Question 1

Where do the sessions happen?

Accepted Answer

My garden studio is in Bare, Morecambe and is private and peaceful – ideal for my one to one sessions and personal therapy. I also work from the "Sea Studio" in Morecambe and I use various different venues and studios throughout the Lancaster area for group work.

Question 2

How long does a therapy session last?

Accepted Answer

Individual sessions are usually 70 minutes. Group workshops are between 2 and 3 hours.

Question 3

How much is a session?

Accepted Answer

Individual appointments are £65. Please have a look at the workshop pages to see the details and prices for group sessions

Question 4

What happens after I book my place?

Accepted Answer

I’ll send you an email to confirm your booking and further information about the session, workshop or retreat. I’ll let you know what to bring and what to wear, directions to the venue and further information about what to expect.

Question 5

What is Somatic Movement Therapy?

Accepted Answer

Somatic Movement Therapy (SMT) involves learning to notice, feel and work with our bodies, to feel safe and encourage its self-healing potential. Somatic practices are concerned with the body as we experience it (not conceptualise it), the body we live in, and somatic movement therapists and educators offer ways to be in touch with our bodily insights in the present moment.

Question 6

What's the difference between this and counselling or psychotherapy?

Accepted Answer

SMT does not involve psychotherapeutic interventions such as clinical diagnoses and evaluations, talk therapy, prognoses, or related treatment plans.

Question 7

What kinds of activities does the therapy (SMT) include?

Accepted Answer

Our work together will be bespoke to your needs and explore ways to: 
- slow down, sense and feel the body
- breathe and move with more awareness
- receive touch (if appropriate) and verbal guidance which modulates regulation of the autonomic nervous system
- recognise functional and habitual patterns of tension or holding in your posture and movement; learn more about the effects of stress and trauma on the body
- talk and draw/write to discover more of what is happening in your body and to produce personal insight and awareness

Question 8

How many sessions should I have?

Accepted Answer

You are more than welcome to come and try and just have one session. Usually, after that, if you feel it’s for you, we can decide together how many sessions you want, and review that as we go along. There is never any obligation to continue.

Question 9

Is there wheelchair access?

Accepted Answer

Wheelchair users are welcome at the Sea Studio and the River Room.

Question 10

What kinds of health conditions is this therapy good for?

Accepted Answer

SMT can be helpful for anyone struggling to manage the effects of living with physical ailments of all kinds, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, grief, or stress, as well as for those seeking greater self-awareness or a deeper connection with their body.

Question 11

Is the therapy suitable for children?

Accepted Answer

I currently work with adults aged 18 upwards. I may be able to refer you to other somatic-informed practitioners who work with children.

Question 12

How do sessions start?

Accepted Answer

The first session will involve some speaking about what you hope to gain from our work, and how we will be working together, clarifying any concerns you have. Each session there after will begin with a check-in from the previous session and then attend to how you are that day.

Question 13

Do I have to be able to move a lot or dance?

Accepted Answer

No, all approaches invite you to respond at your own pace and within your movement capacity or mobility. All exercises and movements can be chair-based. I also encourage my clients to sit and rest and not get involved in anything they are not comfortable in. There’s no pressure. It really is about working at a pace you are happy with.

Question 14

I live with a lot of physical pain, is this therapy for me?

Accepted Answer

We will discuss your levels of physical pain or illness in an initial conversation. The studio has chairs, mats, cushions and blankets to support comfort and all physical activities will be carefully and sensitively guided in response to your needs.

Question 15

I live with mental distress and illness, is this therapy for me?

Accepted Answer

I will ask you to share your experience of mental illness and distress with me in an initial conversation, including if you are in other therapies and taking medication. This is to establish if working with body sensation and imagination is appropriate for you at this time, and indeed to identify if your needs are outside of my scope of practice.

Question 16

What happens if I try the session and don't like it?

Accepted Answer

There is no obligation to continue if you decide this therapy is not for you.

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