Wild Therapy, Art Therapy and Mind Calm Meditation
Creating Mending Spaces With You
Welcome. I am Andrea Hobbs – a Wild Therapy and Art Therapist and meditation coach. I offer individual and group work for adults of all ages. My approach is intuitive and creative, with a deep connection to the natural world we are part of. Life can be complex and we’re not meant to do it alone. I work with you to co-create a space where you can mend at your own speed, and in your own way.
My events page on my website will tell you about workshops, current groups and residentials coming up, either facilitated by me alone, or with friends and colleagues who are like-minded.
Here is a little information about what I can offer you:
Wild Therapy
1-hour long one2one sessions outside in the ancient woodland very close to my home. Alternative outdoor spaces can be negotiated, or if accessing inclines and muddy paths is difficult for you. If weather is very challenging then I may use a quiet space in my house instead, but this would be exceptional.
Wild Therapy brings wildness, spontaneity, boundlessness, and freedom for those of us who prefer being outside in nature. It is suitable for anyone who may find a traditional therapeutic approach narrow, constraining or intense, or just wants something different. Wild Therapy is usually conducted outdoors. It allows emotional healing and growth supported by the wild environment. Our more-than-human and other-than-human companions on the planet. You can read more about Wild Therapy here.
I chose this way of working as it challenges traditional norms of sitting in a room which I found uncomfortable and un-natural, and contributed to my choosing not to pursue a career in a clinical setting. We can weave an Art Therapy approach into sessions when desired: opening up the possibility to explore through making things from natural found objects, or taking materials out into the open. This way of working provides a tactile and visual way to facilitate self-exploration and is not just for people who see themselves as artistic or ‘creative.’
Both Wild therapy and Art Therapy bring in the ‘something other’, encouraging a dialogue with something external but connected to you, rather than being focussed on just talking. As your therapist, my role is to walk alongside you on your journey to improve your emotional wellbeing, resolve emotional challenges, and help you to discover for yourself a greater sense of peace and acceptance. Unsure if Wild and Art Therapy is for you? Why not get in touch and book a short ‘taster’ session?
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Mind Calm Meditation
Small groups or individual meetings: (usually) 6-week introductory course. Meetings last around 1.5 hours and include learning talks, instructional techniques, and a period of silent meditation to introduce you to the Mind Calm approach.
Individual meetings are held at my own home, or in specific circumstances, at your own home (e.g., for health or access reasons).
One-off group workshops are sometimes available.
Groups are held at local venues and therefore charges vary according to venue costs.
Mind Calm meditation can help you to be less distracted by a busy mind, experience better sleep, cope with life’s stresses more calmly and have more peace in life.
Mind Calm is not affiliated to any specific religion or philosophy but does have a wide spiritual intent. You will not be asked to sign up to or arrive with any particular belief. Meditation is particularly helpful if you suffer from endless thinking (a busy mind), sleeplessness, or if you’re just feeling that life is OK but not great, and you’d like to feel more content, peaceful or happy.
Once you have completed the introductory course, you are welcome to join any local regular groups that are running. Meditating as a group is extremely supportive and helps us all to take the time out from our busy lives. I have been meditating on and off for over 30 years, and with more commitment for the last 10 years, exploring different methods in that time. I chose Mind Calm as it makes meditation accessible to everyone and anyone, and it’s so quick to learn and easy to understand; it’s fun, and it can really make a difference to your life.
See Events on the website for more details and dates.
In the summer, meditation groups are sometimes held outside in the beauty of Teesdale
Card Readings
1.5 hours approximately at my home in a quiet private space. Or readings are also available online too, so you can access this service from wherever you live.
Readings are not recorded, so you may wish to take your own notes.
For an additional charge, I offer a digital coloured drawing of your reading. This can help to integrate the messages you receive, and means you can carry it around with you for a while on your phone, tablet or as your screen saver on your PC. Drawings usually take 2-3 weeks to completion and are not immediately available.
I offer personal insight card readings rather than premonition or ‘future forecasting’. I see myself as a translator of the message that comes to you through the cards from your own wisdom, or Higher Self. A card reading can help you to clarify where you are in life, validate your own intuitive ‘hits’, help you to make better decisions for yourself, or reassure you that you are on the right path.
For sessions I currently use a combination of card decks: a modern-day Tarot deck that is based on the 4 elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth rather than the traditional symbols by Radleigh Valentine, and a super-simple Insights deck created at Findhorn. From time to time, I may use other decks, depending on your own preferences.
I am a spiritual being, but not a religious one. Since my young adulthood, I have explored the alternative, mysterious and intuitive side of life as a human. My self-exploration has always included card decks for inspiration and guidance.
Other Stuff
I am available as a celebrant, or facilitator, for weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals and other family ceremonies. I am very open and will be guided entirely by your own vision and ideas. I also bring my own intuition, creativity and imagination to the process of shaping your ceremony.
My very personal approach leans into our human need for connection, healing through ritual or ceremony, and an alternative approach to celebrating our life-cycles. Please contact me for a ‘no commitment’ chat to find out what is possible.
Groups – indoors and outdoors
My small one-off Calm Craft sessions that I run indoors or outdoors across County Durham and North Yorkshire (within reasonable travel distance). These groups usually begin with a very light touch relaxation/mini meditation exercise, followed by a simple craft or creative project that everyone can have a go at. Please contact me for more details and discussion about what you want. Prices will vary and depend on materials and travel required. Charities and not-for-profits will be offered a reasonable rate.
Highly Qualified
Andrea has a BA (Hons) degree in art and design, and went on to qualify as an Art Therapist, gaining a Post-graduate Diploma in Art Therapy in 1993. Having worked in varied social care and voluntary roles since 1989, with children and adults across England, Scotland and in Romania, Andrea has spent the last 20 years working in the voluntary sector, mostly as a charity manager.
In 2021, she turned her attention back to her art and therapeutic skills, running her Calm Craft groups, and qualifying as a Wild Therapist in 2023. She is also an accredited Mind Calm Coach with best selling author Sandy Newbigging’s Mind Detox Academy.
Andrea completed a Hypnotherapy training in 2007 (non-practising), and followed a Hay House card reading course online in 2020-21, with sessions from Denise Linn, Radleigh Valentine and Kyle Gray.
She is a part-time charity manager and an artist and textile crafter. She lives close to Barnard Castle with her husband, dog and chickens.
Andrea is a registered to practice Wild Therapy, and is accredited with the Federation of Holistic Therapists as a Mind Calm Coach. She is in the process of re-registering as an Art Therapist. She is insured through Holistic Insurance Services. Andrea has an enhanced DBS check for both adults and children (refreshed annually)
How to Get in Touch
Individual support requires you to get in touch, which you can do here or directly by email to support@andreahobbs.co.uk
Although my offers are stand-alone methods, all three can be blended fluidly together if this appeals to you.
It can be difficult to make that first move to reach out for support. I offer a no obligation by phone or on-screen short chat to make sure that I am offering what you need, and to make any practical arrangements required for your safety and comfort.
You can enjoy my regular blog which you will find here
Pop onto the website for all prices and timeframes, which are provided as a guide only. Travel and ‘walk-in’ times at different outdoor spaces may require longer sessions.
In addition to all my work above I have also created the artwork for Organica J’s I Am Calm Range and Aromatherapy Range
