About Karen McDonald
I offer a safe, empathic, and open creative space for people of all ages and from all walks of life.
Having spent over 10 years practising in Dramatherapy, I can testify that every session I have facilitated is as diverse and unique as the people I have worked with. No session or client is the same. I have a wealth of experience and learning from my clients and continue to commit myself to my therapeutic practice, because I see the positive impact it makes to each person and the families that I work with.
Experience
I have worked therapeutically for over 10 years within Mental Health (NHS), Education and Trauma specific settings. I am constantly learning, developing, and growing my therapeutic practice, to offer the highest standards of therapy and care. My creative, compassionate, and mindful practice has helped people from ages 3 to 93, with emotional, psychological, and social difficulties. I am experienced working with people who identify as neurodivergent and those who feel their challenges prevent them from accessing mainstream talking therapies.
Central to my practice is the building of a trusting and safe therapeutic relationship, which invites your unique form of play and creativity. It’s a privilege to work alongside and guide people as they express themselves, explore their difficulties and find their own path of healing.
You will have the freedom to communicate in different ways, find your own way of working and access your inner resources. I will keep you safe and provide a range of creative therapeutic approaches which meet your needs as a whole person, help you develop the skills to manage pain & distress, and offer opportunities for change.
My clients to date have included those attracting formal diagnoses of Schizophrenia, Bi-polar, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Personality Disorder, Disordered Eating, Attachment disorders, Trichotillomania, Neurodivergence. Clients also include those who have experienced Rape, Self-Harm, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Exploitation, Bereavement/Loss, Relationship breakdown, Voice Hearing.
Qualifications and Training:
Neuro-Dramatic Play Diploma (NDP Dip.) – Dr Sue Jennings, 2020
Dramatherapy M.A with Distinction – Roehampton University. 2012
Theatre Arts B.A (Hons) – Manchester Metropolitan University, 2003
*I hold an up-to-date DBS check and attend regular Clinical Supervision.
Registration & Membership:
Arts Therapist – Dramatherapist, Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)
British Assoc. Dramatherapists (BADth) – Full Member
Information Commissioner’s Office – Data Protection Officer (Tier 1)
Lifeways Therapy Centre – Practicing Therapist Membership
Recent Training:
Meditation & Psychotherapy – Integrating Mindfulness into Clinical Practice, Tara Brach PHD, 2020 – 2023
Managing Social Anxiety in Children & Young People, S.Jennings, 2023
Creating Rituals for Healing & Change, William Ayot, 2020
Therapeutic Storytelling, Dr.Sue Jennings, 2020
Dramatherapy Online, Monique Hill, 2020
Working with Suicide and Self-Harm, Carolyn Springs, 2020
The importance of puppets and Dolls in therapeutic attachment-based play, Dr.S Jennings, 2020
Trauma and the Body – Carolyn Springs, 2020
Through the Fairy Door: Attachment-based Play, Dr S.Jennings, 2019
A Limbic Model of Attachment-based play, Dr S. Jennings, 2019
Trauma-related complex dissociation, 1st Person Plural, 2018