What is Person Centred Art Therapy?
Person centred art therapy can be used as a tool to help you discover more about yourself and bring any unconscious issues into your awareness. It works by helping you to get in touch with your right brain, the part of the brain that is more creative, spontaneous and playful.

What happens in a person centred art therapy session?
I will invite you to close your eyes if you feel comfortable to do so and will lead you through a relaxation exercise . I will ask you to allow an image to come up for you when I say a particular word, for example ‘flower’ I will ask you to notice everything that you can about the image eg. where is the flower? what does it look like? is there anything else that you can see? I will then invite you when you are ready to choose paper and pens, pencils, paints, pastels etc (whatever you feel like using) to draw your image. Once your image is completed I will go through your image with you asking you specific questions about it in order to help you make the connections that will help you to understand more about yourself and issues in your life. Whatever is in your unconscious mind and is relevent to your current or future situation will be portrayed in your image. My job is to help you discover this in a safe, supportive and creative way.

Why Person Centred Art Therapy?
Because every now and then we can get stuck in our lives and even talking about it doesn’t help. Person Centred Art Therapy is a way of helping you to get unstuck by making you aware of new possiblities or behaviours and feelings that are preventing you from moving forward.

But what if I can’t draw?
It really doesn’t matter if you think that you can’t draw very well as it is not about admiring the end product, it is about the process of making the image and finding out the meaning underneath. Lots of people I have worked with including myself held this belief to start with but I encourage you to trust the process and just have fun with it! Person Centred Art Therapy can really surprise you with what it can uncover.

How much is a Person Centred Art Therapy session?
Sessions are £50
or
a block of 6 sessions is £250

If you would like to try a Person Centre Art Therapy session or would like to book a block of 6 sessions to help you work on a specific issue book an appointment contact me on 07841 420067 or email me at ncroote@nicolacroote.com

When was the last time you had fun and were able to let go of feeling self conscious in order to have a good time?

If it has been a while it may be down to the fact that it’s difficult for you to connect to the child part of yourself, the part of you that is carefree and spontaneous, creative and fun loving.  It may be because that part of you is wounded or damaged and hides away for fear of judgement or criticism.

If you watch children you will see that they are spontaneous, playful and are always using their imaginations to make play more fun and enjoyable.   As adults we often lose this ability especially if these qualities were not encouraged by the adults around us, if we had strict parents or suffered from abuse or neglect.   We can grow up feeling self conscious, guarded and fearful of letting ourselves go in order to have fun and often turn to substances or other behaviours which make it a lot easier.  However this often comes with negative consequences such as hangovers and worse

Through therapy I can offer you the chance to re-connect with the child part of yourself, which will dramatically improve your life.

Being able to connect with your inner child may be painful to start with as you may uncover past hurts and difficult feelings, however once you make that connection you will also find a deep well of creativity and the ability to have fun again.  You will re-discover activities and interests that you had forgotten about and you will find the healing that takes place will change all aspects of your life for the better.   You will be able to manage feelings rather than your feelings controlling you, your relationships will improve as you learn how to integrate your inner child with your inner adult.

This type of therapy is extremely powerful and effective and can be accessed by anyone who wants to improve their life and tap into their creativity.    Creative therapeutic tools are used within therapy sessions in order to facilitate your connection to your child part such as:

• Art
• Objects
• Story telling
• Clay

These help you to make the connection to the young part of yourself very quickly and effectively and give you the opportunity to experience something different from simply spending the session talking.

If you would like to make a change to your life and try something different that will give you rapid results, make the commitment to yourself and invest in some counselling sessions.

I am currently offering a spring special offer of 6 sessions for the price of 5  so it’s the perfect time to make that change – what are you waiting for?

Nicola works from the clinic on Mondays from 3pm and is available to speak to  on 07841 420067.  Alternatively use the form above or call reception on 0207 352 3087

• Counselling to help with credit crunch blues
• Has Your Christmas Lost its Sparkle?
• Winter Newsletter
• Counselling to Help you Connect with your Inner Child

by Nicola Croote, Counsellor at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham RD, SW10

Winter is the time when things stop growing and energy gets drawn into the earth.   This can have the effect of making you feel tired and withdrawn.   You may feel the need to sleep more, find yourself having less energy and probably wanting to retreat inside away from the cold.   Although winter can be difficult for many due to short days and long drawn out dark nights it can also be a good time to re-connect with yourself and use the time inside to reflect on where you are in your life and to think about what you want for the year ahead.     It can be a great time to meditate or to learn to as there is less distraction in the winter months and meditation with candle light can be a wonderful way of calming any stress or tension.

Winter Solstice on December 21^st was the official beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year which means that from that day onwards, nights get lighter and days get longer albeit very gradually!

The New Year can be a great time for reflection on the past year “ are you in the place you would like to be both physically and emotionally?   What did you do well in 2009 and what could have been done differently on reflection?   New Year’s resolutions feature highly in most of our plans for change, however if you’re planning on making resolutions   it may help to spend time thinking about exactly what you’d like to change in your life and plan to take small steps to ensure that you are able to achieve the goals that you set for yourself.   For example if you plan to stop smoking but have failed in the past, what could you do differently this time ie. use patches, join a support group etc.   Think about using the SMART method of goal setting (see my Christmas article for more information).

