Ffyona Matthews – Art of Therapy

I work with children and adults using Art therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Interactive Drawing Technique (IDT) with a parts approach, talk therapy, somatic methods, mindfulness and sand tray. I find these modalities, within a supportive therapeutic relationship, help people who are experiencing depression, anxiety, grief and loss, attachment and relationship struggles and who need to recover from traumatic experiences.

I create a safe, compassionate and accepting therapeutic relationship with an attachment understanding and work from the belief that having authentic and meaningful relationships, including with yourself, is important for good mental health.

I have been an art therapist for over 25 years.  Using art as a way of working with difficulty can be very helpful for people who feel stuck or blocked and who need a concrete way of externalising their issues to help them to shift into a healthier place.  Art can support people to be playful and playfulness supports trauma recovery.  It can help access body and unconscious knowledge offering a different perspective and outlook. It supports people to actively work on their process and life. It is not important or necessary to have artistic skills.  I use EMDR alongside art therapy, IDT and DDP and Sand tray with clients who have trauma to resolve as I find these blend well and allow me to respond to where clients need to be met in a client centred and supportive way.

I have a special fondness in supporting neurodiverse people and parents raising neurodiverse children. I have particular interest in working with complex developmental trauma, attachment issues and those who have ADHD or ADHD symptoms.

Background

I have a BSocSoc from the University of Waikato where I majored in Psychology. I studied Art Therapy in London and gained a Masters in Art Therapy from Edith Cowen University, Perth, Australia (before art therapy was able to be studied in NZ).

I have worked for Mental Health Services, with Sensitive Claims clients for ACC, for Te Omanga Hospice and for two NGOs. I initially worked in the Special needs area and then with teenagers at Starship Hospital. I worked at Te Omanga Hospice with patients and family members largely with children whose parent was ill. When my children were young, I worked privately with contracts with Oranga Tamariki, in schools, CREDS, at the Lower Hutt Women’s Centre and ran groups. I later worked for NGO WellStop as a Senior therapist working with children and young people who had harmful sexual behaviour. I now work 3 days a week at Whakamatutu which is a new centre to support adults recover from depression.