WHICH THERAPY IS FOR YOU? (Available for NDIS* Children and Adult clients )
       ART  THERAPY  (general info)
Sometimes we don't understand why we feel the way we do, but we know how we want to feel. Talking therapy may take forever as it doesn't reach behind conscious thought to uncover hidden messages.  Because Art Therapy is non-verbal it is very powerful as it enables trapped emotions to be released without the need to putting thoughts into words. Aside from releasing tension and stress, having fun and enjoyment, even if you do not have an artistic bone in your body,  Art Therapy:
  •  is capable of prompting self expression, feelings, and emotions
  •  has an ability to facilitate positive perspective on one’s life
  •  promotes a sense of personal independence, self reliance, and self sufficiency
  •  builds creativity to transfer and integrate into lifestyle and workplace
  •  installs constructive techniques and coping strategies to self  manage emotions  and solve problems 
  • increases one’s awareness and orientation (i.e persons, places, dates, and times) 
  •  facilitates insight, empathy, and acceptance of other’s life challenges
  •  is capable of exploring, managing, and providing insight into traumatic experiences
  •  A child receiving art therapy is encouraged to develop interpersonal skills
  • develops hand – eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills, and finger dexterity and speed
  •  It is capable of helping a child increase their attention- span, while decreasing any festering frustration

 MIND INTEGRATION COUNSELLING 

LIFESTYLE ISSUES
EATING DISORDERS
SMOKING OR ALCOHOL
HABITS OR ADDICTION
ANGER OR DEPRESSION
CONFIDENCE
SLEEP
UNEXPECTED LIFE EVENTS
HEALTH ISSUES
STRESS & ANXIETY
GRIEF & LOSS
CAREER CHALLENGES
RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
PAIN & ILLNESS
CHILDBIRTH & FERTILITY

ART  THERAPY - a therapeutic tool to help many aspects of development


​I offer support using art as a therapeutic tool for NDIS recipients who are self managed or plan managed. My office/studio is at Banksia Beach.
With my background in child development and counselling, I use the modality of Art Therapy to provide support in a number of different ways according to the areas of individual need.
Briefly, some of the areas I support in my therapy are: 
 
  • fine motor skills (use of the smaller muscle of the hands, commonly in activities like using pencils, scissors, construction, craft, clay, opening containers, manipulating brushes, etc.)
  • crossing the body's midline (performing tasks without having to switch hands, activating left and right brain, brain gym activities, body awareness)
  • balance and coordination (maintaining a controlled body position during task, such as sitting at the table (static) to allow success at fine motor tasks) and dynamic (moving) activities, when participating in brain gym activities.
  • body awareness (proprioception) (information received by the brain from muscles and joints to be aware of the body in space)
  • self regulation ( the ability to obtain maintain and change alertness level appropriate for a task or situation for better attention to the task).
  • sensory processing ( processing of sensory information in the environment and in the body in a way that allows for regulation and discrimination)
  • hand eye coordination (ability to process information received from the eyes to control, guide and direct the hands in the performance of a given task) 
  • attention and concentration (ability to maintain attention to a task)
  • hand dominance (consistent use of one hand for task to allow refined skills to develop)
  • organisation and visual cues (use required materials to sequentially perform and complete a task
  • working memory (remember information needed for comprehension, reasoning and task completion)
  • excecutive functioning (use of the higher brain function in goal directed activities such as creative tasks requiring sequential steps)
  • social skills (interaction with others either verbally or non-verbally, compromises, follow social norms)
  • receptive (understanding) language and expressive (using) language
  • play skills (voluntary engagement in self motivated activities that are normally associated with fun and pleasure where the activities may be goal oriented)
  • social communication (pragmatics) (using language for different purposes, adapting to the situation, following the "rules" of language, eg taking turns, gestures, etc)
  • reduction in stress and anxiety and depression(art and craft activities are self expressive and involve the opportunity to create and relax)
  • reconcile emotional conflicts (restore or improve sense of personal well being and self confidence)
  • following instructions (integrating receptive language, attention and concentration, working memory - use of games such as drawing from verbal instructions)
  • language structure - concepts (develop understanding about direction, location, position, number, quantity, sequence, attributes, dimension, size and similarities and differences)
  • learning difficulties (writing difficulties - brain struggles to moving hand to form shapes and coordinate tasks, processing what is seen - visual details

*National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) therapy for self managed or plan managed clients is available.