Emily Barnden

I am a Drama and Movement Therapist (Arts Therapist). Drama and Movement Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses techniques from drama and movement to explore emotions and experiences. All Arts Therapists hold a master’s degree in their chosen field and most have backgrounds in the performing arts. Upon qualification, they are required to register with the HCPC (Health and Care Professionals Council) and adhere to strict codes of conduct and ethical practice. This includes regular Continued Professional Development and engagement in clinical supervision. Dramatherapists in the UK are governed by the British Association of Dramatherapists (BADth).

Prior to training as a Drama and Movement Therapist, I worked in both adult mental health and in child and adolescent learning disabilities support. Through this work I became increasingly sure of my belief in the power of the arts to support people in finding inner understanding and wholeness. I trained as a Drama and Movement Therapist at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and am now a qualified Arts Therapist, registered with the HCPC and a full member of The British Association of Drama Therapists. I work with children, adolescents, and adults. Alongside my work with Talk in the Bay, I work as a therapist for the national charity, The Place2Be, working with primary aged children.

In my therapy practice, I facilitate creative exploration of complex issues through verbal and non-verbal modes of communication. I am informed by a wide variety of theory including Jungian psychoanalytic thinking, attachment theory and psychodynamic theory and work through a trauma-informed lens. In a dramatherapy session, we might utilise any of the following to support your inner exploration: myths, fairy-tales, role play, improvisation, story-making, movement, and free-play. No previous experience of drama or theatre is needed to be able to engage in dramatherapy. The goal of dramatherapy is not to produce a performance – it is about your process. For both children and adults, it can be hard to find the words to describe what has brought you to the therapy room. Dramatherapy can offer an alternative, in which you can explore yourself, your emotions and behaviours, with, or without words.

HCPC Registration No AS16980

Member of the British Association of Drama Therapists

Committee member of Dramatherapy Wales