Before qualifying as a Dramatherapist, I had mostly worked in Marketing and Public Relations; Project Management; and Training and Group-work. Looking back, two core ideas were at the heart of everything I did: supporting people to live their best lives, and the profound power of stories to enable positive change.
Wanting to work therapeutically with stories was what pulled me towards training as a Dramatherapist. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of healing we have - long before modern therapy rooms and clinical diagnoses, people sat around fires and worked through their fears, difficulties, griefs, and challenges by telling, hearing and enacting stories.
While traditional talk therapy never sparked a shift for me personally, Dramatherapy and Environmental Arts Therapy completely transformed my path. Engaging actively with story, art-making, movement, and the natural world - with its locations, themes, cycles, and materials all employed as its therapeutic media - enabled the deep healing and change I was seeking for myself.
The natural world constantly mirrors back to us our inner experiences. It becomes a living canvas on which to write, understand, and rewrite our own stories. Science has shown how it calms our focus, regulates our nervous systems, and can support our healing in ways that can surprise and delight us. I am excited every single time I take a client outside to engage with what is waiting to be discovered inside them.
Professional Registration
Did you know that anyone can call themselves a Psychotherapist, or a Creative Arts Therapist, even if they don’t have formal training? That is not a worry if you have therapy with me.
Dramatherapist is a title protected by law under the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Being registered with them proves I am fully qualified (at Master's Level) as an Arts Therapist and meet the highest standards in both my therapeutic practice and my Continuing Professional Development. I am also a full member of the British Association of Dramatherapists and adhere to their Codes of Practice.
Registration number: AS15396
I am insured to work therapeutically in the outdoors. I am Advanced DBS checked (information available on the Update Service).
Data Protection Privacy Notice for Clients
Susan Thompson collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
I am committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act.
- If you use my contact form: I only collect your name, email address, and message to respond to your enquiry.
- Data Security: I do not share your website enquiry details with third parties, and I delete tracking information regularly.
- If you decide to proceed with an initial consultation or therapy sessions, I will ask you to sign my Privacy Policy. This details how I handle sensitive clinical notes, artwork records, data retention (8 years for adults by law), and what your statutory rights are.
- ICO Registration: Susan Thompson is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office.
For any data privacy queries before considering therapy, you can contact me directly at susie@wildandwise.co.uk .
Get in touch
E-mail: susie@wildandwise.co.uk