About Andrew Phillips
Psychotherapist and Artist
I am an HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist and a visual artist. In my psychotherapy practice, I work online with adults across the UK.
My path into psychotherapy developed through creative practice and many years of work within mental health and social care, alongside experiences in my own life that led me towards this work. Together, these have shaped an approach that attends to psychological difficulty within the wider context of how a person is living and what matters to them.
I have a longstanding interest in creativity and the natural world, as well as in spiritual questions and experiences that cannot always be understood in purely clinical terms. These interests inform both how I listen and the kinds of meaning I remain open to within the work.
👉 You can find a broader introduction to my work on the Psychotherapy Welcome Page.
Clinical training and approach
I completed a three-year MA in Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths, University of London, between 2010 and 2013. The training was grounded in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic thinking, with a strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship and on the use of images and creative expression as ways of exploring experience.
Since qualifying, my approach has continued to develop. Alongside its psychodynamic foundations, I have drawn increasingly on Jungian thought and ecopsychology, while remaining engaged with transpersonal perspectives and the wider world of art and culture.
This has led to a reflective and exploratory way of working that is attentive to unconscious patterns and to the broader contexts in which a life unfolds. Theory informs my thinking, but the work begins with the particular person in front of me and with what is present in their experience.
👉 You can read more about these influences on my Depth Psychology page.
Qualifications and registration
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MA Art Psychotherapy, Goldsmiths, University of London, 2010–2013
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BA (Hons) Fine Art, University of South Wales, 2005–2008
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Foundation training in Psychosynthesis Mentoring
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HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist
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Elected Professional Member, Scottish Society of Artists (SSA)
Professional experience
Before establishing my private practice, I gained more than ten years of experience in therapeutic, support, and leadership roles across mental health and social care.
These included work within:
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NHS adult psychiatric services
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
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Residential services for young adults
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Third-sector mental health organisations
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Services supporting people with learning disabilities
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I have also held supervisory and service-management responsibilities and worked alongside professionals from a range of clinical and social-care disciplines.
This experience gave me an understanding of the psychological, social, physical, financial, and practical difficulties people may face across a range of settings. It also taught me the importance of clear boundaries, professional responsibility, and recognising when someone’s circumstances may call for a different kind of professional involvement from the psychotherapy I offer.
Creative practice and therapeutic insight
Alongside my work as a psychotherapist, I maintain an active practice as a visual artist. Through painting and drawing, I continue to explore landscape, imagination, and the relationship between inner experience and the wider world.
Making art keeps me in contact with uncertainty and with the difficulty of giving form to something that is not yet fully understood. This experience is closely related to the process of psychotherapy, where meaning often develops gradually rather than arriving fully formed.
This does not mean that clients are expected to make art. Most sessions are primarily conversational. However, my experience as an artist informs the way I attend to imagery and to experiences that may be felt before they can be clearly expressed in words.
👉 You can find out more on my Art Psychotherapy page.
How to contact me
I currently have availability for new clients.
If you would like to arrange an initial consultation or have any questions, you are welcome to contact me using the form below, or email me directly at APhillipsPsychotherapy@gmail.com.
You can find details of fees, appointment times, and how therapy begins on my Session Options and Fees page.
Please use the contact form or email address at the foot of this page.
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I usually respond within 48 hours unless I am away from the practice.
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If you do not see my reply, please check your spam folder and contact me again if necessary.
