Qualifications & Training

My journey as a Creative Arts Therapist is grounded in a diverse educational background and a passion for integrating various therapeutic modalities.

Below is an overview of my qualifications, ongoing professional development and commitment to continued growth in this field.

Qualifications

  • Master of Therapeutic Arts Practice - The MIECAT Institute

  • Graduate Diploma of Therapeutic Arts Practice - The MIECAT Institute

  • Advanced Diploma of Transpersonal Art Therapy - Phoenix Institute

  • Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration - RMIT University

  • Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Media) - Swinburne University of Technology

Registration and checks

  • Arts Therapist Professional Membership (ANZCATA)

  • Certified Practising Counsellor (PACFA Reg. 32489)

  • General Member - Spiritual Care Australia

  • Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance

  • NDIS Worker Screening Clearance

  • First Aid Level 1

  • Working with Children Check

  • National Police Check

Supervision

I engage in ongoing clinical supervision with a trauma specialist to ensure my work remains both ethically sound and therapeutically effective for clients navigating trauma. This is in line with ANZACATA's requirements of at least 1 hour of supervision for every 15 hours of client contact.

Recent Selected PD highlights

  • Somatic Experiencing® (SE) — Currently undertaking Beginner I/II (Melbourne; practitioner training pathway ongoing, 2025-2028)

  • Using Art Therapy to Explore Shame: Understanding how shame presents in the nervous system, its function, and how to support repair. (Integrated Trauma Therapy, Tania Virgona- 2025)

  • Trauma-Sensitive Practice: Working with Complex Trauma (Blue Knot Foundation-2025)

  • Counselling Autistic Adults, Parts 1 & 2 (NDATS, Jacqueline Gibbs- 2025)

  • Neurodiversity-affirming Practice in Creative Arts Therapy- ANZACATA (Raelene Dundon- 2024)

  • Exploring Arts and Parts (integrating IFS) -MIECAT (Sarah Owen, MIECAT- 2025)

  • Understanding Grief: An Attachment-Informed Approach (Grief Australia- 2024)

  • A Field Guide to Embodied Awareness - Body Weather (Frank Van de Ven & MIECAT - 2024)

  • Trauma and Somatic Therapy

    • Somatic Experiencing® (SE) — Currently undertaking Beginner I & II (practitioner training pathway ongoing, 2025-2028)

    • Using Art Therapy to Explore Shame: Understanding how shame presents in the nervous system, its function, and how to support repair (Integrated Trauma Therapy, Tania Virgona- 2025)

    • Exploring Arts and Parts: integrating Therapeutic Arts Practice and IFS (Sarah Owen, MIECAT- 2025)

    • Trauma-Sensitive Practice — Working with Complex Trauma (Blue Knot Foundation- 2025)

    • Understanding Complex Trauma: Art Therapy, Somatic Principles and Self-Care (Integrated Trauma Therapy, Tania Virgona- 2023)

    • Understanding Grief: An Attachment-Informed Approach (Grief Australia-2024)

    • ACT Training Part 1- 2 days -Acceptance & Commitment Therapy- (ACT Mindfully, Russ Harris- 2021)

    • An Expressive Arts Approach to Healing Loss and Grief (Irene Renzenbrink)

    Neurodiversity and Attachment

    • Counselling Autistic Adults: Part 2 — Understanding the complexity of the Autistic experience (Jacqueline Gibbs, NDATS-2025)

    • Counselling Autistic Adults: Part 1 — Reframing autism from deficit to difference (Jacqueline Gibbs, NDATS-2025)

    • Creative Connections — Integrating Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice in Creative Arts Therapy (Raelene Dundon, ANZACATA-2024)

    • Diversity in the Arts Therapy Practice. The Mystery of Clients' attachment styles: Core Principles and Strategies for Arts Therapy practice (Aleksandra Gostev, ANZACATA- 2023)

    Somatic and Embodiment

    • Guided Drawing Certificate, 30hours (Sensorimotor Art Therapy, Cornelia Elbrecht- 2022)

    • Art, Music and Dance Therapy Programs with Older Adults (Swinburne University-2022)

    • Rhythm in Flow, Dance Meditation (Jodie Radha Lynch- 2024)

    • Body Weather — A Field Guide to Embodied Awareness (Frank Van de Ven and MIECAT-2024)

    • Expressive Arts Therapy Approaches to Brain and Body During COVID-19 (Cathy Malchiodi)

    Gender and Social Justice

    • Supporting Women in the Sex Industry, 6 weeks (Project Respect, 2024)

    • Art Therapy in Post-Conflict Reconciliation and Rehabilitation (Chanudi Wickramasingha, Mental Health Care Retreat - 2024 )

    • Transition Towns Training, 2 Days — incorporating Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects (2014)

    • Storytelling for Social Change (Sparks)

    Eco-Arts and Environmental Therapy

    • Introduction to Horticultural Therapy — 8 Days over 8 weeks (CERES )

    • Eco-Mythic Psychodrama, 2 Days— Nature Calling (Geoff Berry and Julie Lacy- 2015)

    • ECO 530: Introduction to Eco-Art Therapy — 12 modules (Greensong EcoPsychology and Project NatureConnect 2016-2018)

    • Equine and Nature-Based PD (Wedgetail Equine and Arts Therapies-2024)

    • Spiritual Ecology, 2 Days (Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee and CERES Environment Park- 2017)

    • Intro to Natural Dyeing — local flora (Ilka White-2018)

    Expressive Arts and Sacred Practice

    • Shamanic Ecology — The Wild Feminine (Nymh Fox, CERES- 2019)

    • Experiential Workshop: Birthing a New Paradigm, Together (Marianne Wobcke- 2024)

    • Psychodrama and The Tarot, 2 Days (Julie Lacy, Phoenix Institute- 2016)

    • Sacred Circle Work (co-facilitating creative rituals for community transformation)

    • Art and Spirituality Integration (personal studies and workshops)

I am deeply committed to continued learning and professional development, staying current with emerging therapies and methodologies in order to provide the best support for my clients. I strive to integrate these varied tools and approaches into my practice to meet the unique needs of each individual I work with.