Creative Arts Therapist (Clinical)
All the therapists listed are professional members of ANZACATA and are qualified to the highest international standards.
Nuraishah Abdullah (Aishah)
Attuned Space Art Therapy-
Kia ora, I'm Aishah. I'm a Christchurch-based art therapist from Singapore who offers both in-person and online support to migrant mums and mums-to-be in New Zealand.
I work collaboratively with clients who want to feel confident and centered in their pregnancy and motherhood journey but struggle at a loss of just how to do that. I resonate with how women in this season of the life can feel alone, being away from family, friends and everything familiar back home whilst feeling confused with just how to do this in a new country.
I'm here to help you find your own sense of motherhood that feels authentic to you whilst building support structures that you find fits.
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Migrant Mums / Mums-to-be
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Christchurch Central and Online
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Taking on new clients
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Lyndy Broughton
Creative Arts Therapist-
Many people come to therapy feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure how to make sense of their experiences — especially when it feels difficult to put things into words. My approach is to create a safe and supportive space where your experiences can be gently and creatively explored. I offer support alongside you in navigating the challenges you’re facing, helping you make sense of your situation, deepen self-understanding, and feel empowered to make the changes you wish to see. We work collaboratively, allowing you to express yourself at your own pace.
I draw on a range of arts modalities and materials, responding flexibly and sensitively to what emerges in each session. I work from a trauma-informed, client-led perspective, honouring you as the expert in your own experience. This approach may suit you if you are seeking a gentle, creative, and relational way of working, and value safety, choice, and attunement.
I am an ANZACATA-registered Clinical Creative Arts Therapist based in Christchurch. I have over 16 years of experience working with children, young people, and adults across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland, and I have been practising as a Creative Arts Therapist for the past five years.
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Trauma / Women / Anxiety / Relationship Issues / Self-Esteem / Emotional Well-being / Youth / ACC Sensitve Claims
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Riccarton
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Unavailable
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Vanessa Burrell
Pūrerehua Creative Arts Therapy-
I am a clinical creative arts therapist with a background in teaching young children/tamariki and working with youth/rangatahi. I have experience providing onsite school‑based creative arts therapy, youth counselling, and facilitating or supporting therapeutic groups for young people and older adults.
My approach is grounded in creating a welcoming, safe space that nourishes and supports the whole person. I work holistically, inviting multimodal play and expressive ways of being that honour each person’s unique strengths, needs, and lived experience.
Creative arts therapy sessions are person‑centred and led by you as the well‑ness seeker / tangata whaiora. I offer gentle invitations to explore alternative ways of expression—such as art making / mahi toi—to help you explore, process, and share what matters to you. We can communicate and express ourselves in many ways, not only through talking / kōrero. Creative art materials and therapeutic modalities are offered as invitations to explore, experiment, and express—there is no expectation of artistic skill or experience.
My role as your therapist is to enter into a collaborative partnership. This may look like being a listening ear, a creative and caring companion, a playful presence, or an empathetic guide—always responsive to what you need in the moment.
My practice is guided by the following values: Compassion, Caring, Authenticity, and Agency.
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I work with individuals in 1:1 sessions and groups / Neurodivergent / Addiction (AOD) / Live with disability / Grief / Trauma / Identify / Rainbow community / Tamariki / Rangatahi / women / men
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Online & Central City, Papanui, Wainoni
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Taking on new clients
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Dr Deborah Green
Creative Arts Therapist-
I am a therapist, clinical/research supervisor, educator and researcher with over 35 years’ experience within health, tertiary education and community development sectors.
As an ANZACATA-registered creative arts therapist, I work in-person and online with individuals and groups to enhance wellbeing through creative practice. My approach embraces gentle playfulness and an experimental attitude across modalities of visual arts, drama, dance/movement, nature-connected arts and creative writing.
As an ANZACATA registered clinical and research supervisor, I am an ardent advocate of arts-based practices – including in-person or online creative-making and/or creatively descriptive conversations. I offer clinical supervision to a range of creative arts therapists, social workers, counsellors and psychotherapists. I engage in research supervision with master’s doctoral research students at various institutions.
Drawing on my many years as a tertiary educator, I am currently developing and will be offering a range of professional development courses – watch this space!
