Judy O’Byrne

Judy has 30 years of experience within mental health, private, tertiary and Maori settings working with adults, adolescents, children and families. She works in a collaborative way, incorporating creativity to help people adapt to challenges, achieve their goals and improve their well-being.   Judy now works solely in private practice on the Kapiti Coast.

Judy’s Special Expertise

Judy works effectively with a wide range of individuals and issues. She has extensive experience in both physical and mental health care and adapts her approach to meet individual client needs and issues.

Arts Therapy Services

All of us face challenges in life at some time. Whether it’s an unexpected event or circumstance that confronts us, loss or grief experiences, or old habits and behaviors that we want to change. We all struggle at times with uncomfortable feelings, the complexity of life or knowing we need to make change to improve our wellbeing.  Sometimes we may even struggle to know what the ‘problem’ is let alone find solutions. We all have resources inside of us and around us that help us navigate our way. However sometimes resources aren’t quite enough, and we become stuck or overwhelmed in trying to manage those challenges. Arts therapy can help us to ‘step out of the everyday’ and take a fresh look at how we might adapt, achieve our goals, manage life’s challenges and improve our well-being.

Judy’s Therapeutic Philosophy

Judy’s approach is to work collaboratively with you, adapting her style and way of working to suit each individual and their purposes. From a client centered approach Judy draws from counselling skills, expressive arts, solutions focused and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to work effectively with a wide range of individuals and issues.

Her goal is to be alongside you in ways that help you to identify and access the many resources you have in new ways.   Her focus is to support clients to understand and find creative solutions to life’s challenges and to grow through the challenges into a greater place of wellbeing.

About Judy

After a career in Nursing Judy studied Counselling. Then in 2018 she completed a Master’s degree in Creative Arts Therapy. Over the past 30 years she has worked with adults, children, adolescents, individuals and families within mental health services, tertiary education, health, Maori and private practice settings.

Judy has a wide range of interests and is active in her community. She enjoys an active and creative lifestyle and particularly enjoys time with family and friends.

Supervision Services

Judy is available to provide supervision for arts therapists, counsellors and other health providers. She has an extensive work history in a wide range of health and mental health care and has completed post graduate supervision training.