Sarah is a collaborative and supportive therapist, working to get the very best result for her clients.
Training and Experience
I am registered as both an Arts Therapist with ANZACATA and as an Educational Psychologist with NZPB.
I have been working in Wellington as an Arts Therapist since 2013, both in private practice and in mental health and behavioural services.
From 2016-2018 I lived in London, working as an Arts Therapist for a CAMHS disability service. In 2017-18, I trained as a Sandplay Practitioner.
In 2019, I trained in EMDR therapy and I weave this into my practice with both adults and children. EMDR and Art Therapy are well aligned, both using bilateral stimulation to aid accessing and processing of trauma memories.
EMDR therapy can also be combined very successfully with Sandplay, particularly for very young children, or for clients with preverbal trauma memories.
I really value a creative approack to therapy as I feel this offers more flexibility to find a way of working that really suits the individual
Background
I grew up in England and also lived in Italy, Malawi and Canada before moving to New Zealand.
I have a background as a teacher, with extensive experience working with children and adolescents with special needs. I enjoy working creatively and using a variety of techniques to increase engagement and ensure that therapy is enjoyable as possible for children. I have worked with young people with very high needs and with resistant youth who have challenging behaviour. I enjoy finding a way to enable these young people to engage, meeting them where they are, reducing shame and enhancing mana.
I have been a registered provider for ACC since early 2018 and I currently provide adjunct therapy and assessment for ACC clients.
Sarah Nightingale