I began my career of interwoven arts, education and health in South Africa. Within the South African University and Health sectors (1990 to 2004) I studied drama, lectured, worked in educational/community theatre and community development, then gained a postgraduate qualification in adult education, lectured, and worked with HIV/AIDS as educator and counsellor. Upon arrival in Aotearoa-New Zealand, I studied creative arts therapy (Whitecliffe) then gained my PhD (University of Auckland, 2016) for an arts-based autoethnographic exploration of my therapeutic practice during the Canterbury earthquakes. I co-edit for the academic journal JoCAT, have published work in various academic journals and books and have presented at conferences/symposia in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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Clinical supervision for CATs, psychotherapists, and counsellors / Research supervision for arts-based master’s and doctoral students / Therapeutic work with adults and children around trauma, grief, loss, life transitions, and neurodivergence
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Lyttelton and Online
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I am focused on online supervisions at present and accepting new supervisees; I will be developing and running PD in 2026
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Hannah Grace
Hannah Grace Art Therapy-
I am an Art Therapist with 6 years of experience working with clients with a psychotherapeutic approach.
Art Therapy allows you to choose the way in which you want to communicate. Working creatively can help you to express feelings that are difficult to put into words. You will learn how to analyse and resolve your current difficulties and will feel empowered to make changes for yourself and to better your relationships.
I will encourage you to speak freely about feelings, difficulties, fears, desires and dreams. I will help you to understand how repressed emotions from your past can affect your decision-making, behaviour, and relationships. I will highlight and connect past experiences and current behaviours, bringing the unconscious into consciousness.
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Trauma / Sexual Trauma / Women / Anxiety / Relationship Issues / Body Image Issues / Teenagers / ACC Sensitve Claims
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Rolleston
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Taking on new clients
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Rosa Heney
Rosa Heney Creative - Creative Arts Therapy-
I specialise in working with intra and interpersonal trauma. My approach is person-centered and includes an arts therapeutic body-centered approach to care which incorporates Mindful and Somatic practices, EMDR, CBT and DBT.
I’m motivated by working within change and transformative practices that require curiosity, diversity and unconditional positive regard. Both my professional and personal life have been deeply informed by this, with creative arts always at the centre.
When I’m not at work I’m connecting with those I love – often my teenagers and partner, through nature and body-based experiences, including art making, music listening, mountain biking, camping, tramping and being by the sea, in the mountains and/or native bush.
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Groups / Men / LGBTQIA+ / Women / Youth / ACC Sensitve Claims
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Riccarton
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Unavailable
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Viv Kepes
Kōwhai Creative Arts Therapy-
Kia Ora, I am an ANZACATA-registered clinical creative arts therapist working in Christchurch and North Canterbury.
In addition to my love of creative arts therapy, my interests and strengths include a deep passion for fine arts (MA, Painting), the earth sciences and our natural world (BSc, Geography), teaching and working with children (DipTchg, Primary), and handcrafting with natural fibres. I live rurally. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, taking my dog Freya for long walks, spinning and creating with my yarn.
My sessions, both in private practice and at the Women’s Centre, are person-centred and client-led. I interweave creative arts therapy, expressive arts therapy and arts psychotherapy into my work. I hold my clients gently, with unconditional positive regard. Together, we creatively navigate through presenting challenges. I walk alongside my clients as they draw on their own inner wisdom and creativity, supporting them to explore and express feelings and emotions, and to give form through the arts to what is moving within them. Together, we discover new ways to imagine, shape, and gently forge safe, courageous paths forward.
As a co-facilitator of the Art as Therapy workshops at the Christchurch Art Gallery, I integrate art appreciation and personal connection with specific exhibitions and artworks in the gallery. Workshop topics include supporting and nurturing self, stress reduction, team building, and developing connections with others, and are open to the general public or tailored for specific populations. I facilitate Art-for-Wellbeing classes at the Southern Division of the Cancer Society, bringing cancer clients a wide range of joy-filled art-making experiences.
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Children / Adolescents (14+) / Adults (18–80) / Women / LGBTQIA+ / Neurodiverse Individuals / Anxiety / Grief and Loss / Life Transitions / Suffering / Trauma / Confidence and Identity / Self-Esteem / Depression / Emotional Well-being
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Opawa and City Centre, Christchurch, Amberley, North Canterbury.
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Taking on new clients
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Heather Mitchell
Creative Arts Therapist-
I have a background in art / craft / making and have a deep respect and passion for creativity. I enjoy making as part of my own self thrive practice.
In my therapeutic practice the sessions I offer are client led and process based. They involve creativity to explore, invoke, nudge, and play with our human experiences. I strive to offer a safe and collaborative experience where I can companion clients within the unfolding process of therapy.
