My therapy practice includes regular sessions of either counselling / psychotherapy or art psychotherapy, normally weekly for an hour. Initially, we would have a conversation to see if my service and availability is the right one for your needs and preferences. An assessment meeting or meetings helps us both see if the therapy can start. If so, a contract is agreed and therapy normally proceeds weekly for a period of time which is agreed and reviewed collaboratively. Typically, this is 6-12 weeks and can be longer up to a year or more.
Art Therapy / Art Psychotherapy:
My approach is pluralistic / integrative, with a core orientation which is person-centred and trauma-informed. I work collaboratively, aligning with co-production principles and practises. My work is also informed by humanistic, systemic, environmental, psychodynamic / attachment, existential / transpersonal, & CBT theories.
I am an Art Psychotherapist (HCPC Registered) and I work with:
Clients: adults, children and young people.
Individuals and groups.
A wide range of creative media, including: paints, clay, pastels, collage, found objects, 3D construction, natural media, fabrics, sand tray, play, performance art, digital art.
My counselling / psychotherapy approach is pluralistic / integrative, with a core which is person-centred, and trauma-informed. I work collaboratively, aligning with co-production principles and practises. My work is also informed by humanistic, systemic, environmental, psychodynamic / attachment, existential / transpersonal, & CBT theories.
I am a BACP Registered Senior Accredited Counsellor / Psychotherapist (aligned to SCoPEd Column C) and I work with:
Clients: adults, children and young people.
Individuals.
For practitioners wishing supervision, we would have a conversation to see if my supervision service and availability is the right one for your needs and preferences and for the requirements of any agency involved. An assessment meeting or meetings helps us both see if supervision can start. If so, a contract is agreed and supervision normally proceeds monthly for a period of time which is agreed and reviewed collaboratively. Regulatory and professional body requirements are adhered to.
I am a BACP Registered Senior Accredited Supervisor and I work with:
Supervisees who are registered counsellors / psychotherapists, arts therapists, related professionals, students.
Individuals and groups.
Reflective practice. Creative approaches in supervision.
In all the above, my work is informed by:
Eco-practice / eco-supervision.
Nature-based and environmental therapeutic approaches & Earth-caring values.
Art Psychotherapy: my approach is trauma-informed pluralistic art psychotherapy, with a person-centred core. I work collaboratively, aligning with co-production principles and practises.
Counselling / Psychotherapy: my approach is trauma-informed pluralistic psychotherapy, with a person-centred core. I work collaboratively, aligning with co-production principles and practises.
Practice in both counselling / psychotherapy (BACP, 2024, 2025) and art therapy / art psychotherapy (HCPC, 2023) requires "a coherent approach". A coherent approach means that whilst there are many art therapy practises and styles, they are always within the coherent whole of art therapy. Similarly with counselling, the range of practises used must "make a coherent whole" (BACP, 2024, 2025).
My coherent approach features a coherent whole which has:
a CORE of good governance - laws, ethics (HCPC, BACP, BAAT), and governance related HCPC standards, BACP competences, and BAAT guidelines. Plus quality assurance and clinical governance processes.
This governance core supports and nourishes:
an integrative framework guiding the diverse ELEMENTS of evidence-based theories and associated practises.
My integrative framework is 'trauma-informed pluralistic art psychotherapy' (Sibbett, 2003, 2014, 2016, 2019) and trauma informed pluralistic counselling / psychotherapy (Cooper & McLeod, 2011, 2015; McLeod, 2015, 2018; McLeod & Sundet, 2016; Cooper & Dryden, 2016) which I synthesise with trauma-informed care principles (SAMHSA, 2014; Sweeney et al, 2016). This is based on a person-centred integrative model of health, grounded in eco-biopsychosocial and systemic models, earth-caring values, and common factors research and evidence-based research. It is an integrative approach, featuring a person-centred core, informed by other evidence-based theories such as mentalization, attachment, trauma, systems, psychodynamic, ecopsychology, social justice, art, anthropology, transpersonal, social activism, child and adult development, etc. It also encompasses eco practice: promoting eco-creativity and a reciprocal caring relationship with and for the rest of Nature.
I mainly use a metaphor or symbol of a tree to represent coherent approach featuring a coherent whole with its CORE of good governance supporting the integrative framework guiding its diverse ELEMENTS of evidence-based theories and associated practices.
NB. See the page on Trauma Informed Pluralistic Practice for more details of this coherent approach and integrative framework.
A coherent approach
Tree metaphor:
a coherent whole
with a GOVERNANCE
CORE
supporting an
INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK guiding
diverse ELEMENTS
BACP (2024) SCoPEd transition period: An application guide for BACP’s individual accreditation scheme (column B). Lutterworth: BACP. https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/19658/bacp-application-guide-for-registered-member-to-accredited-member-column-a-to-b-feb24.docx
BACP (2025) Reflective practice criterion 1. Lutterworth: BACP. https://www.bacp.co.uk/membership/accredited-membership/apply-for-individual-accreditation/criterion-1/
HCPC (2023) Standards of proficiency -Arts Therapists. London: HCPC. https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-proficiency/arts-therapists/
Two people, the Moon, sea fog (c) CS