Welcome to Bonny Therapy and Counselling. I am so glad you are here.

I am an Integrative Arts Psychotherapist (MA, registered BACP member) with 10 years worth of experience working both in the UK and abroad. Currently I am based in central Norfolk, offering face to face sessions from my garden studio office. I also offer online sessions for clients up and down the country, and am open to working internationally.

My working approach is collaborative, creative and open. I highly value trust and authenticity, and believe that these are the foundations for any successful therapeutic work. I also favour psychodynamic and gestalt approaches, with an interest in roots in early developmental years and inter-generational dynamics.

Many of my clients have inclinations towards and interests in the arts (including visual art, theatre, music, dance and poetry), although not exclusively. You do NOT have to see yourself as an ‘artist’ to benefit from working with me. The creative means are only tools for exploration and discovery. Together we decide how much or little we might make use of them in order to facilitate the journey towards your goals.

If this sounds like someone you might want to work with, do take a further look around and get in touch!

My therapeutic orientation is ‘integrative’, which means that I draw on different psychotherapy and counselling disciplines including psychodynamic, psychoanalyst, gestalt, person-centred and arts therapy.

I am also equipped and experienced in spiritual and inner-healing. You may take this route either for the entirety of the work or to have it as one of the elements.

I have worked with both children and adults with a wide range of socio-cultural backgrounds and mental health diagnoses. These include emotional and physical abuse, sexual trauma, life-limiting conditions, family breakdowns, anxiety, depression, split-personality, post-traumatic stress, terminal physical illnesses, preparing for or adjusting to motherhood.

What does an initial consultant session involve?

• I will briefly introduce myself. And I will invite you to tell me a bit about who you are and what brought you to therapy at this current time.
• I will listen to you in a nonjudgmental manner, give you undivided attention, and hold space for all that you bring.
• After listening to your story and getting to know you, I will give you some prompts to help you identify a few goals for therapy, so that we have a tangible destination/direction to work towards.
• We will agree on a time, frequency and duration that works for both of us.
• I will answer any questions that you might have.

Creative mediums I offer may include:

• visual art (drawing, painting)
• sculpturing with clay / play-doh
• mental imagery
• body scan
• dance / body movement
• music / rhythm making
• playing with miniatures / puppets
• story-telling
• dreams 

What’s the proportion of time spent on “making art” versus “talking therapy”?

• Generally speaking, on average, in a 50 mins therapy session, around 5-10 minutes is spent by the client engaging in some kind of creative exercise. A lot of the times, it only involves some colour pencils and a piece of paper / journal. These exercises are not compulsory, but my clients almost without exception, always find them to be greatly helpful.
• I do not tend to use standard “art therapy exercises” from a shop-bought book. I come up with these exercises spontaneously based on what you bring in the present moment; my experience, technique, and insight.
• It has to be emphasised that the creative means are only tools, not an end in itself. They are helpful guides and instruments on the therapeutic journey.

One of the most common statements I hear from people who might be hesitant towards creative means to therapy and counselling is: I can’t draw.

The common misconception is that the art is the focus. But that is completely not the case. The PERSON in the room, is always the focus. Creative mediums are merely tools, and they are more often than not used in ways that are very low key and simple. (I can explain in more depth in our consultation session.)

We all have different experiences with the arts growing up and some of those experiences might have been more traumatic than they were encouraging. A lot of inhibitions to creativity come from fear and insecurity. Every child is an artist because they could not care less about how people might view their art. I believe that this child is still inside all of us. How would we live if we didn’t fear what other people think of us?

Visual art is only one of the many mediums in art therapy. Click here to read about my working approach.

Here is a brief outline of the purpose of art therapy:

• Art therapy provides the client-artist with insight into their emotions and thoughts. Benefits of the art therapy process include:
• Self-discovery, Personal fulfilment. The creation of a tangible reward can build confidence and nurture feelings of worth.
• Empowerment. Finding your voice. Art therapy can help people visually express emotions that they cannot express through conventional means, and can give them some sense of control over these feelings.
• Relaxation and stress relief. Chronic stress can be harmful to both mind and body. Stress can weaken and damage the immune system, can cause insomnia and depression, and can trigger circulatory problems (like high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats). When used alone or in combination with other relaxation techniques such as guided imagery, art therapy can effectively relieve stress.
• Symptom relief and physical rehabilitation. Art therapy can also help patients cope with pain. This therapy can promote physiological healing when patients identify and work through anger, resentment, and other emotional stressors. It is often prescribed to accompany pain control therapy for chronically and terminally ill patients.

Art therapy is not an art class.

The focus is not artistic techniques. But it is something more rich and meaningful. True beauty in art therapy is defined by the authenticity and truth in the creation – whether the creative process or product really expresses the true inner thoughts and feelings of the client.

My clients are encouraged to bring up whatever they want to, using whatever ways they are comfortable with. Bear in mind that the artistic element is optional. They have permission to be truly themselves and they will be accepted as who they are. I am the facilitator and co-creator in this enriching journey of discovering and living to their full potential. 

For more information, visit the British Association of Art Therapists.

“Working with Bonny has been a truly life-changing experience. From the moment I started, she was incredibly warm and welcoming, creating a safe and comfortable space where I felt I could talk about absolutely anything. As a new mum, I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed, but her guidance helped me navigate this new chapter of life with much more clarity and confidence. I am so grateful for the support and the wonderful space she created for me to talk and process my emotions. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking compassionate and effective counselling.” – M.A. female client from Norfolk.

