Mess & Meaning
Art Psychotherapy & Online therapy
I’m Vee Hartley, a qualified (HCPC) Art Psychotherapist with a deep respect for the complex ways healing unfolds. My practice offers a safe, confidential space for those navigating trauma, life transitions, burnout, or a longing to reconnect with themselves.
Over the past decade, I’ve supported children, adolescents, and adults across NHS, university, and community settings - always with a focus on inclusive, client-centred care. I specialise in working with neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ clients, and those who find verbal expression difficult or exhausting.
My approach is gentle, relational, and grounded in the body. Whether through sensory clay work, image-making, or verbal processing, sessions are paced collaboratively and attuned to your story, strengths, and inner wisdom. Creativity becomes a way in - not to perform, but to feel, explore, and begin again.
Healing is rarely linear or polished. It can be messy, quiet, playful, or slow.
I’m here to meet you where you are.
Why Art Therapy?
Art therapy offers a unique and supportive way to explore thoughts and feelings that can be hard to put into words.
It’s not about artistic skill, it’s about creating space to express yourself freely, in whatever way feels right.
That might look like bold colours, rough textures, ripped paper, or uncertain marks. These visual elements reflect the emotional experiences we carry - confusion, overwhelm, sadness, or change, which are
all welcome here.
In art therapy, there’s no pressure to tidy things up or make sense of everything. You’re encouraged to show up just as you are. The mess itself can be meaningful, offering insight, relief, and a way to feel more connected to yourself.
In a world that often prioritises clarity, performance, and control, art therapy provides a pause. A chance to slow down, turn inward, and allow feelings to take shape through clay, paint, collage, charcoal, or whatever medium feels right. Each material offers something different: clay can ground and soothe, collage can help piece things together, and paint can release what’s been held in. The mess of making becomes a way to process what’s beneath the surface.
