I have been a dramatherapist for twenty five years and run a private practice in North London.  I work with children, young people and adults in one to one therapy and in groups. 

I am also a qualified clinical supervisor, working with therapists from a range of therapeutic disciplines.

Creating a warm, safe and accepting space, my therapeutic style draws on a mix of influences from creative work, to family work and talking therapies. A session could involve talking, using projective techniques such as object sculpts, artwork or writing , and distancing tools such as imagery, role play or story telling. Varied creative techniques help people express themselves and explore the issues that they are struggling with.  Creative ways of working are particularly useful for those who often struggle to find the words or even identify the difficulty.   Using artwork, imagery and metaphor can illuminate and highlight an issue and act as a useful frame of reference for the client to keep returning to.  

For example, using the image of a bridge. I might ask someone to draw a bridge, and ask what it looks like on this side of the bridge (how they feel now), what do they hope it will look like on the other side of the bridge?( how they want to feel).  What does the bridge feel like to cross? (how might the journey to feeling the way you want to feel look like?) Is it stable, with good foundations, or old and rickety? What support do you need to get to the other side of the bridge and what will you need to take with you to make the journey manageable?  What might you want to leave behind?  This drawing can then be referred to in future sessions.  How far along the bridge do you feel?  Does the bridge feel safe at the moment or is there need for more handrails etc?

Sessions are always led by the needs and wants of the client. I believe that the grounding and safety of the therapy lies in the secure and trusting therapeutic relationship.  The relationship comes first and the tools with which to explore personal material and deeper processes follow.

Dramatherapy can help:

• find different perspectives.

• express ones thoughts and feelings.

• realise habitual patterns (in relationships, life).

• discover more about what emotions are "carried" for others.

• access ones "inner emotional world".

To discuss how dramatherapy can help, I can be contacted on:

Phone: 07980 578 248

Email: info@londondramatherapy.com or susannakester@gmail.com