Gary Smith Expand Gary Smith works within a humanistic and integrative approach that acknowledges the unity of mind, body, emotions and spirit and the natural tendency of individuals towards growth and development. He places great emphasis on giving space for clients to bring issues at their own pace and explore what is nourishing and what is less satisfying in their lives. Working within the therapeutic relationship, and through exploring personal history, Gary supports clients to achieve a greater awareness of how they relate and interact in the world to foster a sense of personal responsibility and autonomy. He offers a range of creative approaches, drawing on his experience of working as an artist and community artist. Gary works with adults, children and young people, couples, families and groups, he also runs a regular Weekly Therapy Group at Wellspring as well as occasional weekend workshops. Gary is also a Supervisor for Trainees on placement at Wellspring. Gary is accredited by BACP (MBACP) a Member of BPA (British Psychodrama Association) and is UKCP registered. He has a Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy (Edinburgh Gestalt Institute of Psychotherapy) and an Advanced Diploma in Psychodrama (The Northern School of Psychodrama) a Post Graduate Diploma in Community Theatre (Queen Margaret University College) and a Diploma in Supervision (Relationship Scotland).
Pauline Colles Expand Pauline Colles is an Art Therapist for children, young people and their families. I have also completed therapeutic skills for Children&Young People at The Scottish Institute of Human Relations, this provided me with a deeper understanding of Psychotherapy. I am also an Art Therapy Group Facilitator and provide one to one Art Therapy for adults. I have a foundation as a General Nurse and a background in the field of family homelessness. I have worked as a British Association of Art Therapy (BAAT). I have been a Health Care and Professions Council accredited Art Therapist since 1998. I am also registered with BAAT as a Supervisor (since 2003) and Private Practitioner (since 2013). Alongside working at Wellspring, I also work for the Teapot Trust providing one to one Art Therapy for children with a chronic medical condition in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in the PPALS team (Pediatric Psychology and liaison service) where we are now offering Art Therapy Student Placements. I work with adults and children in Shakti Women’s Aid and offering one-to-one Art Therapy for SWiiS Foster care, where I taught a Level One Attachment Theory course. I also facilitate a group for adults at Livingwell in North Edinburgh and LEAP in the South of Edinburgh. I am curious about the theoretical work of Dan Hughes (who teaches working with families) and Barbara Dockar-Drysdale (who teaches about integrating a therapeutic approach into the community) whilst child protection and care underpins the core of therapeutic work. In Wellspring I offer family work and one to one work for adults or children. I started in Wellspring in 2015 but have worked in the Leith community since 1998. Wellspring has allowed me the opportunity to work with multi-cultural families, both within their homes and in their schools, a service subsidized by The Danny Bhoy Charity Fund. I believe in the individual experience that is brought and shared within Art Therapy. In waiting to hear and listen I have found that together we can understand the meanings of personal stories. Art making, play and narrative can be used together or as felt possible. The choice is held with the individual who is predominantly an active participant in their Art Therapy. I have supervision to support me in this work and I maintain my own personal learning. Wellspring has developed evaluation tools to ensure that the best service is delivered and received.
