'Art helps us express
what is hard to put into
words sometimes.'

Creative Arts Counselling in North London

I offer trauma-informed counselling that weaves together creative processes with talking therapy and nervous system regulation, to support a deeper understanding of who you are.Together we create a space to connect, to each other and to yourself, meeting parts that have been hidden with curiosity and compassion and nurturing a sense of belonging and wholeness.If you find traditional therapy unhelpful, arts counselling may be right for you.
No art skills are needed, it's all about the process, not perfection.

'Art helps us express
what is hard to put into words sometimes.'

Creative Arts Counselling in North London

I offer trauma-informed counselling that weaves together talking therapy, creative processes and nervous system regulation, to support a deeper understanding of who you are.Together we create a space for connection, meeting what has been hidden with curiosity and compassion and nurturing a sense of belonging and wholeness.In person sessions are held at Torriano Meeting House. No artistic experience is required.

What's Arts Counselling?

‘I'm not good at art’ is a response I get a lot when I share that I offer Art Therapy.
Let me reassure you: it is not about making good art.Rather, it is a form of counselling that uses art-making as a way to express yourself that goes beyond words, for when you don’t find the right ones or when experiences are just too painful to say out loud. The images and sculptures you create build a bridge to your inner landscape, rendering it visible and tangible so you can get to know yourself.Art-making connects with the heart, it reaches emotional and preverbal parts that are hard to access through intellect alone. It’s a sensory activity and engages the body as well as the mind helping you process and integrate your life experiences in a holistic way.Alongside art, we use symbols, stories and myths to help create a little distance to the inner world, to project and externalise what feels most difficult to hold inside. This reflective space allows you to explore yourself with greater safety, reducing the risk of emotional overwhelm and softening defensiveness, so that insight can arise at a pace the nervous system can tolerate.

‘I am a creature
with many faces.’

personal work

What's Arts Counselling?

‘I'm not good at art’ is a response I get a lot when I share that I offer Art Therapy.
Let me reassure you: it is not about making good art.Rather, it is a form of counselling that uses art-making as a way to express yourself that goes beyond words, for when you don’t find the right ones or when experiences are just too painful to say out loud. The images and sculptures you create build a bridge to your inner landscape, rendering it visible and tangible so you can get to know yourself.Art-making connects with the heart, it reaches emotional and preverbal parts that are hard to access through intellect alone. It’s a sensory activity and engages the body as well as the mind helping you process and integrate your life experiences in a holistic way.Alongside art, we use symbols, stories and myths to help create a little distance to the inner world, to project and externalise what feels most difficult to hold inside. This reflective space allows you to explore yourself with greater safety, reducing the risk of emotional overwhelm and softening defensiveness, so that insight can arise at a pace the nervous system can tolerate.

‘I am a creature
with many faces.’

personal work

Who is it for?

For rebels, misfits and the hard-to-categorise. For those navigating life with a persistent sense of being ‘too much’, ‘not enough’, or forever feeling out of place (even when everything appears to be going well on the surface).You may have learned to hide parts of yourself, to shapeshift and make yourself smaller in order to fit in. Maybe you felt it was necessary to prioritise others at the cost of your own needs. And now you realise you don’t quite know who you are anymore, plagued by a critical inner voice, circling familiar patterns of shame, envy, resentment or self-doubt, without quite knowing how to step out of them.Art-making offers a gateway back to yourself, where parts of you that were pushed aside or kept hidden can begin to show themselves again and have a voice. Meeting them with curiosity and compassion slowly brings you back into relationship with yourself, opening the door to more self-acceptance and a deeper sense of wholeness.

‘Darkness is the Gateway
to all Understanding.’

Lao Tzu

Who is it for?

