Louise Morton

Art Therapist

Active Arts Therapy

Arts Therapy is an active, exploratory approach to generating change.
I am a registered clinical arts therapist practicing in central Wellington. I provide mindfulness-based creative arts therapy services to assist clients to process their experiences and to support meaning-making and change.

Client Types

Adolescents, adults, groups.

 

Areas of Special Interest

Wellbeing and self-development, self-esteem, confidence-building, anxiety, interpersonal issues, managing emotions, loneliness, depression, trauma, existential concerns, sexual abuse, grief/loss/change.

 

Counselling/Therapy Services

Arts therapy offers an active, practical approach to therapeutic work. It provides an avenue for exploring and making sense of emotions and experiences that are difficult to put into words. My clients and I work creatively, using mindfulness-based approaches and a variety of arts modalities (including visual arts, dance/movement, drama and writing) to support the processes of meaning-making and change.

You don’t have to be an artist to express something creatively, you just need to feel safe enough to give it a try. I provide a confidential, attentive and non-judgmental space where we’ll work collaboratively, at a pace that is led by you. Everything you create will be welcomed and respected. I aim to help you to increase your sense of autonomy and to discover meaningful tools to help you to overcome barriers you are facing and increase your resilience.

I currently offer individual arts therapy sessions from a private room in the central city. I warmly invite you to come for a session and see if arts therapy feels like a good fit for you. We’ll use the arts as well as talking to explore your reasons for coming to therapy, and establish some aims for our work based on your individual situation.

 

Counselling/Therapy Approach

As an arts therapist, I am not there to interpret your artwork or to judge your expressions in any way. Rather, my role is to witness your process and the product(s) of your art-making, to walk alongside you as you navigate challenges and face fears, and to assist you with your own meaning-making. As in all forms of therapy, the main focus is on building a consistent, safe and respectful relationship between client and therapist.

I work fairly eclectically, borrowing from a range of disciplines to suit your individual needs. While my practice has a strong mindfulness component, I also like to incorporate aspects of narrative therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, self-compassion-focussed therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy.

  

Registrations and Professional Memberships

• Registered Clinical Arts Therapist 
• Professional Member of the Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA)
• Registered Provider for ACC Sensitive Claims

 

Qualifications

• Master of Arts in Clinical Arts Therapy (First Class Honours)
• Post-Graduate Diploma in Primary School Teaching
• Bachelor of Arts (Criminology, Sociology) 

 

Background and Experience

My work experience is diverse, the common theme being an interest and involvement in supporting people to reach their potential.

I started my private practice in 2019 and have worked with a range of people, from those wanting a few sessions to support them through a rough patch to those needing longer-term therapy. Prior to starting in private practice I provided arts therapy to individuals within mental health and forensic inpatient units, who presented with issues such as anxiety, emotion dysregulation, grief/loss, depression, dissociative disorders, post-traumatic stress, schizophrenia, psychosis, and substance abuse. Before qualifying as a therapist I worked in sexual violence support work, as a teacher and within the justice system.