Dr Shari Cohn-Simmen Expand Dr Shari- Cohn-Simmen is an integrative therapist, working from person-centred, psychodynamic and transpersonal perspectives. Central to her way of working is building a trusting relationship with each person and providing a safe environment with clear boundaries. Shari’s experience is that by working in the here-and-now with a client, on listening to what is said and not said, and working in symbolic ways, such as through dreams. Clients get more in touch with feelings, and often childhood issues which may have remained unvoiced and/or unresolved, but still affect them in the present. She places great value on allowing each individual to be heard, in helping them make insights, and fostering enhanced self-awareness and personal growth. Shari has experience working with adults with a wide range of issues. Shari studied in the United States before completing her PhD in psychology from the University of Edinburgh. She is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and on the BPS Register of Psychologists specialising in Psychotherapy. She also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling (University of Edinburgh); is a registered member of BACP, a practitioner member of COSCA, and a member of AHPP (UKCP). Shari is also a qualified supervisor (Diploma in Casework Supervision, Relationships Scotland). Wellspring Supervisor Shari is an integrative therapist, working from person-centred, psychodynamic and transpersonal perspectives. Shari trained as a supervisor with Relationships Scotland. She has supported trainee counsellors through their journey to becoming qualified counsellors/psychotherapists and has also supervised experienced therapists. At the heart of the way Shari works as a supervisor is providing a safe and trusting place for therapists to reflect upon and explore issues that arise from working with their clients, and to bring greater awareness to good ethical practice and the importance of self-care. Shari views supervision as a collaborative endeavour in which she tries to be fair, non-judgmental but also challenging, supporting therapists in their on-going development and growth as practitioners. Shari offers both individual and group supervision. Shari qualified as a supervisor with Relationships Scotland (Diploma in Casework Supervision) and is on the Register of Supervisors for the University of Edinburgh and for Relationships Scotland. She also brings an interdisciplinary research background to being a supervisor, having studied in the United States before completing her PhD in psychology (University of Edinburgh). Shari is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and on the BPS Register of Psychologists specialising in Psychotherapy, has a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling (University of Edinburgh), is a registered member of BACP, a practitioner member of COSCA, and a member of AHPP (UKCP).
Adrian Christie Expand Adrian Christie has been with Wellspring for over 30 years and has qualifications in both hypnotherapy and counselling. He has trained in numerous other disciplines including NLP, Process-Oriented Psychology, meditation, dreamwork, trauma therapy, Autogenic Training, bereavement and couple counselling. I am primarily concerned with behavioural change and the best way to bring this about for a particular individual. To this end, I am interested in the ways we think about ourselves and our relationships with the world and others. I rarely use any kind of formal trancework, preferring to let the answers surface for themselves when clearly invited to do so. I am a passionate advocate of the value and sanctity of the therapeutic relationship that makes it safe to have conversations about our inner lives and, most importantly, feelings. I trust feelings above thought, and the silent space of awareness itself above feelings.
Anthea Naylor Expand In our space We will explore your situation together and agree a way forward to help you. It may be that things have been bothering you for some time or it may be a sudden crisis that has occurred. Often talking things through provides a sense of relief and a greater feeling of well-being and happiness. By talking about some of the concerns that have been troubling you we can locate and understand the underlying issues in order to resolve the difficulties you are experiencing. We will talk together about the things that matter most to you whatever they may be. Over time we will find words to make the unseen seen, the unheard heard. We will explore what your memories, hopes and fears mean to you and what they feel like. We will reflect on being you. On being you with others. We will work towards something changing. Our first session together will usually be arranged for the specific session time that we will meet for the length of your therapy. This session will include time to check out any details and answer any initial questions you may have. We will also discuss the fee you wish to pay depending on your earnings. About me I trained in the 'dialogue' at the University of Edinburgh – this post-graduate qualification is an intense study of both the person-centred and the psychodynamic approaches to therapy. As my training progressed a closer affinity with contemporary psychodynamic theory unfolded and this continues to be my main guide. I have 'grown up' with Wellspring, warmly welcomed here for my student placement and then as an intern and delighted to have joined the Wellspring community as a qualified therapist. I aim to provide a similar warm welcome to all my clients. I have a diverse range of work experience including NHS management in London and willow-weaving in Scotland. My first degree was in Psychology followed by an MA in Health and Social Policy. I currently also work part-time as a lecturer in further and higher education in Psychology and Counselling. I have additional training in couples counselling and further experience in the specialist area of student counselling.
