About me

I’m Aishu Madduri-Yorston, an anti-supremacist and decolonial Art Therapist based in Scotland. I was born in Hyderabad, India and brought up in Bahrain. I speak Telugu, Hindi and English, and offer sessions in the same.

My passion for Art Therapy stems from my own experiences with art making and personal well-being. For me, creating and expressing through art

making is a form of deep self care. I was always a creative person, right from the start – usually staining many walls and carpets in my parents’ home! As I grew older, I realised I found great joy and connection to myself whenever I made art. My curiosity was ignited and I wanted to offer the kind of deeply supportive holding that art provided for me. Upon researching, I found that there was an entire profession dedicated to supporting people’s wellbeing through the creative process – I knew that this is what I was meant to do. I then earned a Master’s in Art Psychotherapy at Queen Margaret University, Scotland in 2018; and have been practising ever since.

I find great satisfaction in being an empathetic partner for people, offering supportive perspectives and guidance in their healing. I am trauma informed and committed to creating kind, safe/brave, non judgemental and anti-oppressive environments which encourage openness and foster trust with clients. I am extremely passionate about promoting and nurturing holistic individual and community wellbeing. I am actively decolonising my therapeutic practice and questioning the applicability of therapeutic models to the South Asian population. I am also committed to dismantling all kinds of supremacy and finding new ways of working that honour the whole human(s) I’m working with.

Qualifications & Practice Details

Years in Practice: 4

Member: Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC)

Training:

  • MSc. Art Psychotherapy, Queen Margaret University (with distinction)
  • University Certificate in Psychology, University of Derby Online
  • Diploma in Fine Art, Al Madrasa for Art, Bahrain

Additional Credentials:

  • Trained in crisis intervention and management, Shamsaha Bahrain
  • Ongoing training and learning in anti-casteism, anti-racism, anti-patriarchy and anti-supremacy

Prescribe Medication: No

Practical Details

Languages
Hindi
Telugu
English
Types of Clients
Adults
Older Adults
Groups
Organisations
Session Types
Online
Phone
Home Visits
Specialities
  • Family and parent wounds
    Our parents and families are our first ever experiences of human relationships. They give us our relational blueprints that inform how we relate to ourselves and others. Such intimate relationships have the potential to shape us so deeply – and the potential to wound us just as deeply. Many of us carry wounds from our childhoods and adolescence that affect the way we show up in relationships as the adults we are today. It is our responsibility to do the work of re-parenting ourselves and nurture our inner child, so we can grow into the adults we were meant to be. I can offer support and guidance as you navigate healing your parent wounds.

 

  • Racial trauma and stress
    Living and moving through a world that is built to oppress, extract and dismiss your pain is beyond exhausting. Marginalised people move through this white-supremacist world with higher stress, hypervigilance, shame and anxiety. All of this while being under-resourced, inadequately supported and constantly judged. I can support you while we acknowledge, honour and address these wounds caused by racism.

 

  • Academic fatigue/stress
    Our current systems of academia do not centre the wellbeing of students and put an incredible amount of pressure on them without offering adequate circles of support. This, along with overwhelming work demands can cause depression, anxiety, stress and burnout. The support I offer takes into account these systemic issues and how they contribute to the rise in burnout and fatigue for students, while helping you find sustainable support that makes sense for you.

 

  • Capitalism fatigue
    Capitalism, especially the late stage one we are in, relies on authoritarian control and exploitation of employees to ensure the comfort of the most wealthy and powerful. This results in work environments having incredibly long hours, insufficient compensation, poor boundaries and unreliable job security. The prolonged exposure to such environments takes a huge toll on our nervous systems, relational skills and stress levels. I can offer support to understand the many ways in which this capitalist system is responsible for the serious lack of care and rest in our lives.

 

  • Art Therapy trainees
    I offer personal therapy sessions to trainee Art Therapists in the UK. I am HCPC registered and work within the personal therapy requirements that art therapy trainees are required to meet.

Start a new relationship with yourself today.