Spirit of Creative Entanglement

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Welcome to our 16th episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement. We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

We are delighted to welcome Dr Vicky Armstrong as our guest today. An Art Psychotherapist and lecturer at Dundee University, Vicky is also the co-founder and collaborator on the award winning research project Art at the Start. This vital collaboration supports shared art making between babies and their care-givers and the impact this has on their development and attachment relationships. 

Join us as we explore the fundamentals of attunement within parent-infant dyads, and think about ways that connection is nurtured through creativity. Our conversation takes us from the transformative power of the arts through making your first mark in the world to the impact and growth of Vicky's research and practice nationwide. 

https://sites.dundee.ac.uk/artatthestart/

A youtube video made with families 

https://youtu.be/Ow5ga30cAI8

The paper from the control trial of the art therapy group

https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.22078

A qualitative study interviewing parents 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197455623000643?via%3Dihub

The new book edited by Mary Rose Brady, with a chapter outlining the parent infant art therapy approach and also some lovely vignettes by other art therapists.

https://uk.jkp.com/products/a-practiceled-handbook-of-art-therapy-with-children-and-young-people?srsltid=AU7gw4ULfbNSgoOOiqWctC0RhUUcqojMylkGn1zMS1yjKjqtRkvX3oqy

Lucille Proulx
Lucilleproulx.com

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our 15th episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement. We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

In this episode, we’re joined by Claire Manson, art psychotherapist and co -founder of Studio Upstairs, an arts and mental health charity supporting people to experience therapeutic change and growth through their creative and personal recovery journeys. Claire revisits memories of establishing Studio Upstairs in October 1988 in association with Diorama Arts, and how, driven by voluntary commitment, the Studio grew from opening just one day a week to operating five days a week within three years, becoming a unique working arts studio and therapeutic space still thriving today. 

A discussion rich with professional and personal depth, insight, and learning moments, join us in this fascinating conversation where Claire shares her own very personal reflections of four decades of learning, practice, personal growth, and the power of saying yes to stepping into the unknown.

https://www.studioupstairs.org.uk

https://www.desjusticeuk.com/

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our 14th episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement. We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

In this episode, we’re joined by Daniel Thomas, Neurologic music therapist, author, lecturer, and managing director of Chroma, the UK's only national provider of Creative Arts Therapies. Formed in 2013, this groundbreaking partnership initiative started with the motivation of changing the way arts therapies are delivered across organisations. Join us as Daniel shares his inspiring journey of moving from clinical therapist to business entrepreneur, his motivations and challenges, and the essential relationships that have supported him along the way. From the business of therapy, marketing and entrepreneurship within the creative arts therapies, to living a life that works for you, this conversation invites us to consider how to expand our career horizons and, as therapists, understand how our skills and experience can be utilised beyond the therapy room.

Some of the links to the information we discuss in the podcast can be found in the links below:

https://wearechroma.com

https://amzn.eu/d/0bhErOYE

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-thomas-%F0%9F%8C%88-b6774434/

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our 13th episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement. We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

Our guest today is Vianna Boring, a counsellor, coach, and former chair of the BACP Workplace Division, whose broad interests and expertise span the academic and career lifecycle, cultural diversity, education, and trauma. 

Vianna joins us for this podcast from the US, bringing her wealth of experience across higher education, international student support and workplace wellbeing, offering fascinating insights as our chat weaves together music, cross cultural practice, and global politics, acknowledging the challenges of today’s individualistic society and concluding with a shared hope for what can be achieved as a curious community.

Episode links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vianna-boring-renaud-2aa8338/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-qkY2yj4_A

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our 12th episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement. We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

We are delighted to welcome Miranda Jones as today’s podcast guest; integrative art psychotherapist, artist, and lucid dreaming facilitator. 

Today's discussion is a deep dive into the richness of dreamwork, the fertile void, and how working with liminal spaces can support our work as therapists. What happens when we consciously meets parts of ourselves in dreams, and how can we harness the power of this meeting place to integrate psychedelic and extra-ordinary experiences. This exploration opens a doorway into how we may utilise these transformational realms to make meaning for ourselves, our clients, and the collective.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Miranda's Contact:
www.thewondering.co.uk

https://thewondering.substack.com/

Miranda's Events:

https://dandelion.events/u/miranda_jones

www.mossycrow.co.uk

Charlie Morley:

https://www.charliemorley.com/

Charlie Morley's Ted talk on the lucid dreaming as trauma treatment:

https://youtu.be/yNqmYy9hucM?si=oxPjvm21ZPoRjSTt

Academic Paper mentioned: Decreased PTSD symptoms following a lucid dreaming workshop: A randomized controlled study

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-90474-001

Podcast mentioned:
The Emerald podcast interview with Báyò Akómoláfé :

 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Na74VKfLtGazWufYvxLhm?si=XE3t2XgmQiGdm_eHTFA9jw

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our eleventh episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement. We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

Our guests for this podcast are Adelle Havard and Nahdeannah Francis-Pennant who are collaborating on a wonderful yoga and art group called New Beginnings - Yoga & Art; celebrating each new month with new energy through practice & creativity. 