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“I found your website when I was feeling very hopeless and alone. The method and values written about on your website really spoke to me and I thought you may be someone who might be able to help me. It was a “last shot”. Having had therapy previously I thought I knew what to expect but during the initial consultation I realised I was being really listened to, heard and accepted for who and where I was, this was not something I had experienced before, and I continued to feel heard and valued right up to our last session.

I have learnt so much about who I am and how I experience life. I no longer feel afraid of my emotions, reactions and responses to life. I feel so blessed and grateful to have found you and to have had these 8 months of sessions together. I know that I can continue into life with the tools I have learned, feeling freer than I have ever felt before. Thank you.” – B.M., female client from London.

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“Bonny has been wonderful to work with. I have always felt heard and seen and understood. I felt that she gave me a safe space to talk and was able to point out the underlying themes behind my words that even I hadn’t truly noticed before. 

I appreciate that she tailored her approach to meet me where I felt comfortable but also challenged me to extend myself, which I know I benefited from. If you have the opportunity, I believe we can all learn about ourselves and grow from the therapy/counselling process. And Bonny is a great person to go on this journey with.” – J.R. male client from South Africa.

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“I honestly don’t know if my words will do my therapy journey justice. I don’t know if I have all the words to describe how Bonny has helped me.

My internal world has changed vastly, in the last year and a half of doing therapy. I felt emotionally safe in Bonny’s presence and that I would not be judged for the things I had to say. This allowed me to be open and vulnerable and discuss all the issues that I wanted to in therapy.

One of the things I wanted to improve was my relationship with God and Bonny helped me to do that. She prayed with me, encouraged me to pray whenever I was comfortable to do so and we spoke about God’s part in my life situations. This helped me understand who He is, His intentions and His part to play in my past experiences, my present life and in my future. One of the greatest outcomes of my therapy journey is that I trust God more now.

Bonny showed me the power of art to help me express and understand my emotions and she asked me questions I would have NEVER asked myself, which positively challenged me and helped me to understand myself better. The answers I gave or the insight she provided woke me up to so many truths about my character, my actions and the people that came up in our sessions.

With this knowledge I know myself better than I have ever done. I know why I have done things in the past. And I know how to break the cycle of actions that have haunted me for a long time.

I’m so glad that Bonny desired and/or answered the call to be a therapist, because she is an amazing one! She is a light in this world, that has helped me so much. For that I’ll be forever grateful!” – G.A., female client from London.

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“Firstly, I would like to thank you for coming onto this journey of healing with me. You are an exceptional therapist and counsellor. Thank you for always inviting Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit into our sessions. This season of therapy and counselling will stay with me until I leave this earth. Thank you for helping me walk in freedom. I cannot express the gratitude I feel towards you and all of it!” – D.F., female client from London.

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“To all who are thinking (and praying) about the possibility of the importance and relevance of the therapy option, I would say that were you able to make the appropriate commitment, that a path to liberation could be in store? If you are able to find a place of confidence that is new, that a whole new opportunity of peace could be yours!” – J.R., male client from London.

2017 till present – Private Practice (one-on-one work)

I offer both in-person (Norfolk, UK) and online sessions. I work with individuals who are looking for healing and growth in the areas of identity, wholeness and finding joy and purpose in life. My clients bring burdens of depression, low self-worth and self-esteem, distorted self-image, self-hatred, relationship breakdowns, traumatic experiences, childhood abuse etc. My clients come from a great diversity of ethnic, cultural and spiritual backgrounds.

2025 till present – Counsellor at Culford School (one-on-one work)

I offer weekly one on one counselling sessions to pupils aged 7-18 at their school. It is a safe and confidential space for the young people to explore grief, anxiety, self-image, relational difficulties, domestic violence, low self-esteem etc.

2019 till 2025 – Counsellor at Orchards, UK (one-on-one work)

Orchards is a charity with a vision to see women free from sexual exploitation. Orchards provide clusters of safe flats for women who have experienced sexual exploitation and who are not entitled to state housing support. This is followed by on-going counselling and coaching support, focused on empowering women to move towards independent living.

2016 to 2018 – Arts Psychotherapist at Ella’s, UK (one-on-one work)

Ella’s works with women exiting situations of trafficking and exploitation. They have a lovely welcoming home for women recovering from trafficking and sexual exploitation where women can live until they are ready for independent living. They offer long term support and bespoke support to fit each individual.

2014 – Arts Psychotherapist at Daughters of Cambodia, Cambodia (group work)

Daughters of Cambodia exists to empower those trapped in the sex industry in Cambodia to walk free and start a new life, with healing, dignity, and the means to prosper. They offer employment in their fair-trade non-profit businesses, along with recovery programs including social work, counselling, medical treatment and life-skills education.

2014 – Arts Psychotherapist at Love146, Cambodia (group work with children)

Love146 journeys alongside children impacted by trafficking today and prevents the trafficking of children tomorrow. I offered group therapy sessions to children who were living on the streets of Phnom Penh, at risk of being trafficked. They often had mothers who were caught up in sexual exploitation and family members who were involved in gangs.

2013 – Trainee School Counsellor at Place2Be, UK (one-on-one work with children)

Place2Be is a leading charity in the UK providing emotional and therapeutic services in primary and secondary schools, building children’s resilience through talking, creative work and play. Place2Be works with 282 primary and secondary schools, reaching a school population of 116,000 children, helping them to cope with wide-ranging and often complex social issues including bullying, bereavement, domestic violence, family breakdown, neglect and trauma.

£70 per 50-minute session thereafter

*discount rates can be discussed under special circumstances