For rebels, misfits and the hard-to-categorise. For those navigating life with a persistent sense of being ‘too much’, ‘not enough’, or forever feeling out of place (even when everything appears to be going well on the surface).You may have learned to hide parts of yourself, to shapeshift and make yourself smaller in order to fit in. Maybe you felt it was necessary to prioritise others at the cost of your own needs. And now you realise you don’t quite know who you are anymore, plagued by a critical inner voice, circling familiar patterns of shame, envy, resentment or self-doubt, without quite knowing how to step out of them.Art-making offers a gateway back to yourself, where parts of you that were pushed aside or kept hidden can begin to show themselves again and have a voice. Meeting them with curiosity and compassion slowly brings you back into relationship with yourself, opening the door to more self-acceptance and a deeper sense of wholeness.

‘Darkness is the Gateway
to all Understanding.’

Lao Tzu

1 to 1 Counselling

In individual sessions the relationship between us becomes a living part of the process and the container for our work.Through art-making, sensing and reflecting together we create a space that is grounded and responsive to you, where you can explore your inner world at your own pace and discover who you are.

1 to 1 Counselling

In individual sessions the relationship between us becomes a living part of the process and the container for our work.Through art-making, sensing and reflecting together we create a space that is grounded and responsive to you, where you can explore your inner world at your own pace and discover who you are.

Group Therapy

Working as a collective, the group becomes its own entity built out of the various roles each of us plays in it. We use art to be in communication and in connection with ourselves and each other, exploring our roles safely, guided by our shared voices, stories, myths and archetypes.Together we uncover the fundamental and complex themes that make up our personal lives and the society we live in.To go ahead, groups need a minimum of three committed participants.

Group Therapy

Working as a collective, the group becomes its own entity built out of the various roles each of us plays in it. We use art to be in communication and in connection with ourselves and each other, exploring our roles safely, guided by our shared voices, stories, myths and archetypes.Together we uncover the fundamental and complex themes that make up our personal lives and the society we live in.To go ahead, groups need a minimum of three committed participants.

Hi, I'm Vera

My journey to becoming an art therapy practitioner really began with my ability to hold a crayon and make marks on a piece of paper when I was a tiny toddler.Intuitively, I began to draw very early on in order to process my life experiences and ever since then creativity, ranging from visual art as well as music and writing, helped me stay grounded and connected to myself, providing feedback on my inner world.I trained at Tobias, School of Art and Therapy. I was drawn to their holistic philosophy that sees humans as physical, emotional and spiritual beings for whom art, science and spirituality is essential for personal growth and to form a conscious connection to all things alive.Along with my penchant for the woo I have a background in punk rock informing my personality and practice. Being part of London's misfits I feel at home with non-conformity, eccentricity, rebellion and all things ‘different’.

Hi, I'm Vera

My journey to becoming an art therapy practitioner really began with my ability to hold a crayon and make marks on a piece of paper when I was a tiny toddler.Intuitively, I began to draw very early on in order to process my life experiences and ever since then creativity, ranging from visual art as well as music and writing, helped me stay grounded and connected to myself, providing feedback on my inner world.I trained at Tobias, School of Art and Therapy. I was drawn to their holistic philosophy that sees humans as physical, emotional and spiritual beings for whom art, science and spirituality is essential for personal growth and to form a conscious connection to all things alive.Along with my penchant for the woo I have a background in punk rock informing my personality and practice. Being part of London's misfits I feel at home with non-conformity, eccentricity, rebellion and all things ‘different’.

During my training, I worked with disenfranchised young people through The King’s Trust and Act for Change, and with marginalised women at Street Talk. I have also facilitated group sessions in homelessness services across London, supporting participants to strengthen self-worth, reconnect with their humanity and sense of agency. Across these settings, my approach centred on creating safe, respectful spaces where people could feel seen, valued, and empowered to explore different possibilities for themselves.

During my training, I worked with disenfranchised young people through The King’s Trust and Act for Change, and with marginalised women at Street Talk. I have also facilitated group sessions in homelessness services across London, supporting participants to strengthen self-worth, reconnect with their humanity and sense of agency. Across these settings, my approach centred on creating safe, respectful spaces where people could feel seen, valued, and empowered to explore different possibilities for themselves.