Corinna Tebbutt Expand Corinna Tebbutt has been working with Children and Adults for over 30 years, as a parent of four, as a Steiner Kindergarten Teacher, and then later as a counsellor and psychotherapist. I feel immensely privileged when I am invited to join on each therapeutic journey and I hold this with professionalism, integrity and respect. Making the decision to come to therapy is often in itself a challenging process. Deciding to explore, challenge and change our perceptions, can often make us feel very vulnerable, however, in that holds also the possibility of a different way of being. In our initial meeting, you will have the opportunity to see whether you feel we are compatible. It is really important for you to go with your gut, as to whether you then continue or not, with myself. I will invite you to identify what you are wanting to work on and to gain some context of where you are at, at this first moment in time. After our first session I will review our sessions regularly, so we are clear what you have found helpful and what is not, in order to tailor the sessions to your unique way of being/working. I look forward to walking by your side, for this part of your journey. I am an Accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist, registered with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists – BACP and a supervisor. I am trained in Somatic Trauma Therapy and am working towards certification. ’There is a critical misperception that to recover from trauma, you must feel worse before you can get better…The goal of trauma healing must be to relieve, not intensify suffering. Common sense requires improving the quality of life to be the primary goal. Revisiting the horrors of the past should only be a part of the process when it services the goal. ‘ Babette Rothschild - 8 keys to Safe Trauma Recovery
Christine Rogers Expand Christine Rogers is a Person-Centred Therapist who joined Wellspring in April 2016. She believes that a trusting relationship is the most important factor to enable change. Her training is in Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy, as well as in Bereavement Counselling. My experience was initially in Mental Health Services and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. I am also an EMDR qualified practitioner and an accredited therapist with BACP. I worked for eight years in services for people affected by problem drinking, and as a specialist for people affected by bereavement. More recently, I have worked in different Student Counselling Services, and also currently work part-time at Edinburgh University Student Counselling Services which prohibits me from seeing Edinburgh University students at Wellspring. I have worked in partnership with a local authority to provide support for employers. I have experience of working and living in inner cities and geographically remote islands.
Adele McGarry Watson Expand Adele McGarry-Watson is a Psychodynamic Art Psychotherapist. She initially trained as an artist and after graduating spent some years exhibiting and developing her own visual work. She became interested in deeper self-expression and began her training in Art Psychotherapy in 1992 and became professionally accredited in 1995. Adele offers an exploration into what the client chooses to bring to the therapeutic relationship and she believes in the provision of a safe and holding exploratory space. She is particularly interested in Environmental/Nature-Connectedness Art Psychotherapy, Jung, Dreamwork and Yalom's thoughts on Existential Psychotherapy. Adele has a post-graduate Diploma in Art Psychotherapy, is registered with The British Association of Art Therapists, BAAT No 20690 and The Health and Care Professions Council, HCPC No AS01164.
Leoni McRobert Expand Leoni McRobert is an English-Cypriot therapist. As a bilingual, I am aware of the role language and culture play in shaping who we are. I can also offer counselling in Greek, as well as English. I have a Masters in Counselling from the University of Edinburgh where I trained in the dialogue between person-centred and psychodynamic psychotherapy. I also have a Postgraduate certificate in Systemic Practice from the Institute of Family Therapy and have experience working with families and couples at The Wimbledon Guild Family Therapy Service. I am currently a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and abide by their ethical framework. In my experience, the counselling relationship is a collaborative relationship mutually shaped by both client and therapist. It is a space where healing can take place by exploring aspects of your past which continue to affect your present. Therapy can help facilitate you to understand how you can relate to your internal experience, not only giving you a deeper understanding of what is happening inside but also in your relationships with others. I believe the unconscious, our inner world and our early life experiences strongly shape our outer realities and influence how we relate to others and ourselves. We all have defences protecting us against painful experiences, which are often unconscious but through the counselling relationship, they can be brought into consciousness to facilitate a greater awareness of self. I have witnessed how therapy brings clients into deeper contact with their authentic self, which often encourages them to make changes that better suit their current needs.
