Creative Connections Cumbria
Person-Centred Expressive
Arts Therapy​​
The playful way to awaken personal growth and creativity
We offer friendly, stimulating workshops and trainings in North West England to release innate creativity for personal insight and to promote continuing professional development (CPD) for counsellors, psychotherapists and those in helping professions who may want to integrate the approach into their practice.
Our workshops are also suitable for anyone with a genuine interest in pursuing deeper personal awareness, self-empowerment and growth.
We feel honoured to have a direct lineage back to the founder of this model, Natalie Rogers (daughter of Carl Rogers), via our mentor Dinah Brown who, with Natalie's encouragement, developed and ran these workshops for many years before her recent retirement.
OUR APPROACH
Our approach is based mainly on Natalie Rogers’ person centred expressive arts model, which she named the Creative Connection. I am intrigued by what I call the creative connection, the enhancing interplay among movement, art, writing, and sound (Natalie Rogers). The emphasis is on the expressive process rather than the aesthetic outcome and rests on the deep belief that we are all artists at heart, that to release our creativity is a stimulant to greater wellbeing and vitality.
Sandra and Joan trained with Dinah Brown, an accredited person centred counsellor trainer and a graduate from the late 1980s of Natalie Rogers’ Person Centred Expressive Arts Therapy Institute (PCETI). Dinah helped to pioneer Natalie’s Person Centred Expressive Arts Therapy model (PCEAT) in the UK, where over the past 30 years, she has shared this approach with countless professionals, who have attended her courses. Retiring in 2018, Dinah entrusted the continuation of her PCEAT Cumbrian trainings and workshops to Joan and Sandra. Joan has since retired too, leaving the ongoing facilitation of the workshops in the safe hands of Sandra who remains dedicated to sharing this unique approach with others.
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Person Centred Values
As facilitators, we aspire to embody the core values of the person centred approach. We believe in
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each person’s uniqueness
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the necessity of creating a safe environment if participants are going to expose vulnerable parts of themselves, which are newly emerging through their creative expressions
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the importance of offering each person and their art expressions our sensitivity, empathy and respect
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the importance of refraining from interpreting the meaning of participants’ art expressions
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trusting each participant’s innate wisdom to best steer their way to personal understanding and resolution
We feel comfortable integrating elements from Carl Jung’s theory and practice i.e. working with archetypes and shadow aspects of the psyche to enhance our workshop designs and themes.
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ABOUT US
Course facilitator
Sandra Lynch (BACP registered accredited Counsellor, Certificate in Creative Supervision)
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Hello, I am a BACP accredited counsellor and certified supervisor in creative supervision. I have many years of counselling and supervisory experience, having worked in NHS primary care settings since 2007 until May 2025. I have also worked as a counsellor in young people’s services and secondary schools in the past, and previously enjoyed delivering stress management courses to adults as part of my counselling role. I have a small private practice in my home-town just outside Rochdale where I offer counselling and supervision using expressive arts therapy approaches if desired.
I began my PCEAT journey in 2015 first as a participant on one of Dinah Brown's introductory training weekends, after which I became entranced with this way of working. I continued to attend the follow up weekends every year where I gained invaluable experience initially in the supportive role of intern on the PCEAT workshops before joining the facilitation team. I received further training from Dinah in course design and group facilitation skills before joining as co-facilitator in 2019. Following the retirement of my co-facilitator in recent years, I am now continuing to offer these workshops with the dedicated assistance of fellow devotees of this unique approach.
I am committed to continuing professional development, and I am a member of The Person-Centred Association, the BACP and Psychology Today. Other interests are walking and the outdoors and I have recently qualified as a yoga and meditation teacher.
Workshop Assistant - Amy Williams
Amy is a professional visual artist who works with local communities and organisations using creativity to bring stories to life and people together. She is also a qualified counsellor who has many years' experience of the Person-Centred Expressive Arts Therapy Courses as both a participant and intern as well as a brief spell as a course facilitator before taking a break and returning this year to assist with the re-establishment of the courses. Amy is a true advocate of the person-centred expressive arts therapy approach and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as well as bundles of enthusiasm to the courses.
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WORKSHOPS
All our workshops are experiential, offering an abundance of materials and creative processes.
We aim to offer a safe, respectful, empathic group context where you can find your courage to try out new creative approaches as a way of deepening and quickening your personal growth and to gain insight into possible professional applications.
No artistic expertise required, just an open mind, a willingness to play with a mix of creative media (including gentle movement) and a respect and acceptance of your own and others emotions.
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Our workshops are not designed to cater for those in very fragile states or with complex issues, who would benefit from seeking in-depth therapy.
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Workshops will now be held in Greater Manchester from 2025 onwards and will continue to run from 10.00am to 4.30pm on both days.
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*** Prices kept to a minimum- We have not increased the price of our courses for many years and we remain committed to providing excellent value for money with all materials provided. Recent cost of living increases has led to a small increase in the cost of the courses. Payment options are available if required. Please do contact us if cost is a prohibitive factor to you being able to attend. ***
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INTRODUCTION
17/18th of May or
27/28th September 2025
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£180 for the weekend
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Introductions to expressive arts therapy (one weekend workshop)
Playful, fun, but powerful introductions to our expressive arts model.
* All newcomers need to attend one of these introductory workshops before attending a follow up workshop.
LEVEL 1 Course - new dates for 2025/26 below:
1) Building Community
29 / 30th November 2025
In this workshop we use a range of media, including materials from the natural world as well as a rich stock of creative materials, to explore ourselves and our connections with others to develop our creative community.
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2) Polarities
17 / 18th January 2026
This workshop explores polarities or configurations of self using a mix of creative media including expressive movement and archetypal storybook characters to help integrate the more difficult parts of the psyche.
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3) Weaving our Stories
28th Feb / 1st March 2026
For the last weekend we will be reviewing the strands of our personal narratives through a mix of media including story telling and primitive weaving, intertwining our written words with colourful textiles and the textures of nature.
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£540 for three weekends
This in-depth experiential training offers you a thorough grounding in the diverse elements of the Person Centred Expressive Therapy model (PCEAT)
Full attendance will be validated with a Level 1 PCEAT certificate.
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Individual week-ends can be attended by those who have already completed a past Level 1.
BOOKING
To book a place on one of our courses, we require you to fill in a booking form with your
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email address
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mobile number
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brief information about your professional and personal background Our workshops
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your reasons for wanting to attend the training
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a non-returnable deposit of £100 to secure your place
Please note our workshops are not designed to cater for those in very fragile states or with complex issues, who would benefit from seeking in-depth therapy..
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Bookings for the all courses are dealt with by Sandra Lynch.
BACS payment account details are:-
Sandra Lynch. Sort code: 60-83-71 Account number: 76045862
Balances
We require you to pay the balance on all our courses two weeks before the start of each course.
Instalments can be negotiated if circumstances necessitate - please don't hesitate to get in touch about this.
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Follow up instructions
On receipt of your booking form plus deposit we will send you follow up information about the workshop and payment of balances, with directions to the venue at Hare Hill House in Littleborough.
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Privacy Statement:
We respect your privacy and will store your personal information securely. This will only be shared amongst the team of facilitators and kept for the duration of the course. Your contact details will be kept to inform you of further courses unless you advise otherwise.
CONTACT US
Sandra Lynch
Venue Address:
Hare Hill House
Hare Hill Road
Littleborough
Gtr. Manchester
OL15 9HE
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