Listen in to this uplifting chat where we explore the evolution of the group and their journey through individual practice towards their unique collaboration. Working online, in groups, and self-care feature, and we invite you to join us in the calming meditation held by Nahdeannah that concludes this thought provoking and inspiring conversation.

@akomaheartuk

@passengerarts 

Eventbrite  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/akomaheart-80157944173 

www.akomaheart.com

www.passengerartstherapy.co.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adelle-havard/ 

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our tenth episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement, and our first for 2026! We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

Our conversation today explores the importance of community and collaboration in the therapy sector, with a focus on cross-cultural art therapy. We are delighted to be joined by Kim Valldejuli, art psychotherapist and current president of the Art Therapy Association of Trinidad and Tobago. 

Kim’s art therapy journey has been profoundly shaped by her identity, cultural background, and professional experiences, and in this episode she shares her inspiring story and how she has come to view the threads that bring people together through the lens of traditional healing practices.

Join our conversation with Kim as we consider spirituality, hierarchy and power dynamics within the therapy world, white academia impact on people of colour, and our joint responsibilities to work within our communities to support healing from a perspective of cultural history, needs, and beliefs.

Some of the links to the information we discuss in the podcast can be found in the links below:

@bridgingheartsbarbados

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-valldejuli-6a6664/overlay/about-this-profile/

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our ninth episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement! We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

We are delighted to be joined for this episode by Kate Beckwith. Kate works as a child and adolescent psychodynamic psychotherapist and is the founder of Kate’s Garden, a therapeutic practice located in a natural woodland environment. In this episode we explore the ways that Kate uses nature, animals, art, and play to create a dynamic, curious, and healing space for her clients. 

From therapy within the context of our modern age and the urgency to revolutionise child therapy, to Kate's own very personal reflections on the importance of art in her life, join us as we journey together into a therapy space with a difference.

Some of the links to the information we discuss in the podcast can be found in the links below:

www.katesgarden.co.uk  

Instagram -Facebook

Kate's Tedx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGlLtTaSZ6E

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our eighth episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement! We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

In this episode, we’re joined by Louise Kaye, a highly experienced counsellor and psychotherapist with a specialism in walk and talk therapy. Join us as we explore ways that working in a natural environment can support clients to build resilience, develop coping strategies, and foster lasting emotional wellbeing. From reflections on how the natural world provides an additional creative layer to a therapy journey, to practical tips for working in dynamic outdoor spaces, Louise shares her experience and expertise in this thoughtful conversation.

Some of the links to the information we discuss in the podcast can be found in the links below:

The lost words spell book and free PDF Link; All rights belong to the Author/publication house.

https://www.thelostwords.org/uploads/Autumn%20Resources.pdf

https://creativecounsellors.org/walk-talk-counselling-ecotherapy-training/

https://www.theccchub.com/

https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/outdoor-therapy/

https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/research/conference/conference-archive/poster-exhibition-2020/morrison/

Wardle, A. (2023). Landscape of loss: art therapy outdoors and traumatic bereavement. International Journal of Art Therapy, 29(3), 174–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/17454832.2023.2267109

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,

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Welcome to our seventh episode of The Spirit of Creative Entanglement! We are three art psychotherapists, and this space is for curious minds seeking relatable, authentic, and meaningful stories about healing from all walks of life, both professional and personal. Join us as we explore creativity, connection, and the transformative power of storytelling and self-expression.

In this episode, we’re joined by Siri Arti Nichol, CNHC Registered Yoga Therapist, trauma-informed yoga teacher, and plant medicine integration practitioner. Siri brings a rich background in holistic healing, energy work, and somatic vitality. Together, we explore spiritual connection to ourselves and each other, as well as the 5 koshas/layers of being, including the therapeutic potential of psilocybin through the lens of empowerment, education, and embodied experience. From microdosing immersion to the physical language of healing, this conversation invites us to consider how fragmentation can become an opportunity for repair and how the body itself becomes a site of transformation.

Some of the links to the information we discuss in the podcast can be found in the links below:

https://therapy-with-siri.kit.com/profile

[email protected]

www.hand2health.co.uk, @hand2health,