“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.” – Georgia O'Keeffe 

 For over 30 years I have used photography as a tool to aid communication (Therapeutic Photography, Social Action Photography) a journey that brought me through an understanding of  Social Pedagogy  and into training as an Art Psychotherapist.  

From being 16 years old I have worked with people, listen to their stories,  gathering tools of communication and understanding of human nature. Since graduating as a mature student in photography I have worked in community arts, to bring communities together, building bridges of understanding and tolerance.

As part of my journey I  have taught art and design in a prison and YOI, and PRU’s.   I was  proud to be the course co-ordinator for National Diploma in Photography  in a local collage,  watching young people flourish through their creative education. .

 Utilising all the skills I have gathered along life's way  I set up an arts organisation, Serendipity Art,   that eventual became a small school, Serendipity Art College,  specialising in  working with young people unable to assess learning within a mainstream education system.   It was there that I recognised that unless we addressed the issues that were preventing children from engaging into learning,  by truly listening to the child’s story and understanding their ‘whys’. We were always going to be failing them.

I came to a crossroads in my life when the financial crash swept away all funding and I had to close the school down, it was at that point that I decided to train as an art therapist. To explore how we bring therapy into schools and start the process of listening to the child’s understanding of their world. 

For 6 years I worked with a PRU as an Art Therapist  within this time we set up a therapy suite for young people to access therapy from the school and other schools in the local area. A young client perfectly explained art therapy to me as the Ninja Worrier of Lost Words.

Parelle to all this work, 12 yrs ago with my husband  we set up a social enterprises, Envisage Arts CIC , that worked with probation to provide supervision to adult male offenders on Community Payback.  

When I left the PRU I set up a new therapeutic arm  to Envisage Arts CIC. Providing Art therapy for the local community, as part of our work we created space for trainee art therapist to work in schools, and the local community.  We created a new project called Salute that ran in the Envisage Arts CIC , community garden, working with Veteran solders and their families  for 2 years. 

A large proportion of my work is with adopted families  around West and South Yorkshire.  this work was quickly taken online with the onset of Covid 19.   In Covid 19 pandemic  I set up Virtual Cuppa to support art therapist across the Yorkshire region, it was run every weekday morning  during al the lock downs. to emotionally support each other and gather the learning for setting up and working on line.  We also set up community's virtual art groups every week for the local community.  We were  exceptional pleased when we received letter of thanks from the Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire  for the work we had done through out Covid.  Alongside this I also received,  The Rising Star Award in the Advancing Healthcare Awards 2021.

Due to many changes including changes within Probation we no longer  need to be a CIC,  a new chapter starts I have regrouped and set up Envisage Arts  to carry on the art therapy.  Looking forward to the new challenges as I start working in a wonderful  special school, to set up art therapy, and carry on the the work I do with the amazing families with adopted children, not forgetting  my private clients and  families that join me in my new adventure.