I was born in Czech Republic, however, I have never felt like that is the right place for me. Throughout my childhood, I experienced a sense of not belonging. This sent me on a search for a different way of ‘doing things,’a way of connecting where I had always felt so disconnected. I was drawn to the world of Psychology; I have known that this was to be my path since I was quite young.
When I was fourteen, I visited London on a school trip. I felt an instant attachment, as though I had been there before. I decided then that I would move to London after finishing high school and in my early twenties, I did just that, moving alone to London to study for a BSc. in Psychology with Counselling Skills. I was armed with determination to follow my dream and begin to build my future career.
As mentioned, my interest in Psychology and the quality of mental health started very early in my life, I knew it is my mission to be helping others, at least try to support them because life can be super damn difficult, and we have to go through it…. somehow. How?
I have always been very curious about the innate strength of us, people, human beings, who feel deeply, and have, in my opinion, great levels of resilience. Life often does not ask us about whether we want something or not, it just hits us, like a wave in the ocean. Some say that we get what we are supposed to, however, I do not consider this to be very helpful. The resilience of a person is fascinating to me. Consider what our hearts can survive… it is a mystery to me. This is why I like working with people, exploring together and helping them on their journeys with resilience, with their mental health & well-being. After some very difficult experiences which I have been through myself, I can deeply empathize with others and I aim to support individuals, to try to facilitate and hold space for them, in which healing and bouncing back after adverse experiences can happen…even for just a moment, just a little while. It might seem impossible, I get it, however, that is sometimes all we have, just the present moment, a sprinkle of calm, peace, happiness, a moment which feels a bit easier, in our hardship. We often do not find these; I believe we can create these.
Professional experience:
After a few years in London, I can share my professional experience with you so far. My background is in Psychology with Counselling Skills (BSc.) and Psychological Therapies (MSc.), and I’m currently exploring the role and potentials of clay work in bereavement context with my PhD. I have been working with children, adolescents and adults; I have twelve years of experience with working with children in different contexts, such as nanny, nurseries, in a forest school, and teaching children languages online. I have worked as a research assistant at the Middlesex University in London for a year, also have volunteered for the Islington Bereavement Service in London for four years, where I was working with bereaved individuals, while providing 1:1 support. I delivered more than 100 hours of clay workshops to single mothers and to their children, I held informative talks about bereavement and grief in London for the community of single mothers. I worked as a school counsellor in a secondary school in London and I’m currently working with Cruse, the Bereavement Charity in England. Lastly, I have been delivering clay workshops at Coventry University to support students’ and professors’ well-being.
Although this might sound like a cliché to you, through all my personal and professional experience, I have been encountering the very similar issue from people: “I want to describe it, I want to share how I feel inside, but I can’t find the right words.” I often witness (ed) these frustrations. Let me share that even I often found (and find) it challenging to convey what I feel, what it is exactly that I am experiencing, going through, even in my private therapy, when I was a client. And this is exactly what brought me here, to this place, where I want to explore the benefits of clay work, the language we can speak through clay. I believe clay work can help us to depict our experiences, when words are just not enough. We all struggle, we are all part of life, we all have worries, anxieties, mental health challenges, experienced bereavement, or grief of some sort, and together as a community we can explore this new creative language. We can shape our experiences as we can shape clay.
I often get asked “why clay?” There is no one specific answer to this. I first started working with the medium of clay when I was six years old, I loved it very much, I found relaxing and fun, but then I never came back to it. Later in life, when the waves of life hit me, coming back to clay work really help me to stay resilient in those unpleasant times. There is something magical about clay, I believe. I resonate with this creative medium. I want to share my experience, my knowledge, and to help individuals to find their potentials, to explore their feelings, and to get closer to their authentic selves. The recent research shows working with clay to be a beneficial, on different levels, so let’s explore it together, let’s build resilience together, as a community. Together, we can create clay happiness, we can thrive, even for just a little while…
I am currently working with bereaved individuals in Portugal, where I hope to get more experience, to progress in my career, and to also explore others’ great work, at the University of Aveiro and in bereavement and mental health settings. I speak Czech, English, Spanish and learning Portuguese (wish me luck!).
Just a little more about me may you wish to know, I love travelling, adventure, I love the sea and the sunshine, I consider sunshine to be my best friend, I also love pastries, good coffee, walks, dance, a company of great people, I love yellow (as you probably noticed) and of course, clay work.
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