"Before doing the twelve week talking and drawing programme, I had studied art for seven years and graduated with a degree in fine art drawing. My reason for wanting to delve into this way of working through past events and emotions was maybe a little different; I wanted to reconnect to how I used to draw so effortlessly as a child and use pencil and paper to illustrate thoughts that my conscious mind was less aware of. Studying art for so many years had taken away this instinctive way of using my hands and mind in unison. What I hadn’t comprehended was just how much each session reflected my life at that time, as well as my hopes and dreams. I found that as well as being reflective of past events, I was using the drawings to pre-empt the things that I was looking forward towards or trying to perfect in my day to day. The drawings were a perfected version of my reality. I was surprised at how much was changing in my life over these twelve weeks and how this may have been overlooked if I hadn’t taken the time to sit and evaluate. Some weeks I felt excited to have thirty minutes of quiet whilst I drew my dream world and said little about it. Other weeks, I felt more resistant to drawing and Sue helped me to work through this. I found that as the weeks progressed, I started thinking less about the end image and instead used the drawing as a tool of decision making and contemplation. I believe that the twelve-week programme was extremely beneficial in realising and adapting to many changes and circumstances at this time in my life."

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