My artworks explore the relationship between memory, landscape and identity, using drawing, painting and photography.  My practice is influenced by my work as an art therapist, which has focused on bereavement, loss and palliative care.  I am Chair of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT), and on the Academic Board of the Institute for Arts in Therapy & Education (IATE). I served as Course Director of the MA in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy for 13 years, External Examiner for the art therapy trainings at the University of Chester and Derby, and as a Lead Assessor for UKCP. I was an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Art Therapy (IJAT) and I've co-edited books on art therapy - Integrative Arts Psychotherapy (2022) and the Routledge International Handbook of Art Therapy Practice (2025). From February 2024 to March 2025, I Chaired the Executive Oversight Group of the NHSE Commission for Art, Drama, and Music Therapy. I am a member of the Institute of Directors and have a longstanding interest in responsible leadership, governance, and designing creative sustainable systems that enable organisations in the arts, education, and health sectors to thrive. 

Alongside my art practice, I currently offer a limited number of private sessions each week - online or at Barton Therapy Rooms - for art therapy, clinical supervision, or mentoring.

- Claire Louise Vaculik (nee Leyland)