our team
Samantha Hickman, MA AThR - FOunder & Art Psychotherapist
Samantha is a HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist and full member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). She qualified from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore (accredited by Goldsmith's University).
Sam became an art therapist to integrate her own creative practice into working with others. She believes passionately in the creative process to support mental well-being, empowering people to develop sustainable ways of coping. She works with a wide range of art materials, including nature-based ways of working, to explore the creative process in a welcoming, confidential and non-judgemental space to foster insight, and awareness, whilst building resilience and new perspectives.
In Singapore, she worked with a leading cancer charity as part of their psyco-social team. Since relocating to the UK in 2019, Sam has worked with charity and local organisations in the South West, offering a socially engaged community and private practice. She covers a wide spectrum of reasons for therapy from living with cancer, depression, stress, and anxiety, to anger, grief & loss, and trauma, and works both with groups or on an individual basis.
Sam works predominantly with adults and has specialised in supporting people living with cancer for over nine years. As a parent carer, she also supports parents of SEND children to navigate their journey. Her person-centred and trauma-informed approach is rooted in psychodynamic and attachment theory, delivering an integrative approach tailored to the needs of her clients.
Sam has exhibited in Singapore and the UK, has delivered online and in-person workshops at international conferences and universities, and is a published writer on art therapy, practices and processes. She regularly contributes to regional art therapy continued professional development and is available for supervision.
She is a full member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) and is HCPC registered. She is also DBS approved.
katrina bennet, MA AThR - Art Psychotherapist
Katrina is a HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist and full member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). She qualified from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore (accredited by Goldsmith's University) and is DBS approved. Prior to training as an Art Psychotherapist she worked in the creative industry and after many years in the field, felt inspired to learn how to use creativity for therapeutic purposes.
In Singapore she was part of the counselling team in a leading international school, providing art therapy for students aged 4-18. She facilitated a weekly group for young people in the boarding house and individual sessions for pupils of various ages presenting with challenges such as anxiety, low mood, disordered eating and self-harming behaviour. She also supported young people who were transitioning, helping them navigate the complexities of family and cultural expectations in South East Asia.
In the UK Katrina worked previously as an Art Psychotherapist in the NHS as part of the multi-disciplinary team in an acute in-patient psychiatric setting, and in the community mental heath team, where she provided individual art therapy and group sessions to adults with complex and enduring mental health difficulties.
Katrina offers an integrative, person-centered and trauma informed practice which is built on strong psychodynamic foundations, combining the creative process with psychoeducational materials to deliver a holistic, evidence based approach for her clients.
At Hope Creative Therapies she works predominantly with children and young people to support them in externalising experiences, feelings and thoughts (which may be difficult to express verbally) through the creative process. She offers a wide variety of art materials to be explored in a safe, confidential and reflective space, as well as pyscho-educational material to enable an understanding of different experiences and behaviours. Katrina can help with supporting children and young people experiencing anxiety, low mood, anger, loss, self-harming behaviour, disordered eating and questions around identity/sexuality.
Katrina has exhibited in Singapore and the UK, has delivered in-person workshops at international conferences, and is a published writer on art therapy practices and processes.
Laura Steen, MA AThR - Art Psychotherapist
Laura is a HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist and member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). She qualified from the University of South Wales, UK.
Laura spent ten years working in creativity for wellbeing before qualifying, delivering workshops in mental health charities, social enterprises, homeless hostels, and schools, as well as working freelance. She is also trained in leading therapeutic creative writing workshops.
Her decision to train as an Art Psychotherapist grew from working in a high-support hostel in London for people experiencing homelessness and acute mental health difficulties, where she saw first-hand the power of creative expression to change lives.
Laura has provided Art Therapy in a range of settings, including with young people in a Pupil Referral Unit, people living with dementia in the NHS, and adults with mental health conditions in the community. She works with individuals and groups of all ages and backgrounds and is inspired by innovative ways of delivering therapy, from running sessions outdoors to piloting a virtual Art Therapy in Museums group during her NHS placement.
Her approach is person-centred and integrative, grounded in evidence-based methods. She offers a wide variety of art materials in her sessions, and whilst she has a specialist interest in creative writing, poetry and natural/found objects she always shapes sessions around each client’s needs. Laura offers support with challenges such as low mood, depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, struggles with body image and addiction.
She is a full member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) and is HCPC registered. She is also DBS approved.
Organisations We Work With
