Hi, I'm Izzy!

I grew up in Yorkshire, North England. As a kid, art was a tool for me to explore my imagination, and bring the things in my mind to life. I would loose myself for hours making papier-mache castles and egg box farm yards. Naturally, art was my favourtie subject at school, but there was a big question mark over how “useful” art was when it came to my career. Despite some resisitance (both internal and external) I moved on to study an Art Foundation degree and then a Fine Art BA.

During my studies, I uncovered my interest in people and psychology. At the same time, my sister's mental health took a turn, and so I began considering using art and creatvity to help people with theirs. Art Therapy wasn't something I knew much about at this stage, but I was lucky enough to get in touch with a school that had a great Art Therapy Master's programme. The more I found out about Art Therapy the more it resonated with something deep within me!

I studied my Master's in Sheffield. It was a practice-based course, which meant we had lots of practice actually doing art therapy as well as reading about it. I was given two different placements, working with adults - one in a forensic inpaient ward of a mental health hopsiptal, the other on a stroke ward in a general hospital. They were both tough in their own ways, but I learnt how to work in a team with lots of other professionals, how to therapeutically support people with hugely varying needs, and how valuable Art Therapy really was.

After qualifying, I built on my professional experience, working in community mental health, a women's shelter, a hospice and more recently, as an online therapist for an HIV charity. With such a wonderful range of experience as therapist, I felt ready to open my own private practice. I studied a diploma in Online Counselling to give me the freedom to support people online as well as in-person, and then, the pandemic hit!

At this point, I was living in Barcelona, Spain, and began working with clients from the UK via zoom. It was the begining of an incredible life that young Izzy could never have imagined! And now, with a diploma in Ecotherapy under my belt as well, I continue to grow my nature-connected Art Therapy practice, online and in-person, in Asturias, Northern Spain.

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If you'd like to know more about my current offerings, click here. Or get in touch with me - I'd love to chat to you more about my experience of becoming an Art Therapist and about my practice.