You made it to this web page, I imagine you have been searching for the support that feels like a good match for you. Perhaps it’s for a loved one or for yourself. Or perhaps you are interested in a career in Art Therapy, and are searching for personal therapy; or you work in the field of mental health with children and adolescents and you are seeking support for your clinical work (Clinical Supervision). These are just some of the areas I can support you with.

I’m Karen Sawyer, the founder and Principal Art Psychotherapist at Karen Sawyer Art Therapy Services. I specialise in working with children, young people, concerned parents and carers. As a mental health specialist the range of issues I work with is extensive – problems of mood, behaviour, and self-image; with those on the autistic spectrum or with subtle neuro-developmental difficulties; with historical traumas, transitions and changes in life circumstances.

Struggling with worries, concerns, or very strong emotions like sadness and anger is not uncommon in children or adults. Usually our first response to  stress, is to experience sensations in our body. These sensations can be so distressing or uncomfortable that we try to ignore them, or dampen them down, or we act on the feelings. What we struggle with, is putting into words what is troubling us.

There is a lot more attention paid to stress these days. However, changes in behaviour or personality leading to challenges in family life, school or socialising are often warning signs that we are struggling under pressure.

In Art Therapy, we focus on your experiences, your feelings, your thoughts.  Art making within a consistent therapeutic relationship offers a safe space to start to make sense of these, together.

If you are looking for improvements in how you feel, how you behave, and to increase your focus, attention, concentration and reduce anxiety and depression, then why not try Art Therapy.

Coming to Art Therapy sessions allows changes to happen within the individual, as well as within their relationships. Difficulties at work, school or within social circles reduce and our ability to do well increases. If you are a parent or carer, I offer a space to reflect on your child’s emotional world and to make sense of their behaviour. As a result, parents find new ways of responding and being with their child. Family’s also find that their stress levels reduce.