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Relationship dynamics / Family Dynamics / Grief and loss / Anxiety / Depression / Life transitions / Suffering / Trauma / ACC Sensitve Claims
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Hillsborough
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Not Available
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Jan Jeans
Creative Arts Therapist-
Creative arts and conscious dance have enhanced my life, helped me through some challenging times and deepened my experience of life. You don’t have to be an artist to express something that is almost impossible (and often painful) to put into words, you just have to feel safe enough to have a go. I am a qualified Arts Therapist, counsellor and Open Floor teacher and offer Therapy in Motion to people who want to blend and integrate a body (bottom up) approach with a mind (top down) approach, using the wisdom of their own physical experience in the therapeutic encounter.
When we use dance and movement to be fully embodied—physically, emotionally, mindfully—it means we are present for anything and everything. To be embodied is to come to our senses, to feel our power and to make things happen in our world. My approach combines talk therapy, movement and art to enable powerful body experiences to be given meaning and be understood.
I am a member of ANZACATA. I have been practising as a creative arts therapist since 2013. I previously qualified as a psychotherapist in the UK in the 90's. I offer creative arts therapy groups with Open Floor movement groups for adults. I offer ACC arts therapy. I have been supervising other therapists for many years.
From August 2025 I have been be working as volunteer for VSA in Timor Leste - my second stint here- training others to use the creative arts in working with gender based violence and child protection issues.
So currently I am not able to take on any clients however I shall return to NZ in August 2026 and will be setting up my practice again.
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I provide supervision to counsellors wanting to use creative arts and I specialise in working with trauma. I provide support and supervision to Whitecliffe students studying the Masters in Arts Therapy. I have built an eclectic mix of skills and incorporate the creative into whatever work I do. I have over 30 years of extensive experience working with sexual abuse, trauma, anxiety, and self harm, with families, adolescents, children and groups. I have worked for Start, STOP, CanTeen, Project Restore and other organisations providing counselling and creative arts/dance therapy to clients as well as being ACC registered for sensitive claims.
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Lyttelton
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I will be taking on new clients and offering workshops in Sept 2026.
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Bev Seabridge
Creative Arts Therapist-
Kia ora, my name is Beverley Seabridge. I bring over 30 years of professional experience supporting individuals, first as a social worker and now as a registered clinical arts therapist. Today I work in private practice with adults in Ōtautahi, Christchurch.
My way of working is gentle yet dynamic. I specialise in grief, depression, anxiety and high sensitivity using a trauma and attachment lens.
Alongside talk therapy, I incorporate creative and experiential methods such as sand tray, paint, clay, role play, EMDR, or other arts-based processes, depending on what feels most helpful for you.
Born in the UK, I moved to Christchurch in 1997 and feel privileged to call Aotearoa New Zealand my adopted home.
I am a mother of two daughters and recently became a grandmother to two energetic young boys. My professional and personal life experience richly informs my work.
Outside of work, I love travelling, dancing and singing with enthusiasm over skill, purely for fun. The beach, the mountains and my garden are favourite places.
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Adults / Trauma / ACC Sensitive Claims / WINZ approved
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Barrington and Online
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Unavailable
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027 435 8999 (text preferred)
Liz Riach
Wildflower and Willows-
Liz is a registered Creative Arts Therapist with a Master’s in Clinical Creative Arts Therapy and a background in art, design, and psychology. She brings a wealth of experience supporting children, young people, and adults across education, health, and community settings.
With a special interest in paediatrics, developmental support, autism, and neurodiversity, Liz works closely with families to support emotional regulation, expression, communication, and connection through creativity. She also supports clients through prenatal and postnatal transitions, attachment and relational challenges, and trauma recovery, including sensitive-claims work.
Liz takes an integrative humanistic approach, drawing on creative, play-based, and expressive modalities such as art-making, sensory activities, movement, and storytelling. Her work is trauma-informed and grounded in neuroscience and person-centred frameworks to help clients feel safe, understood, and empowered in their therapeutic journey.
Sessions with Liz are gentle, supportive, and responsive to each person’s needs, creating space for growth, expression, and emotional wellbeing.
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Children / Adolescents / Women / Attachment / Play Therapy / Learning and Attentional Difficulties / Neurodiversity / Anxiety and Depression / Trauma & PTSD / Professional Development workshops
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Christchurch Central
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Taking on new clients
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Ruchita Parekh
Fidgetie Fingers-
Hi, I’m Ruchita! I’m a creative arts therapist who absolutely loves using colour, imagination and creative play to help people feel seen, heard and understood. I believe art has a joyful, magical way of opening doors to self-discovery, confidence and emotional well-being.
