Clare Lowe Creative Mentoring & Workshops

23/09/2025

Don't let the rhetoric of mad men looking to make their allies richer make you feel scared or guilty. There will always be people to support you and your/peoples children. This week has allowed a dangerous discourse go global. There are always people who know better, who can fight and who can lend a listening ear. Never forget that.

14/03/2025

New logo!

When I first started to work within SEN I did so by providing art workshops, but this has naturally evolved into a more mentor and support worker role. This has come from seeing the need for a more holistic approach when it comes to family support work and the huge need for this within our communities to provide much more support to children with SEN and mental health needs.

More about what I provide:

Bristol based.
Freelance.
Child led & person-centric.
Trauma informed.
DBS Provided (update service)
Paediatric first aid trained.


Services:

Respite care for parents and child carers.


Creative sessions for alternative education users.


PA for children and young adults.


Advocate and assistance with applications for social care/ education / advocate in meetings on behalf of individual /family.


Befriender - able to assist and accompany with social trips etc.


Mentor for autistic teens- help with emotional recognition and support in being more independent.


Assistance with care coordination.

Please get in touch with any enquiries.

16/12/2024

Really excited to share one of my incredible 1:1s biggest project.

This particular 1:1 and I have been on a really wonderful journey together, from him struggling to be home schooled to being diagnosed Autistic ADHD and now going to college one day a week.

This project has been running in the background for all our sessions.

He came up with the idea, assets and system for his own D&D style game for those who may find the amount of information you need to know to play Dungeons and Dragons a big, overwhelming under taking.

In our sessions we've used all different ways to plan the game, play tested, character created, made back stories, got to grips with typing AND made a website.

We need to get our own domain though and my 1:1 decided the best way to do this would be to do some crowd funding.

If you're interested in donating a small amount to our pot that would be incredible and would help us to continue to work on this fantastic creative project.

https://ko-fi.com/demonevolutiongame

https://clarelowe.wixsite.com/my-site

03/10/2024

Something I haven't posted about before is how exactly I work with children and young adults with SEN.

✨ It varies from client to client. For some I provide an alternative educational provision and for others I work as an advocate, PA or mentor role.

✨ I have 4 years experience of working intuitively specifically with those with ASD, PDA and ADHD and am always learning and adapting my practices to suit my clients.

👐This post is about how physical touch can assist some children with ASD who communicate in ways other than verbal.

👐Myself and this particular child have developed a trusting relationship based around his need for quiet and understanding.

👐 He follows verbal instructions well, but when overwhelmed struggles to communicate verbally. A way we regulate together is through touch. A quick squeeze of his hands can help bring him back to a calming space. Sometimes (especially post school) me just sitting next to him and his legs and feet going on my lap with regular squeezes can bring him back in the room and feeling safe.

👐Sitting on the floor with his back to me and breathing deeply together can really assist with a more extreme response and get him feeling co-regulated and comfortable and really help strengthen that bond and that feeling of a safe space. He now will take my hands to show me he is in need of some physical help.

⭐ Each client is different and consent is an important aspect of this approach . Empowering the child and helping them to get a relationship with their mind and body. It assists with learning resilience and strategies that help regulate when they are overloaded with sensory information.

Bringing them back to the present and focusing on a physical sensation

13/08/2024

THIS!
Effective support and scaffolding look different for everyone and when it works it can create a safe bubble for people to be themselves and process at their own speed. Burst that bubble and the safety is gone and overwhelm quickly comes back.

I've said this before.
And I'll say it again.

If the person is doing well with supports- it's because the supports are effective.

Leave them there.

Yes?

Em 🌈

25/07/2024

I don't just do creative sessions. My practice is person-centric and child-led. With 3 of my current clients, I spend 1-3 hours with them playing computer games.

This may seem strange to parents trying to cut down on screen time or who see their child playing computer games regularly alone, but they are a fantastic tool to help with various social skills. Gaming can act as a jumping point for further conversation and interactions and provide the context that a therapeutic relationship can hang on.

⭐️Playing a game together means we work together and communicate to get the task done.

🌟The interactive nature of video games, with their structured rules and predictable patterns, often resonates strongly with Autistic individuals.

🟣It gives us a focal point and a talking point without the anxiety of finding something to talk about.

👍Games improve hand-eye coordination and give an attainable and quick sense of achievement.

👌Gaming can help develop an individual's own methods for self-regulation and skill development

🥳Games can help develop a sense of agency and belonging, and feel more joy and positivity.

Games are even used in various health-related contexts, like physiotherapy and occupational therapy, cognitive rehabilitation and even treatments for anxiety disorders.

Interested?
clarelowementoring@gmail.com

16/07/2024

☀️ The summer holidays are just around the corner and September is only a couple of months away!
🌈Just a reminder of the services I provide. Specialising in neurodiverse families and those affected with mental health challenges.
👉Regular sessions are available from September and ad-hoc childcare and creative sessions are bookable throughout the summer holidays!
For all enquiries:
Text: 07772704575
Email: clarelowementoring@gmail.com

29/05/2024

Creativity is used in my sessions in so many different ways. Sometimes it's working with a 1:1 to help them relax through painting or creating artwork and sometimes it's used to help with more academic needs. Using games, online tools and pressure-free tactics I create weekly 'home school' sessions to explore English literature, language and maths for those that have PDA, autism and ADHD.
Interested? Get in touch! clarelowementoring@gmail.com

Posted with permission from 1:1.

21/04/2024

A great little cartoon explaining how hard it can be to switch tasks. A lot of the people I work with have ADHD, Autism and PDA and this is something I have learned to help manage within sessions, also having to manage my own struggles with switching tasks! When we come from a place of empathy and understanding amazing things start happening!

11/04/2024

Some recent activities with my clients have included:
Wild garlic foraging
Calligraphy and pattern making with metallic water colours and acrylics
English language practice and website creation
Witchy potion collaging!

It's always a very varied week! Sessions are always led by the client and a safe space for whatever they want to explore!

*Images posted with permission

21/03/2024

I've been redesigning my website to clearly communicate the branches of my offering and here is the new page explaining my SEN mentoring, advocacy and respite care service.

This part of my work was born out of seeing the growing need I have witnessed within my 4 years of experience working with young people with SEN. I realised just how important trusting relationships are in their lives and how life-changing a listening ear, an understanding manner and an intuitive way of caring can be.

If you feel this could be something your family or young person would benefit from please email me clarelowementoring@gmail.com