Inked Art Therapy

21/03/2026

Art therapy isn’t always about making something “nice”- sometimes it’s about gently stepping towards the things that feel uncomfortable

Art can be a way of exposing yourself to those feelings in a contained, safe way. You’re in control of how close you get, how long you stay there, and what you do with what comes up

Take this exercise for example.
A friend and I painted loose watercolour backgrounds, then swapped pieces to add linework on top

It sounds simple, but it wasn’t just a throwaway activity. It invited us to:
🌀 let go of control
🫣 be less precious about what we made
🫱🏼‍🫲🏾 share responsibility for the outcome
🫶 trust someone else with something we’d started

There’s something vulnerable about handing over a piece of your work, especially when it’s unfinished. It can bring up discomfort, protectiveness, even resistance. That’s the work

In art therapy, those moments matter. They open up conversations about control, trust, perfectionism, boundaries, and how we relate to others

Not everything has to happen through talking

15/03/2026

I’m in a reflective mood today

I’ve been chewing over some of the barriers that prevent people from accessing art therapy, and I’ve had an idea for a project that would provide a kind of access. Not art therapy exactly, but something creative, reflective and holding, with a mix of self awareness and regulation in an affordable, accessible way

Problem is, it’s something that would take a lot of energy to build. Energy in areas I don’t necessarily thrive- promotion, awareness, social media… these are not my strengths, nor are they something I find a lot of joy in

But the project, the idea, is something with real potential. So this collage was the first step in exploring that. The risk, the reward, the hesitancy, the hope. The desire to create something new and exciting alongside the dread of doing things I don’t love to make it happen

Anyway, I’m still undecided, and this piece isn’t finished. And that’s okay

10/03/2026

Things you can do in art therapy sessions:
- process deep feelings
- look for meaning and symbolism in your art
- explore with your therapist to find deeper meaning
- regulate your emotions, reducing anxiety and overwhelm
- learn to tolerate and navigate stressful experiences like perfectionism, change or the unknown
- reconnect with your inner child and learn to play again
- understand and express yourself without words

06/03/2026

06/03/2026

Yesterday we held our monthly creative supervision. Four therapists and counsellors with a diverse range of experience, client groups, modalities and challenges came together to reflect, process and explore through art making

Four very different ways of making art. Four very different processes playing out in the same space. But that process exposed what connects us just as much as it highlights those differences

One of the group said she felt “tired but wired” by the end and I think that sums it up perfectly. There's release and soothing alongside new ideas and ways of thinking.

I love this little group

01/03/2026

Yesterday I spent the day in a BAAT - The British Association of Art Therapists masterclass with Jacqui McKoy-Lewens exploring Art Therapy with “hard to reach” children and young people. I always love learning alongside other art therapists, but this one gave me a lot to sit with

One of my biggest takeaways was thinking critically about language. “Hard to reach” can sometimes suggest the child is creating barriers. A perspective offered in the training was to think instead about “seldom heard” children: young people who may want connection and support, but who face real barriers to accessing it. Barriers like stigma, lack of representation, cultural misunderstanding, trauma, mistrust from experience or systems that simply are not built with them in mind

There was also a strong focus on trauma and the nervous system. When a young person has experienced significant trauma, even entering a therapeutic space can be dysregulating. What might look like disengagement, resistance, or avoidance can often be a nervous system doing exactly what it learned to do in order to survive. It's not being difficult- it's self-protection

For me, art therapy offers something important here. Art can create a space where communication does not rely only on words, where regulation can happen through making, and where young people can be met where they are rather than expected to perform therapy in a particular way

Lots to reflect on and bring into my work

28/02/2026

Today in a training workshop, we were invited to represent what overwhelm feels like. This is what I made.

It got me thinking about how overwhelm isn’t always rooted in something negative. As a sensory seeker, I’m drawn to busy, chaotic, loud, tactile experiences… until I’m not. What feels enlivening one minute can tip the next.

Overwhelm, for me, is often about threshold. Capacity. Timing.

In my work, I see this a lot with neurodivergent people. The same intensity that fuels creativity and joy can quickly become too much. That edge can move fast.

I’m interested in helping people get curious about their own thresholds. Not to make life smaller, but to make it more intentional.

Sometimes the work isn’t about avoiding overwhelm. It’s about recognising it sooner, and responding with care.

27/02/2026

I’ve lost count of the number of times collage has shown me something about myself that I wasn’t consciously looking for

I’ll think I’m just playing with texture or colour, and then I step back and there it is: a hidden symbol, a body positioned a certain way, a word I didn’t realise I needed

Because the images already exist, I’m responding rather than inventing. Something catches my eye before my inner critic has time to curate it. I might choose an image I’d never think to draw. A softness I don’t usually allow. An edge I didn’t know I was holding. Meaning comes later

For me, collage is less about constructing something impressive and more about discovering something true. The fragments know things. My job is to notice patterns, sit with them, and decide what belongs together

That’s part of why collage is so prominent in my therapy practice

It makes room for what’s already there

22/02/2026

Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like no one really understands what you’re going through? You don’t have to carry it alone. Art therapy can be a space to untangle those feelings, even if you’re not sure where to start or what to say.

I currently have two sessions open for new clients in Bolton, Greater Manchester, so if you've been thinking about reaching out for support, take this as your sign

15/02/2026

There's no such thing as a sneaky snack in a whippet house. My girls don't let me get away with anything!

24/01/2026

Meeting my newest, tiniest coworker: Brontë. She's having lots of fun with her new big sister Squish 🐶💛

InkedArtTherapy

22/01/2026

I'm in an Uber on my way home after two magical workshops at ucenmcr and I'm flicking through pics from the afternoon. I'll do a bigger post in a day or two when I've had time to sit and absorb, but for now, these two images perfectly sum up the atmosphere and the experience 😌🌿

Creativity and community truly is a magical combination