Caroline Finn Expand Caroline Finn is a Psychodynamic Art Therapist. Having trained in the psychodynamic model of Art Therapy at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, I qualified in 2003. I use a psychodynamic model of therapy, the developing relationship between client and therapist providing an indication of where to go in the sessions. I like to find patterns and link things up for the client, making connections within the sessions between the client and themselves as well as between client and therapist. I have had the privilege of working with both adults and children of all ages, including those with a range of disabilities, communication difficulties and learning disabilities. I feel that it is important to listen to all forms of communication from clients, so I will be listening to behaviour, sounds in the room, the energy of each individual and the way they use the room. I see each client as an individual and enjoy the process of getting to know people and how they work, and working together to enable them to know themselves better. I am interested in object-relations, how our early relationships shape how we interact with others and experience ourselves in the world. I am also fascinated by dreams and enjoy thinking with clients about their dream life and dream world. Jung’s thoughts on dream interpretation are particularly interesting and resonant to me. I am interested in symbolism and metaphor. I also love the work of Donald Winnicott and his thoughts on childhood, the importance of learning about the world through play and the role the caregiver can give in developing the confidence to explore freely during the early years. I am also interested in attachment and the work of Bowlby. I have a basic working knowledge of neuroscience and how the body and the brain respond to extreme stress. I feel it is important to help clients to think about emotional vocabulary, and enable them to reconnect with their body, recognising the symptoms of their stress and express their feelings in a healthy way. I tend to explore with people the things that have helped them in the past, to enable them to work out their own tailor-made strategies for coping with anxiety. It is also important to enable clients to learn their own stress signals and be able to act on them in a way that is beneficial. I studied Reiki to level 2 and this underpins my thoughts on clients and their energy in the therapeutic space. I am interested in the unconscious and intuition, and the effect past traumas have on our relationship with these parts of the self. Part of the work of therapy is often to re-connect with intuitive feelings so that they can be heard and acted upon. I am equally comfortable working with clients who want to make artwork and those who do not. I am registered as a private practitioner through the British Association of Art Therapists and a member of the Health and Care Professions Council.
Sophia England Expand Sophia England trained as a counsellor/psychotherapist at the University of Edinburgh. Her therapeutic approach is grounded in a dialogue between the Person-Centred and Psychodynamic perspectives. Sophia has experience of working with a variety of adult clients who present many different issues and concerns; such as but not limited to abuse; addictions, anxiety, anger, body issues, bereavement, childhood issues, depression, eating disorders, low confidence/self-esteem, pain, panic attacks, relationship breakdowns, sleep disturbance, suicidal thoughts, trauma and work-related issues. She works collaboratively and interactively with her clients, to offer both short-term and longer-term counselling/psychotherapy. Sophia thinks of counselling and psychotherapy as offering space and relationship for healing, finding meaning in life and for developing new insight. Her aim is to enable people to explore who they are, how they feel, and what they need to enrich their lives. She thinks that our past experiences, and especially our past relationships, make their presence felt in the here and now. The therapeutic relationship offers the possibility of healing legacies from the past and of developing new, richer ways of being in the present. Sophia trained as a counsellor/psychotherapist at the University of Edinburgh where she achieved a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling. Her therapeutic approach is grounded in a dialogue between the Person-Centred and Psychodynamic perspectives. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Sophia England trained as a counsellor/psychotherapist at the University of Edinburgh. Her therapeutic approach is grounded in a dialogue between the Person-Centred and Psychodynamic perspectives. Sophia has experience of working with a variety of adult clients who present many different issues and concerns; such as but not limited to abuse; addictions, anxiety, anger, body issues, bereavement, childhood issues, depression, eating disorders, low confidence/self-esteem, pain, panic attacks, relationship breakdowns, sleep disturbance, suicidal thoughts, trauma and work-related issues. She works collaboratively and interactively with her clients, to offer both short-term and longer-term counselling/psychotherapy. Sophia thinks of counselling and psychotherapy as offering space and relationship for healing, finding meaning in life and for developing new insight. Her aim is to enable people to explore who they are, how they feel, and what they need to enrich their lives. She thinks that our past experiences, and especially our past relationships, make their presence felt in the here and now. The therapeutic relationship offers the possibility of healing legacies from the past and of developing new, richer ways of being in the present. Sophia trained as a counsellor/psychotherapist at the University of Edinburgh where she achieved a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling. Her therapeutic approach is grounded in a dialogue between the Person-Centred and Psychodynamic perspectives. