My name is Aisling (pronounced Ash-ling) and I am HCPC registered art psychotherapist. From my art therapy studio in Newark, I offer art psychotherapy in person and online. Sessions are available weekly during term-time for adults and young people. I also offer Community orientated supervision for therapists and socially engaged people.
I mostly work with the affects of institutional abuse, statutory failures and transgenerational trauma. I have extensive experience working with survivors of abuse, trauma, domestic and political violence, climate anxiety, depression, disordered eating and diasporic experiences. I am experienced in Community incident response, disaster recovery and during the covid-19 pandemic, I worked as an art psychotherapist within the tv and film industry.
As a dual experienced art psychotherapist, I have had both formal training and lived experience of neurodivergence, the mental health industry and therapeutic communities. Graduating from Goldsmiths University of London in 2015 with a masters in art psychotherapy, I hold a degree in modelmaking and design for film and theatre from Ireland’s National Film School (2007) and a diploma in group analytic psychotherapy with Group Analysis India (2022).
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Art therapy (known as art psychotherapy) is a form of psychological therapy that uses creative practices like drawing, painting and sculpture to express thoughts and feelings.
Art therapy is not dependant on spoken language so it is suitable for all ages. It can be particularly useful for people who have experienced trauma, injustice, displacement, abuse, low mood, eating problems, worry and loneliness. Art therapy can enable people to process the difficult of life experiences, deepen self-awareness, develop healthy relationships and grow confidence.
You do not need to have any particular skill in art to make use of the art therapy. You do not even have to make art in sessions! Any artwork made is confidential.
Art therapists are registered with the Health Care Professionals Council to ensure quality and safety. They are trained and experienced in using art and creativity combined with psychotherapy models to help people to express complex feelings in a safe way.
Groups form microcosms of society. Dynamics arising in group therapy can echo our personal, social, cultural and political context. And so, group therapy offers space to explore ourselves and the world around us. Thinking together with others in a group can help to make sense of how the past influences the present.
Groups can help people to find their authentic voice. They can be a life line for people who are isolated; especially for those who are suffering because of social or cultural circumstances. Groups encourage imagination, connection and healthy relationships, improve communication skills and reduce feelings of isolation.
Democracy involves an open and non-hierarchical, large group dialogue. As art therapists, we know that dialogue is not just about words. It includes all forms of expression in our Community including silences and anti-social behaviour.
As social action, art making offers an accessible way for individuals and Communities to find their authentic voices and magnify them. Making art in a large art therapy group can enable authentic Community dialogue and true democracy. This method of dialogue elevates awareness, deepens insight and creates meaningful social change.
In our Community, art making in a large group can help to bridge polarisation in a way safe way. It can help us to understand the origins of problems and how the past impacts the present. It's affects are far reaching, long lasting and sustainable.
Clinical supervision offers a confidential space with a registered professional to talk, reflect and think together about the complexities involved in your professional work.
Clinical supervisions centres your work and the people you are working with. Context matters, so we are also thinking about the setting, organisational dynamics and the world we are finding ourselves in. Ethical decision making is at the heart of what we are doing.
For Community organisations the aim of clinical supervision is to provide a non-judgemental thinking space that enables people to think about difficult problems. Supervision helps to ensure that the work is trauma informed. It provides an additional safeguarding measure when working with vulnerable children and adults with complex needs and risk factors, supports learning and development and helps to prevent burnout. Clinical supervision can be written into funding proposals. If you require any support with this, please get in touch.
I offer confidential, Community orientated supervision for art therapists and socially engaged people. My approach is conversational (not clinical). I prefer to think of supervision as inter-Vision. It is not a hierarchical process. We are learning through shared experiences. I encourage creative responses and we can make art within the supervision process - if you want to.
As a lived experienced, art psychotherapist, I welcome conversations about how the work affects you both professionally and personally.
I warmly welcome self-curious people, neurodivergence, queer and questioning folx, and those who place social and environmental justice at the centre of their lives.
This is not a crisis service. If you are experiencing crisis, at risk of harm or unable to keep yourself safe, please seek urgent medical care from your crisis service, GP, A&E, or call 999 or 111.
To begin...
contact me by email or through my website and we will arrange a time to talk on the phone or on zoom. Our first 30-minute conversation is free of charge. I am happy to answer any queries you might have and help you to think about whether I might be the right therapist for you.
Before starting art therapy, we agree a time to meet and the fee. In your first art therapy sessions we talk in more depth and then, agree the frame, focus and the length of time of our work together. Some people prefer to work in an open-ended way, without a fixed end date. That's fine too. We review the therapy as we go along.
In art therapy, you can make art and talk (at the same time) or you can make art in silence if that’s your preference. When making art, you can choose materials of your choice. During sessions, we talk and think together to make sense of the thoughts, feelings and experiences that come up during your art-making process.
I offer an initial 30-minute conversation, free of charge.
Individual art psychotherapy (self-funded) is £60. Individual art psychotherapy is £80 for organisations, local authority and people who can afford to pay-it-forward. This higher rate enables me to offer low cost art therapy to people cannot afford to pay the full fee.
Clinical Supervision is £60 for self-employed, Community Interest Companies (with funding) and start-up's. The fee is £80 for organisations and people who can afford to pay-it-forward. This higher rate enables me to offer low cost supervision to CIC's in need of funding. Clinical supervision can be written into funding proposals. If you require any support with this, please get in touch.
The standard rate for groups is £30 per week or £100 per month (per person, payable 12 months of the year). To make groups as accessible as possible, sometimes fee's vary between group members.
Low Cost Art Therapy: All allocation currently filled.
I offer a limited number of spaces at a reduced rate for people who are not in a position to pay my standard rates. These space are for people who are at greater risk of discrimination or exclusion from existing Community services. If this applies to you, please get in touch.
For creative collaborations, commissioned services delivery, (provided through schools, independent residential homes, educational and social care services) and experiential days, please contact me for a tailer made quote.
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