Art,
Therapy,
Wellbeing
and
Community
About Susan
Dr Susan Mackay has over 25 years experience running workshops and over 10 years as a qualified art psychotherapist. Her mission is to empower by nurturing self-reflection and engaging creativity to foster wellbeing, curiosity, vitality and possibility. Her unique workshops and sessions offer inspiring and nourishing experiences for adults in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Student days 1991
Professional Summary
After qualifying with a BA(Hons) from Edinburgh College of Art, Susan travelled extensively and invested much of her time to art education projects and facilitating art, as well as developing her own art works and exhibitions. As a qualified art psychotherapist, she worked for NHS developing pilots for a variety of client groups. She has been a visiting lecturer to Queen Margaret University and The University of Edinburgh where she completed her doctorate in Counselling Studies . She is currently in private practice in Edinburgh and is offering new groups for well being through art and community.
2026
Wellbeing through art and community
Since being at school, Susan has wanted to create wellbeing through art and community. This desire has remained through her life. Her first workshop was in a garage in The Bahamas. At that time she also implemented expressing through art sessions at the Grand Bahama Childrens home. She created classes for the children of the local community in the Syntex Teen Centre. And organised fundraising for pregnant teens and art books for the local library. Ecstatic Shadows and 26.6°N78.7°W were group shows curated and imagined by Susan. All whilst pursuing her own creative practice which focused on the complexities and contradictions of being human. Her first exhibition after The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, was Four Corners in Freeport,. Through the years her work developed into a column, Artlife, in The Bahamas Weekly, the creation of Art Nucelus, a community arts group, and exhibiting frequently at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, and her first Solo show, Paradox, at Popop Studios, Nassau.
Throughout this time, home was the hub of Susan's ideas of community and art. The kitchen table the place where friends come together and art was often made. Her children central to both.
On returning to Scotland, these interests have continued; Salon 89 a multi-generational open house for meeting and creativity. Creating art spaces at European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. And smaller spaces for exploring the wild in self and nature. Sharing her ideas of art, Susan has contributed to two academic book chapters, (both due to be published this year). She has also co-authored two published papers. And, currently under development is a series of podcasts with her friend and colleague, Steph Wardrop.
Art and wellbeing - creating community, to Susan, represents an ethic, a value system of care, curiosity, wellbeing, compassion, belonging, vitality and potentiality. She welcomes you to contact her or attend one of her offerings!