Dance Movement Psychotherapist
About Me
I no longer recall when I first heard the term 'dance movement psychotherapy', but as someone who enjoyed dancing from an early age it immediately struck a chord. It would be many more years before I understood that dance movement psychotherapy isn't just about dancing to feel better, but about experiencing oneself differently; to walk tall and to recognise the body's strength and resilience.
I trained as a therapist after twenty years of teaching, somewhat under the impression I needed to sort out my own problems before I could help others. It took some time to realise I would never 'solve' my anxieties, but through my own experience of therapy I have learned to understand the origins of my feelings, to recognise when they start to impact on my life, and how to move them differently.
As your therapist I cannot claim to have all the answers, but I aim to accompany you in your own exploration. I work with a humanist, feminist therapy lens. I try to remain curious about how gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, wealth and health influence our sense of personal agency and power, and to draw attention to where this may be impacting on your quality of life.
I work with all people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+, those who work as carers for loved ones, those working in educational settings, and those who have experienced or are living with health or learning disabilities. I will meet you where you are with compassion, empathy, and without judgment.
I am an experienced educator and a registered member of the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (ADMP). I also have full DBS clearance, public liability insurance and I am trained in First Aid.
Work in China
I welcome the opportunity to work with Chinese speaking communities in the UK. I worked as a teacher for five years in Beijing, China from 2007-2012. I also volunteered at ‘The Special Commune’, running movement workshops for young people with learning disabilities, and I took some initial dance movement psychotherapy training courses with the ‘Inspirees Institute’, which runs the Chinese DMP training programme. My Mandarin is basic, not fluent, but I enjoy practising and learning the language; I have an affinity with China, and prior to the pandemic, I returned for a visit every two years, and my practice as a DMP has been enriched by the opportunity to work within and between ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ cultures.
我是一名舞蹈动作精神疗法的治疗师。 我在 “Special Commune” 工作，我和有学习障碍的人一起跳舞。 我曾经在北京住过五年， 那时候我在 “亿派学院” 学过舞蹈动作精神疗法。 我爱中国文化，在中国的生活是我生命的一部分。 我的中文不太流利，就马马虎虎吧。
Articles and Collaborations
Read my article 'Going Far Is Returning': Dance Movement Psychotherapists find resilience and learning and call for more collaboration and dialogue at Academic.edu
Read about my recent collaboration, All At Sea, a home resource for SEN families, at Creative Music Mind