Sophie Wakefield, Art Therapist and Life Celebration Coordinator

Sophie Wakefield is an Art Therapist and Life Celebration Coordinator within the Patient and Family Support Team at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, supporting patients and their loved ones through creativity, which isn’t always the first thing people think of when they imagine psychotherapy.

Sophie has been part of the Charity since March 2025, and if you’re looking for her around the Hospice, she’s rarely in just one place:
“I’m dotted all over – with an art trolley on the inpatient unit, in Living Well Hub or Arthur’s Shed.”

Based onsite at the Hospice, Sophie’s role combines clinical art psychotherapy with creative legacy work. She explains:
“I work as an art psychotherapist with patients and their loved ones. I offer group and one-to one sessions within my role. Art psychotherapy is a clinical form of psychological therapy where creative materials, alongside talking, are used to explore and process our feelings. It can be really useful when we might not be able to find words for our experiences or could benefit from expressing ourselves in a multi-sensory way.”

Sophie continues:
“Alongside art therapy, I also offer ‘life celebration’ sessions; these are a chance for patients and their loved ones to make something (e.g. a book, audio recording or memory box) that shares some of their most important memories, as a form of legacy.”

“I also programme and coordinate creative activities at the Hospice and manage a fantastic group of volunteers who provide patients with moments of social connection, crafting and interaction within their day.”

When asked what she enjoys most about her work, Sophie reflects on the power of connection and change:
“Seeing people making new connections – whether that’s through meeting others with similar experiences, trying out a creative material, or finding insight into their feelings and memories. Being alongside people and being able to witness change is a part of my work I really appreciate.”

One area Sophie is particularly excited about is the Museum Wellbeing Group, a unique partnership project that brings history and conversation together. The group creates space to explore big themes in a gentle, shared way:

“We have just started running the second iteration of ‘Museum Wellbeing Group’. This takes place weekly in Arthur’s Shed in partnership with the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and offers patients and carers a chance to do object handling with ancient artefacts from the museum collection. It’s an invitation to open up a conversation around death and dying, whilst also recognising the multitude of approaches to this across history and culture. We spend time in the group discussing life stories, memories and associations the objects bring up and making a creative response too.”

Looking ahead, Sophie is excited about what’s to come:
“This year’s programme will culminate in an exhibition at the museum, which I’m very excited about. I’m looking forward to seeing how the group evolves.”

The work behind the Museum Wellbeing Group, and the impact of object handling, is explored further in a University of Cambridge Museums blog, which you can read here.