Creative Arts Psychotherapist and Dramatherapist specialising in adoption and special guardianship and transracial adoption. Working with families and their children who have experienced early developmental trauma and racialised Trauma. Working with Children, Adolescents, DDP Parent-Child work and with Adults. Lucy devises, creates and performs her own individual pieces at conferences and theatres. Lucy also creates bespoke Therapeutic Theatre performances and workshops for groups within organisations and charities to explore early developmental trauma and racialised trauma held within the body, mind and soul.

I am very passionate about the work that I do. I support children and young people to find creative ways to communicate and to express themselves, which might include feelings or experiences they may find hard to put into words. I am committed to giving children and young people the opportunity to face their fears with bravery in a safe confidential space. I draw on my qualifications as a registered Dramatherapist and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapist (DDP) and have a special focus on adoption and foster care issues derived from my own personal experiences. I support and collaborate with children who have been fostered, adopted and are under special guardianship and their parents/carers individually and together. I support children who have been impacted by developmental trauma and use DDP to enable children and their families to have the best possible relationship with each other. I support children to make sense of things that have happened in their past to allow them to move forward into the next chapter of their lives. I also support parents and carers to feel more fulfilled in their parental role, and collaboratively we work together to improve the quality of their families interactions on a daily basis.

I offer a specialist service for parents and carers working with looked after children and children who have been adopted. I support and work alongside parents, carers and guardians together with their child (similar to family therapy). My work is informed by Dyadic Developmental Practice and Psychotherapy (DDP), Dramatherapy and Mindfulness. DDP begins with the therapist getting to know the parent(s) and or carer(s). This weekly process involves supporting parents to understand their own difficulties with regards to parenting their child. I introduce playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy into the sessions (which is known as the PACE model). We work together and I prepare and support you when you feel ready to involve your child for future sessions. Future sessions involve supporting yourself, your child and myself and together we will help your child feel as emotionally safe as is possible, building healthy relationships to help them make sense of what has happened in the past and to think about how your child coped and managed their past experiences. DDP is a therapy and parenting approach that uses what we know about attachment and trauma to help children and families with their relationships. I use this approach as a treatment for families with adopted or fostered children who had experienced neglect and abuse in their birth families and suffered from significant developmental trauma.

Working with Creative Arts Therapists and Achieve Together on a 15-week online project. Encouraging and supporting adults with learning disabilities and/or autism in connection with care provider, Achieve Together during COVID-19. The group participants have the opportunity to be playful in the sessions using images, words, movement, drawings, songs and stories to connect with other group members online.

Dramatherapy is a ‘safe space’ that allows confidential and non-judgemental exploration through the form of drama. No previous experience in performing arts or drama is necessary. Dramatherapy is a unique form of psychotherapy in which play, movement, voice, storytelling, sensory work, music and role-play have a central position in helping people to understand and express themselves. I support children with emotional, behavioural, social issues through weekly dramatherapy sessions. Working with families (looked after children and post adoption) who need support in repairing their relationships developing communication skills, verbal and non verbal to express and explore difficult feelings. Supporting parents by building trust, self-confidence and self-esteem to develop ways to connect to their child in a safe and comfortable environment.

Roundabout Dramatherapy is a charity that provides a dramatherapy services across London. I support children with emotional, behavioural, social issues and those who have experienced developmental trauma, sexual abuse, domestic violence, bereavement, grief and loss. My work mainly focuses on supporting looked after and adopted children individually. I run dramatherapy sessions in mainstream primary and secondary schools and in SEN schools for pupils that have Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and learning disabilities.

In my practice I use a wide range of creative media through play, puppets, story, art, music, voice-work, sculpts, movement, role-play, animation and other theatre-based techniques. I create a therapeutic safe space that allows children to be playful and to express themselves freely without fear of judgement.I specialise in trauma supporting children who have experienced a significant distressing event/s in their lives. I use the arts to creatively explore issues affecting psychological, emotional and social changes. Creative Arts Psychotherapy can be non-verbal providing an alternative intervention to talking for those who have difficulties articulating or expressing their feelings verbally and/or for those with speech difficulties. I also offer parenting therapy that aims to provide the necessary knowledge, tools, guidance, and most especially support to parents without bias or judgment.

WSAPC an alternative education provision colleges supporting children and adolescents who have been permanently excluded, are at risk of exclusion and those that are out of school for medical reasons and are too sick to attend school. I support children (individually and in groups) with emotional, behavioural and social issues and those who have experienced loss and grief.

CMG supports adults with learning disabilities and particularly complex needs, including autistic spectrum conditions, mental health needs, challenging behaviour, profound and multiple learning disabilities and associated complex health needs. My dramatherapy role involves facilitating weekly creative expression sessions with individuals and group sessions. Supporting groups to devise and put on a bi-annual therapeutic theatre performances and supporting groups to devise and create short films on social issues.

Chailey Heritage is a school for children and young people with complex physical disabilities, high health needs, sensory impairments and associated learning difficulties. Here I facilitated workshops and therapeutic theatre projects focusing on personal and social educational pieces.

PIP supports adults with learning disabilities to achieve their full potential.My role involved co-facilitating a weekly dramatherapy group focussing on confidence, social interaction, emotional development, social togetherness and creative expression. Facilitating and devising therapeutic theatre performances.

I worked individually with adolescents who were facing difficulties with a range of behavioural, emotional and mental health difficulties. Supporting adolescents who were finding it hard to express their feelings verbally to use creative media to promote their emotional and social well-being. My required me to facilitate dramatherapy with families and individuals; working within CAMHS and with families within the community in their homes.

St John's is a specialist college that provides education, care and medical therapy to young people aged 18 to 25. They have complex learning disabilities with some learners having difficulties resulting from behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD), Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), Asperger’s Syndrome, and Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA). During this time my role involved facilitating weekly group and individual dramatherapy sessions focusing on social interaction and creative expression. I also liaised weekly with the multi-disciplinary team completing weekly clinical notes, reports and annual reviews on each individual learner.

The Priory Hospital is an independent hospital, specialising in the management and treatment of patients with mental health problems, addictions and eating disorders. Student placement within the Adult Eating Disorder Unit at The Priory, Roehampton. My role as a trainee dramatherapist entailed co-facilitating and leading group sessions with the Dance Movement Therapist. I also co-facilitated and led dramatherapy sessions with the Art Therapy group with the Art Therapist and Psychotherapist.