Registered Arts Therapist |
Somatic & Psychotherapeutic services
What does a session look like?
At Soma Arts Therapies, I offer a warm, trauma-informed approach to clinical arts therapy that combines creativity, mindfulness, and somatic tools like yoga. Each session is led by your needs and may include art-making, movement, voicework, writing, or talking—whichever feels most helpful for exploring emotions, finding regulation, and making meaning.
You don’t need to have any art experience. It’s not about being “good at art”—it’s about using creative expression as a way to connect with yourself. Gently working with the body, imagination, and breath, this process can support emotional clarity, nervous system regulation, and personal growth.
I'm a movement-based creative arts therapist based in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, offering sessions both locally and online across New Zealand and Australia. My practice is grounded in clinical training and years of experience in the arts, yoga, and body-based healing. Sessions are compassionate, experiential, and tailored to meet you where you are.
Who are Arts Therapists?
Arts therapy (also known as creative arts therapy or art psychotherapy) is a form of psychotherapy that uses creative modalities—such as visual art, movement, sound, drama, or writing—as tools for expression, exploration, and healing. It's not about artistic skill but about using creative processes to access emotions, memories, and inner experiences that may be difficult to articulate with words alone.
It’s grounded in psychological theory and facilitated by a qualified arts therapist. In sessions, clients are supported to engage with the arts in ways that help regulate the nervous system, express complex feelings, explore identity, and build insight. The creative act becomes a bridge between body, mind, and unconscious processes.
Arts therapy is especially helpful for trauma, anxiety, grief, life transitions, and for people who find verbal therapy alone limiting. It’s client-led, experiential, and deeply respectful of individual pacing and needs.
FAQS
What is Creative Arts Therapy?
Creative Arts Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that invites a wide range of creative processes—such as drawing, painting, movement, sculpture, writing, drama, and sand play—into the therapeutic space. It offers ways to explore, express, and communicate feelings that might feel difficult or even impossible to put into words.
Registered Creative Arts Therapists undergo Masters-level clinical training in psychological, psychotherapeutic, and creative methods to support emotional expression, regulation, and wellbeing. Through creative exploration, clients can find new pathways to insight, healing, and self-understanding.
Who is Creative Arts Therapy for?
Creative Arts Therapy is for everyone. No art experience is needed—the focus is on the process, not the product. The creative process helps clients access parts of themselves that can feel hidden or out of reach, offering a different doorway into understanding and healing. It’s an effective form of psychotherapy for children, teenagers, and adults, and can be experienced individually or within a group setting.
What training do Creative Arts Therapists have?
In Aotearoa New Zealand, Registered Creative Arts Therapists complete a clinical Master’s degree in Creative Arts Therapy, alongside over 750 hours of supervised clinical practice. An undergraduate degree in a related field is also required. Currently, Whitecliffe College in Auckland offers this training, beginning with a one-year Postgraduate Diploma, followed by a highly competitive two-year Master’s program.
Creative Arts Therapists registered with ANZACATA (the Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association) engage in ongoing professional supervision and annual professional development to uphold high standards of ethical and effective practice.
What is ANZACATA?
ANZACATA is the peak professional body representing creative arts therapists across Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific region. It ensures that members uphold rigorous standards of training, ethics, and professional practice.
To learn more about ANZACATA and their Code of Ethics, visit:
👉 https://anzacata.org/