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Paul Redpath Expand Paul Redpath is a Psychotherapist and Supervisor, working with individuals, couples and groups. Paul has been involved with psychotherapy for nearly 25 years. His first training was in humanistic psychotherapy in the early 90s in London. He then did a psychodynamic counselling training in Vancouver. His most significant training has been in Transactional Analysis which he did in Edinburgh. He is a supervisor and trainer in this modality as well as being a psychotherapist. He believes that change is possible, this comes from his own personal experience of therapy and he is committed to working in ways that help clients. There is no one method or technique that fits all…and this is reflected in Paul’s commitment to his own ongoing training; he completed a two-year Mindfulness Psychotherapy training in 2012. He has a deep respect for all of his clients and knows that life is difficult for everyone at some point in their lives. Paul works both short-term and long-term with people, depending on what challenges they are grappling with. He works with individuals and couples and runs groups and offers supervision. He particularly relishes his work with men as he knows that it can be difficult for men to admit to themselves that they need help. He states, “Without doubt, having personal psychotherapy has been the most significant event in my life.” Paul is accredited by the BACP, UKCP and COSCA and abides by their ethical guidelines. Change is possible
Laila Rashid Expand Laila Rashid is a Psychoanalytical and Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Supervisor I have a vast experience with Mental Health, Psychotherapy and Supervision for the past 20 years (initially overseas then in the past few years, in the UK). I worked as a volunteer; within the private sector, and as a private practitioner. I am a BPS Chartered Psychologist Associate Fellow and a BACP registered member for over 10 years, and as a supervisor, I also joined the RAPPS. My first degree and training led me to graduate in Psychology in 1994; I now hold a Bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and have undergone Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy training. During this time I have worked as a Clinical Psychologist and as a Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist with children, young people and adults. Settling in the UK made me go back to University and I received a Diploma in Cognitive Neuropsychology from the University of Edinburgh (obtained in 2012). At the moment, I work in Edinburgh as an independent practitioner with Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy and Psychodynamic approaches. In the past, I have also worked as a volunteer within the charity sector with Counselling and Psychotherapy. I am bound by the BPS and BACP and code of Ethics and Conduct.
Maggie MacKechnie Expand Maggie MacKechnie is a Core Process and Dream Work Psychotherapist. The therapy Maggie offers takes the form of an exploration into whatever the client brings, whether major life changes, relationship problems or anything that affects health and wellbeing. Maggie believes that deep listening, and the effect of paying attention to what is experienced moment by moment by client and therapist, enables old defensive patterns of living to be recognised and let go of, which then enables deeper resources to emerge. Core Process is a Psychotherapy based on both Buddhist and Western Psychological knowledge of human suffering. It holds, as a fundamental principle, that we are each in our basic nature whole and well, and that through experiences in relationships throughout our lives we have become unhappy and divided within ourselves. Maggie is also trained in Jungian Dream Work. Maggie has an MA in Buddhist Psychotherapy Practice, is UKCP registered, and is inclusively a member of the Association of the Core Process Psychotherapists (ACPP).
Kim Ward Expand Kim Ward is a Process Work psychotherapist with over 10 years experience of working with adults in the Pastoral Foundation; No21 therapy services, and the LGBT centre in Edinburgh. I am accredited to work with children or young people and have worked at the Place2be counselling service in schools. I was also a member of Process Work UK faculty training students. I believe that an important element in therapy lies in a trusting relationship where the client feels safe and supported by the therapist to explore difficult feelings or experiences, which have been hidden away or discarded. Unfolding these experiences can shed new light on our lives to enable greater change and a sense of wholeness. I am deeply interested in relationship issues and the impact that our environment at work, at home and in the world has on our physical, emotional and mental well-being. I work with anxiety: trauma, abuse, depression, body symptoms, addictions and difficulties in the workplace and relationship issues, including loneliness. With my experience of working with mental health issues, I am currently researching medication issues in clients with ADHD diagnosis. I have experience of working with gender and sexuality issues as well as a life crisis or existential issues in finding a greater purpose or meaning to our lives. Many sessions involve reflective dialogue, where feelings and thoughts are explored, this can also take the form of role-playing and movement – how we move in space. I work with non-verbal communication as in artwork; music, or body signals or gestures that just pop up. Sessions can involve a deeply meditative quality or be quite fun and playful, or be quite intense. Indeed the work is client-led as the method comes essentially from the clients and their individual communication style and interests. I believe that being in touch with our deepest nature can guide us through difficulties towards a more creative living. www.kimwardpsychotherapy.co.uk
Adrian Martinez Expand Adrian Martinez is a counsellor working with individuals and groups in an integrative way. I have been trained in an integrative way that draws upon Person Centred, Psychodynamic, Gestalt and other approaches to thinking about and practising therapy. I am interested in being with my clients in the ways that have worked with me as a client; in the most open, warm and authentic way so that we can work together to find out what my clients need. I particularly enjoy working with groups, whether these are group therapy, group supervision or learning groups. I’m interested in working with young people as well as adults and especially with men for whom therapy can seem like an alien or challenging thing to ask for. Whatever my clients identify as I trust that together we can find the best way to work in letting go of difficult or repetitive and painful relationships and make more meaningful connections to ourselves and others. I currently practise here at Wellspring whilst also teaching on the professional training programmes and on the MSc in Counselling & Psychotherapy (CPASS) at the University of Edinburgh.