‘Rarely, if ever, are any
of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.’

bell hooks

Heart-based Approach

Although we call it ‘mental health’ it is often the heart that carries the biggest wounds. To protect the raw we tend to harden around what hurts and often suffer alone and in silence.I believe softening becomes possible through relationship, when we feel safe and connected, truly seen, heard, and accepted.As a fellow traveler I trust that each of us carries within our own individual answers to what we need. With compassion, gentleness (and a little humour), I witness you shine a light onto your dark places, your rejected parts, as well as your potential (hint: they often are the same).

Heart-based Approach

Although we call it ‘mental health’ it is often the heart that carries the biggest wounds. To protect the raw we tend to harden around what hurts and often suffer alone and in silence.I believe softening becomes possible through relationship, when we feel safe and connected, truly seen, heard, and accepted.As a fellow traveler I trust that each of us carries within our own individual answers to what we need. With compassion, gentleness (and a little humour), I witness you shine a light onto your dark places, your rejected parts, as well as your potential (hint: they often are the same).

‘Rarely, if ever, are any
of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.’

bell hooks

‘The business of stories is
not enchantment nor escape.
The business of stories is waking up, and this waking up is saving our lives.’

Martin Shaw

What does 'transpersonal' mean?

The transpersonal aspect of my approach involves the connection with something that reaches beyond the individual self. Without promoting any particular religion or spiritual framework, I recognise that there is a part within us that longs to feel part of a greater whole.Our inner landscape is shaped by personal experience, upbringing, cultural background, and spiritual or philosophical beliefs, yet the need for belonging is fundamental to everyone’s well-being.Through stories, myths, and art-making, we engage in symbolic meaning-making and archetypal imagery that often holds universal truths. This reminds us that we are not alone in what we are experiencing and offers a way to explore our inner world without becoming overwhelmed.

What does 'transpersonal' mean?

The transpersonal aspect of my approach involves the connection with something that reaches beyond the individual self. Without promoting any particular religion or spiritual framework, I recognise that there is a part within us that longs to feel part of a greater whole.Our inner landscape is shaped by personal experience, upbringing, cultural background, and spiritual or philosophical beliefs, yet the need for belonging is fundamental to everyone’s well-being.Through stories, myths, and art-making, we engage in symbolic meaning-making and archetypal imagery that often holds universal truths. This reminds us that we are not alone in what we are experiencing and offers a way to explore our inner world without becoming overwhelmed.

‘The business of stories is
not enchantment nor escape.
The business of stories is waking up, and this waking up is saving our lives.’

Martin Shaw

Inclusivity matters to me. As a white middle-class woman, I recognise that I am part of a group that holds systemic privilege within the therapy profession. My commitment is to offer a space where everyone feels respected, seen and valued, regardless of your race, religion, class, neurotype, age, who you love, or how you express your gender, sexuality, or unique way of being in the world.

‘We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.’

Maya Angelou

Inclusivity matters to me. As a white middle-class woman, I recognise that I am part of a group that holds systemic privilege within the therapy profession. My commitment is to offer a space where everyone feels respected, seen and valued, regardless of your race, religion, class, neurotype, age, who you love, or how you express your gender, sexuality, or unique way of being in the world.

‘We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.’

Maya Angelou

In-person sessions and gatherings take place at the wonderful Torriano Meeting House in Kentish Town, just a 10-minute stroll from Kentish Town station.Torriano has been home to poets and artists, storytellers, musicians and activists for decades, a living, breathing and much loved community space for creativity, expression and connection. It has a unique energy and I am delighted to work in such a meaningful setting with you.

In-person sessions and gatherings take place at the wonderful Torriano Meeting House in Kentish Town, just a 10-minute stroll from Kentish Town station.Torriano has been home to poets and artists, storytellers, musicians and activists for decades, a living, breathing and much loved community space for creativity, expression and connection. It has a unique energy and I am delighted to work in such a meaningful setting with you.

Questions and Answers

What does an Art Therapy session entail?

The session takes place in Kentish Town, London or online. Home visits can be arranged at additional travel expenses.
The sessions are 50mins long, at the same agreed time once a week.

