My trauma-informed approach to Art Therapy focuses on increasing a felt sense of safety through:

• consultation and collaborative “making sense” of current issues for you

• therapeutic trust and relationship building

• a focus on ‘what happened to me?’ rather than ‘what’s wrong with me’?

• inclusion of somatic practices e.g. breath work, grounding practices, mindfulness

• building a sense of internal and external resources and strengths

• guidance and/or choice where needed - worked out and agreed collaboratively

• clear outline regarding the timing of appointments, the room, materials to be used and structure of sessions

• slow and collaboratively agreed introduction of difficult content/imagery in order to minimise overwhelm