John MacFadyen Expand John MacFadyen is a Core Process Psychotherapist who initially trained as a Social Worker specialising in therapeutic work with children and families. I started my Psychotherapy training in 1991 with the Karuna Institute and finished in 1995, accredited in 1998. The Karuna Institute trains psychotherapists to be Core Process Psychotherapists. The model is quite eclectic but primarily interfaces many aspects of Buddhist Psychology and other contemplative and meditative spiritual traditions with early developmental relational psychology and psychodynamic theories. The work of D.W. Winnicott, Ronald Fairbairn and Frank Lake are the main reference points as well as neuroscience and attachment theory. I joined the team of psychotherapists and counsellors at Wellspring in 1995 part-time and have continued to be a member of that team to the present time. In 2000 I undertook the Psychotherapy Supervision Training with Karuna Institute and continued on to do the advanced training in 2001. I have been seeing Psychotherapy clients since 1993 and supervising Groups and individual Psychotherapists and Counsellors since 2000. I am registered as a Psychotherapist and a Supervisor with UKCP. Over the years I have attended a number of courses on Child Protection, brief therapy, systemic family therapy, de-escalation skills, attachment and bonding, working with fathers and narrative and solution-focused therapy. I also trained to be a Practice Teacher and supervised Social Work students. I have developed my own models of group therapy with children and adults and provide ‘Play Group Therapy’ sessions for children within the community. Beginning in 2001 I apprenticed to be a trainer with the Karuna Institute and since then have regularly provided Introductory courses in Scotland and been a member of the training team who taught the first Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy PQMA in Scotland. It is a great privilege to be involved in a variety of therapeutic roles, agencies, training and supervision frontiers.
Hephzibah Kolban Expand Hephzibah Kolban MPH has been part of Wellspring's therapeutic practice since 1990. She is a Psychodynamic Counsellor who works with the relationships clients bring, with themselves and others, into the therapeutic situation. Lack of life direction; unmet needs, difficulties around self-esteem and trust that have had to be put away can be explored in an uncritical setting. Hephzibah now sees clients for short-term therapy and is available for grief work and issues around end of life, death and dying. She has been a long-time volunteer and facilitator of Mindfulness for Caregivers Education (Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco), teaching Grief Workshops, Open Death Conversations and End of Life Courses. Hephzibah also teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses at Wellspring.
John Cassie Expand John Cassie is a Transpersonal and Integrative Counsellor at Wellspring. Hello and welcome! I offer psychotherapy and counselling with a practical, down to earth approach that will be tailor-made and appropriate to you. We will be working together, and I will not presume to know exactly what is going on for you, but I will be interested in hearing how things are. While I like to bring sensitivity and acceptance and offer a safe listening space (and room perhaps for more open exploration looking at different perspectives), I also enjoy working in a more directive, active way: for example, focussing on a specific problem, or offering suggestions for reading material and potential therapeutic activities between your sessions. I am a UKCP registered psychotherapist and counsellor with additional training in Stress Management and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). As a Transpersonal and Integrative Psychotherapist, I bring many years of additional training and experience in Indian martial arts, Yoga, Sufi Healing and meditation – all of which may influence and inform my approach, where appropriate. I offer individual psychotherapy and counselling to adults.