What materials are we using?

You can choose from an array of art materials such as watercolours, pastels, crayons, chalk, charcoal, pencils and clay. Because some materials affect us differently than others, I might suggest a medium at times but you are always able to decline my suggestion.

What does an Art Therapy session cost?

My standard rate for in person sessions is £75.
This includes all of your art materials.For online sessions, the rate is £65 and you have to source your own art materials.I offer reduced rates for students, social workers, health care professionals and families on low income. Please get in touch and ask for availability.

What does Group Art Therapy entail?

The group sessions are designed around specific themes and last about 2h. This usually includes an opening ritual, an introduction to the theme, art and craft making and a closing ritual and sharing circle.Please note that groups need a minimum of three committed participants to go ahead.

What does a Group Art Therapy session cost?

The rate is £50 per participant, which includes all art materials.

Can I book an Art Therapy session for my team?

Absolutely! Please get in touch to discuss your specific requirements.My rate depends on the length of the session. For a whole day, my rate is £500, excluding travel expenses and art materials needed for the session.

Why are the sessions so expensive?

In order to provide you a service that meets the high standard I wish to offer, I incur the following expenses:
-Room rental
-Supervision
-Membership of registered Counselling body
-Insurance
-Continuous learning to guarantee most up to date practice
-and high quality art materials.

What is Supervision?

Every counsellor is required to have supervision with an external counsellor who is specifically trained in supervision. This is where I discuss our sessions in a fashion that keeps your identity anonymous but that helps me stay on track of our work together. The supervisor helps me to help you in the best possible way.

Questions and Answers

What does an Art Therapy session entail?

The session takes place in Kentish Town, London or online. Home visits can be arranged at additional travel expenses.
The sessions are 50mins long, at the same agreed time once a week.

What materials are we using?

You can choose from an array of art materials such as watercolours, pastels, crayons, chalk, charcoal, pencils and clay. Because some materials affect us differently than others, I might suggest a medium at times but you are always able to decline my suggestion.

What does an Art Therapy session cost?

My standard rate for in person sessions is £75.
This includes all of your art materials.For online sessions, the rate is £65 and you have to source your own art materials.I offer reduced rates for students, social workers, health care professionals and families on low income. Please get in touch and ask for availability.

What does Group Art Therapy entail?

The group sessions are designed around specific themes and last about 2h. This usually includes an opening ritual, an introduction to the theme, art and craft making and a closing ritual and sharing circle.Please note that groups need a minimum of three committed participants to go ahead.

What does a Group Art Therapy session cost?

The rate is £50 per participant, which includes all art materials.

Can I book an Art Therapy session for my team?

Absolutely! Please get in touch to discuss your specific requirements.My rate depends on the length of the session. For a whole day, my rate is £500, excluding travel expenses and art materials needed for the session.

Why are the sessions so expensive?

In order to provide you a service that meets the high standard I wish to offer, I incur the following expenses:
-Room rental
-Supervision
-Membership of registered Counselling body
-Insurance
-Continuous learning to guarantee most up to date practice
-and high quality art materials.

What is Supervision?

Every counsellor is required to have supervision with an external counsellor who is specifically trained in supervision. This is where I discuss our sessions in a fashion that keeps your identity anonymous but that helps me stay on track of our work together. The supervisor helps me to help you in the best possible way.

Gallery

My own art is an extension of my therapeutic work, my own therapy and activism for positive change. I love to play and be surprised by unexpected outcomes.Beyond my personal projects I have collaborated with musicians, storytellers and poets. I created editorial work for magazines and fanzines.Get in touch if you would like to collaborate.

Gallery

My own art is an extension of my therapeutic work, my own therapy and activism for positive change. I love to play and be surprised by unexpected outcomes.Beyond my personal projects I have collaborated with musicians, storytellers and poets. I created editorial work for magazines and fanzines.Get in touch if you would like to collaborate.

*Poem by Elaine McGinty

*Poem by Elaine McGinty