Therapy is allocated time spent with a mental health professional (usually 50 minutes) and it is often done ‘one to one’, just you and the therapist, but it can also be done in a group with other people.

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There are lots of different types of therapy and there certainly is not a ‘one-size fits all’ approach. It’s important to consider which type of therapy might suit you best.

Children, young people, and adults, can all go to therapy if they want to.

Usually someone considers starting therapy because they are struggling with their mental health.

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Perhaps someone is having thoughts and feelings that are overwhelming, worrying, or uncomfortable. Sometimes someone has experienced something distressing which they are struggling to move on from. People go to therapy who want things to feel different in some way, and therapy can provide a vital space where new possibilities, and ways of being, can be imagined and put into action.

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Often, people come to therapy feeling like they are unable to cope. Therapy provides a confidential space where you can speak to someone about the things that are impacting you. The therapist will listen to you without judgment, help you to make sense of your experiences, and teach you new coping skills.

As a Creative Arts Psychotherapist, I usually speak with people about what is troubling them, and then may offer creative exercises and techniques to help people explore coping tools, dig a little deeper into their feelings, and help make sense out of their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, when words alone might not be enough.

I am a HCPC registered 'Dramatherapist', however you will also find that I refer to myself as a 'creative arts or creative psychotherapist' - this is an umbrella term for the different types of creative therapies that are out there. You can find out more about them in the FAQ section 'Types of Therapy'. You can also find out more about Dramatherapy there, too!

I am also trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a values based intervention that stems from CBT, and I am CBT and DBT informed having worked in lots of multi-disciplinary mental health teams.

This means that at times my approach to therapy will be to focus on feelings, experiences, and your inner world, and this might feel more free-flowing and imaginative. At other times we will need a bit more structure, and we will look at your thoughts and belief systems in order to challenge, and/or possibly change them to better suit you.