The weeks after Christmas and New Year can be a time when you may feel quite low as the anti-climax of the festive season sets in.   Finances are low due to the big spend in December and the weather can be grey and cold.   Brighten up your life by bringing in colour into your surroundings;   treat yourself to some new additions to your wardrobe or home, you don’t have to spend lots, visit charity shops or go to the local car boot sale which can harbour hidden gems just waiting to be bartered for.     If your outer world is bright and colourful your inner world follows.   Ensure that you nourish yourself with warm, healthy seasonal food as it is widely known that food affects mood.

Winter can be a challenging time for many of us but it doesn’t have to be unbearable, use these tips to help yourself have a memorable and reflective season and if you decide that its time to invest in a psychological cleanse in the form of committing to attending counselling/psychotherapy,   get in touch and we can discuss how you can start working towards obtaining those goals that you would like to set for yourself.

All the best

Nicola

If you would like to subscribe to my free quarterly newsletters and regular articles please send me an   email with the heading ‘subscribe using the form above and will add you to my distribution list

• Counselling with Nicola Croote
• Counselling to help with credit crunch blues

by Nicola Croote, Counsellor at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham RD SW10.

Christmas is drawing near and for a lot of people it means spending time with family or loved ones, indulging in lots of rich and decadent food, drinking alcohol and general merriment and enjoyment.   However Christmas can also be a time of reflection and can often highlight what we have or haven’t got in our lives.   This can bring up difficult feelings for many and Christmas ends up being a struggle to get through rather than something to enjoy.   The media often triggers feelings of inadequacy as were constantly bombarded with happy family scenes when actually its the time of year when arguments are more likely to happen in the home, purely because of the amount of pressure were all under to have a good time!     Its also a time when debt is accrued by many in the desperate attempts to fulfil their loved ones Christmas wish list, only to be followed by a major financial hangover in the new year when debts need repaying.

There are ways that you can get through this testing time.   Try not to buy into the media hype and see it as a time for you to give to yourself, notice what you are saying to yourself; is it kind and thoughtful or critical and negative?   Nurture yourself with loving and positive thoughts and take the extra time you have off over the holiday season to reflect on the past year and to think about where you want to be this time next year.   What do you want to achieve and what do you need to do in order to attain this?   Set yourself goals and break them down into small manageable steps using the SMART method as follows:

Specific – write down exactly what you want to achieve

Measurable - ensure that you are able to measure your progress along the way

Attainable - when you set your goals ensure that they are achievable and you are able to take the steps needed to reach them

Realistic - make sure that your goals are do-able and realistic for you

Timed - set a time frame for your goals.   Putting an end point on your goal gives you a  clear target to work towards.

When it comes to presents, buy gifts that are thoughtful rather than extravagant or expensive, you could even try making something which not only help you to get in touch with your creative side but can also be very therapeutic and you will be giving something unique to your loved ones.

If, however you find that Christmas is just too much, you find that you are struggling with your feelings for yet another year and none of the above is working for you, maybe its time for you to invest in yourself and your emotional well being by giving counselling a try.   Counselling can be useful in helping you to understand your difficult feelings, help you to work through them and learn how to manage them instead of them managing you.     It can be a way of setting and attaining your goals for the future and ensuring that from now on Christmas is on your terms and no one else’s.

If you would like to book an appointment or call to discuss how counselling can help you please contact me on 0207 352 3087/07841 420067 or alternatively use the form to email me at the clinic

Seasons greetings

• Counselling with Nicola Croote
• Counselling to help with credit crunch blues

By Nicola Croote, Counsellor at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic SW10.

Has the credit crunch affected your wellbeing in that you have found your life taking a turn in a different direction?   Do you find yourself feeling stressed and anxious about the future?   Or do you resent the fact that choices about your life have been made for you making you feel out of control?

You may be experiencing feelings that you are unfamiliar to you and are unsure of what your next step could be.

Maybe you have turned to alcohol, drugs or other unhelpful behaviours to help you deal with this difficult change and found that they helped in the short term but are now creating more stress and loss of control in your life.

Many people are finding themselves in a similar position at this time and are turning to counselling in order to help them adjust to their new situation.   Counselling can help you to find ways of managing your stress levels and turn a new and uncomfortable change of circumstances into a beneficial and positive outcome.

Having a regular space available to you each week and someone to listen and help you find the answers that you already have within you can be hugely empowering and satisfying.   Unlike the quick fix you get from alcohol, other substances or behaviours, the results are permanent and much more rewarding!

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be an excellent way of changing unhelpful beliefs and behaviours and can be done quickly and effectively if you are committed to achieve the results that you want.     The first session would be to discuss your desired outcome and the struggles that you are currently having and then set goals to help you focus on during future sessions.   I will regularly check out with you if this way of working feels right and if it doesn’t I will discuss alternative methods. I have a large therapeutic toolbox!

We can also discuss how many sessions you may realistically need.   A typical duration is 6-8 sessions to explore a basic issue and to work on solutions, some deeper emotional issues can require more time.   I am mindful that you may require certainty around costs in order to make counselling financially viable and I am therefore open to providing estimates so that you are clear about the financial outlay.

For the month of October as part of Chelsea Natural Healths birthday promotion I am offering counselling sessions at the reduced price of £48 (normally £60).

I am also offering you a free half hour session which will give you the chance to come and meet me and answer any questions that you may have about counselling before making your first appointment.

Alternatively feel free to email me or call to discuss any concerns or queries.

All the best

Nicola

• Counselling with Nicola Croote
• Counselling to help with credit crunch blues