Evie Prescott Expand Evie Prescott is an art therapist who works from a psychodynamic, psychotherapeutic approach. I have extensive experience, over the past sixteen years, of working with people throughout the whole life course; pre-school children, children and young people, adults and older adults. Our early experiences of families and the groups we belong to, affect the person we become. Taking time together, with the therapist, to explore our personal history allows understandings to form and awareness of the self to develop. How we form and negotiate relationships, how we make life choices for ourselves and how we attend to our own well-being are all rooted in these early experiences. Our present difficulties can arise from traumatic events, bereavement and loss, or significant life events. Here it may be helpful to make use of the confidential therapeutic space to attend, with care, to responses to these events. This is different for everyone; there is no ‘right way’. The therapist and each person develop a unique relationship, attending to what the person brings and what it is they need. This may include a quiet space, a chance to talk and be heard, time to rest, time to explore creativity, time and space for oneself and time to allow feelings to be acknowledged. For some, the cause of our difficulties may not be so obvious. Experience of low mood, sadness or depression, feeling stuck; can be troublesome to explain or understand. When understandings around our difficulties are hard to reach, it may be helpful to work in a non-verbal way. Using art materials can help to explore and acknowledge unconscious material in a symbolic way. It is not necessary to be good at art or have any previous experience of using art materials. Sharing the images made in art therapy with the therapist can help awareness of the self to develop. The therapist does not interpret the image, their role is to support the person to find their own meaning, to allow feelings to surface and acknowledge what may be present. All images, paintings, drawings and models made in the session are treated in a confidential way. Dreamwork may be a helpful approach, as this allows us to attend to unconscious or unprocessed feelings, issues or worries that may be just under the surface. Sharing the narrative of our dreams with the therapist or making images in response to dream content, can help to bring difficult to reach material into an accessible working place. I have experience of providing one to one psychotherapy and group work. I am available for students requiring training therapy and supervision. Registered as a clinical supervisor and private practitioner with the British Association of Art Therapists Registered with Health and Care Professions Council – Extensive experience of working with children and young people, within education; social services, the looked after and accommodated sector and the voluntary agencies. I have a particular interest in learning disability and dementia and the use of non-verbal approaches in these fields.
Gabriel Soler Expand Gabriel Soler is a Chilean-Spanish psychotherapist and is trained in an integrative approach. He develops a tailored style in his practice. In this way to approach the work, depending on each client, Gabriel uses different styles. His main conviction is that the relationship is the base for any good outcome, therefore he works in a close and authentic way with his clients. He uses mindfulness-based interventions, using body consciousness, active imagination, and meditation itself. He believes in a mind that is embedded in relationships and social structures, that is embodied, and that is assembled in interactions with concrete things. This is expressed in his practice as he gives value not just to the ‘inner dynamics’ but also to the context where things happen. Regarding inner dynamics, Gabriel follows a developmental approach when trying to understand the processes that are underlying the conflicts, thus helping the client to interpret and conceive his issues in a fundamentally new way. Gabriel has studied psychology, with training in integrative psychotherapy and has a Masters in Clinical Psychology. Currently, he is developing his own way of thinking therapy through his PhD work in Counselling Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
Guy Peled Expand Guy Peled is a registered psychotherapist with the BACP, and can offer a broad and flexible approach to therapy. My training and experience span over 15 years, starting with a qualification in mental health social work and then after a long postgraduate training in psychodynamic psychotherapy, followed with additional training in cognitive-behavioural therapy. Within this diversity, I work with a fusion of methods and techniques, combining what I found to be most helpful from both the psychodynamic and person-centred approaches and the cognitive-behavioural approach. Whether it is a focused current issue or a longer, deeper discomfort that brings you to think about counselling or therapy, I try my best to find the path that suits your needs.