My approach is fun, playful and culturally rich. I weave in my Kiwi Indian identity, my love for Mithila art, the beautiful philosophy of Ubuntu, and the holistic model of Te Whare Tapa Whā, which together remind me that we heal through connection, balance and community.
When I am not in the therapy room, I also teach the NZQA Level 3 Health and Wellbeing. My learners inspire me every day with their courage, humour and heart.
I truly believe healing does not always have to be heavy. Sometimes it starts with a splash of colour, a moment of curiosity and a space where your story can shine.
*This has been written by a dyslexic person. If you have any trouble with the meaning of any of the sentences or words, please do get in touch.
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Neurodivergent individuals
People with intellectual disabilities or dementia
Carers
Youth
Support with identity, confidence, and emotional well-being
Immigrants navigating belonging and cultural transition
Anyone seeking support with loneliness or understanding feelings
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Christchurch Central
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Taking on new clients
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Winnie Whyte
A Hundred Languages - Creative Arts Therapy-
Tēnā koe, I’m Winnie, I’ve always been fascinated by how expressing and relating to art deepens our understanding of our inner and outer worlds. With a background in fine arts and education, I became a Creative Arts Therapist because I wanted to find work that uplifts creativity and allows me to support others through meaningful, reciprocal connections.
My approach to Arts Therapy is person-centred, informed by play and the Reggio Emilia learning approach. My sessions are client-led where I am alongside as a guide. I aim to support those who engage in therapy to explore their world through creative, sensory approaches to bring forth new understandings and promote change.
I’m a playful and magic-inspired being with a passion for all things Scottish and a habit for finding magic in the ordinary, especially four-leaf clovers . My creative practice, mainly in multimedia sculpture, reflects my desire to make quirky and imaginative pieces that invite playfulness and humour. These same qualities often influence how I approach art therapy.
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Children / Young people
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Christchurch Central
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Taking on new clients
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100languages.artstherapy@gmail.com
Sarah Wilson
Creative Arts Therapist-
I am a professionally registered Creative Arts Therapist based in Christchurch. Originally from the UK I have been living in Aotearoa since 2013. The arts have been significant throughout my life – dancing, music and visual arts have helped me through my own challenges and led me to seek ways to use creativity to help others.
I studied for a BA(Hons) in Woven Textiles in the UK and ran a small weaving studio selling items and teaching people how to weave on looms. Through this I learnt how making together allowed people to open up and feel able to discuss aspects of their lives.
I am passionate about engaging the arts in therapy as a deeper way to access and express feelings and emotions. Words alone are often inadequate or even impossible to speak in the wake of traumatic experiences, the arts can step in and fill this void in profound and transformative ways.
My intention is to foster and increase a sense of agency, empowerment and wellbeing as we work together on the various challenges faced. Each person I see is a unique being, therapy therefore unfolds as a collaborative process experienced differently by each and every individual.
I work with people in the best way to support their needs using neurodiversity-affirming and trauma informed practice. I recognise that your lived experience means that you are the expert on your life, I approach therapy with an open mind and intension to gain insights together so we can find the way forward that works for you.
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Adolescents (14+) / Adults (18–80) / Women / Men / LGBTQIA+ / Neurodiverse individuals / People with intellectual disabilities
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Cashmere and Riccarton
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Taking on new clients
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Kate Willis
Creative Arts Therapy -
My practice is informed by humanistic, person-centred principles, recognising that clients are the experts in their own lives. I aim to provide a safe and collaborative space where clients can gain insight, develop coping strategies, and foster emotional growth.
Beyond therapy, I am passionate about moving my body and participating in sports, including hockey and cricket. I also enjoy being in the garden, engaging in creative projects of all shapes and sizes, and connecting with nature, especially in the Port Hills.
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Trauma / Children / Anxiety / Neurodiversity / Self-Esteem / Young People / LGBTQI+ / Women / Depression / ACC Sensitve Claims
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Christchurch Central and Online
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Holding a Waitlist
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Glossary
Arts Therapy - an umbrella term that references all modalities
Creative Arts Therapy - a term for intermodal / multimodal arts therapy in which a range of modalities are used in interconnected ways / similar to Expressive Arts Therapy
Creative Arts Therapies - an umbrella term for when therapists use one specific modality - such as visual arts only; or drama only; or dance/movement only etc
Art Therapy - when a therapist uses visual arts only - in the same way Drama Therapy = drama; Dance/Movement Therapy = dance/movement etc
General Enquiries
Please note for clinician-specific enquiries, please contact the clinician directly.