Inked Art Therapy

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

09/01/2026

We had our first supervision group of 2026 yesterday and began the year with vision boards, exploring what we want to bring into the therapy room for our clients.

I asked my therapists three questions:

🌿What energy do I want to carry into the counselling room?
🌿How do I want to show up for my clients this year?
🌿What do I hope my work gives back to me, as well as what I give out?

This is what they created. Themes of nurture, growth, weirdness and self-acceptance came through, each one felt and expressed in a completely unique way.

If you’re a counsellor or therapist local to Bolton and feel you’d benefit from a monthly space to creatively explore your work, get in touch!

01/01/2026

Every year, I make a vision board for the energy I want to move through the year with

Not goals
Not productivity targets
Not a list of things to achieve to feel “enough”

This years vision board focuses on strengthening my foundation, manifesting safe and consistent self-connection over flashy, superficial changes

For me, real change comes from tending the ground first, listening to my nervous system and choosing rituals and routines that make growth sustainable rather than punishing

If goals work for you, that’s great. But if you’re feeling tired, tender, or overwhelmed by the unobtainable expectations of “New Year, New Me”, you might try asking a different question this year:

What energy do I want to surround myself with this year?

19/12/2025

Today is my last coworking group before Christmas, and I’m feeling very soft about it 🥰🥰

This group has been genuinely invaluable to me, giving me:
🏳️‍🌈 low-demand connection to my community
💻 body-doubling support for the admin tasks I really struggle to do alone
💖 connection, friendship and a lot of laughter
🤐 a work opportunity I never saw coming (details soon, I promise)
😌 a space where I get to be just me. Not the therapist. Not the token q***r. Not the quirky weirdo. Just me.

So today I’m saying thank you, and Merry Christmas, in the best way I know how. With little handmade affirmation cards.

Rather than making one for each person, I’m bringing a whole bunch so everyone can choose the one that resonates most for them 💛 it’s a small gesture, but one that’s made with care

Merry Christmas gang 🏳️‍🌈🎄🏳️‍⚧️