck, overwhelmed and needing support. My professional expertise is in working with clients struggling with trauma and PTSD; struggling with eating disorders, body image and identity; child and adult bereavement; clients undergoing cancer treatment; end of life care; and carers. This breadth of experience has informed my understanding of the universality of inner conflict and distress, and how the tools of self-exploration and insight are essential to effect change in the here-and-now.

Choosing a counsellor is a big step which can feel daunting. How do you find the therapist who will be right for you? If you are new to counselling, the various theoretical approaches listed by therapists can be confusing. Current research shows that more important than the theory is the therapeutic relationship (the relationship between you and me) and this is the cornerstone of my work. My theoretical approach is Integrative, drawing on the Psycho-dynamic, Humanistic and Existential schools within a relational working model which emphasizes the Humanistic philosophy and embraces Person Centered core process.

I am a fully qualified and experienced psychotherapist and supervisor. My approach is to offer empathetic understanding and non-judgemental listening in a safe space. Everyone is unique and therefore I draw on many different methods to suit each person's needs. My aim is to connect my client with their own inner resources through authenticity and self-empowerment. I offer an integrative arts approach, based on the needs of the client, drawing upon psychodynamic, attachment and trauma therapy to enhance the therapeutic process.

I am an experienced psychotherapist, drawing on a range of psychological and creative theories to try and meet your specific concern and needs. When you engage in psychotherapy or counselling with me, I listen carefully to you, to help you make sense of and gain a deeper insight into your problems. I believe we are all unique and need different things at different times in our lives, and in you setting the pace of our work together. I see psychotherapy as a creative process, facilitating finding new ways of expanding, growing and adapting to present life or circumstances.

People have many reasons to seek counselling. Many come because of long-standing depression, others because of anxiety, or bereavement. Some look for support with relationship difficulties, work stress or low self esteem. Or they may not know exactly what their problems are, but feel that something is not quite right.

As an Integrative Therapist, my primary role is to provide support to individuals who are seeking guidance in addressing their current needs. With 8 years of experience in training and working with diverse client groups, I have gained valuable understanding. In addition to acquiring professional therapeutic qualifications to enhance my practice, I am well versed in assisting a number of client presentations such as: Trauma • Sexual Abuse • Alcohol & Substance misuse • Depression • Anxiety • PTSD • Family & Relationship issues • Sexuality/LGBTQ support • Anger & Behavioural struggles, among other client presentations.