MARK GEARD
MAAT. Clinical (First Class Honours). MDes. (Distinction) Registered Member ANZACARTA, ACC Registered
ARTS THERAPIST
About my approach to Arts Therapy:
An arts therapy session may employ any of a number of modalities such as drawing, painting, writing, sculpture, movement, visualizations and meditation, depending on the needs of the client. It is important to note, however, that one does not need any artistic skill or experience to benefit from these sessions. Complicated and confusing emotions, often so hard to express in thoughts and words, can be made conscious and illuminated through creative artistic approaches. Fears, stresses and anxieties, so prevalent in today’s world, can be successfully ameliorated through carefully guided creative processes. I am interested in transformative pathways in healing and self-awareness, and the source of a client’s desire and will to implement change.
CONTACT:
021 898592
COST:
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$90 per session
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(Payment options for those with financial hardship)
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I am ACC Registered.
LOCATION:
Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, Studio 24, Second Floor, 61-69 Able Smith Street, Wellington
About myself and my work
My therapy studio is in Wellington where I see a range of clients from teens through to those of more senior years. I have experience working with youth at risk and clients suffering from stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, marital issues, and mental trauma. I also have had considerable experience running one-on-one art therapy sessions, and a mindfulness and wellbeing programme for inmates at Te Whare Manaakitanga, therapy unit at Rimutaka Prison. I am an Arts Therapy Supervisor and I have run workshops for students of Arts Therapy for a number of years at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design.
I have a strong interest in colour as an aid to healing, and also as a pathway into meditation. These form an ongoing area of research for me. I am a member of an international meditation initiative and co-founder of Alamandria: The Art of Self-Mastery, Mindfulness and Meditation, facilitating retreats and workshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, for individuals, groups and the workplace. Alamandria is an initiative for healing, wellbeing and personal development. I am a practicing meditant of many years and an experienced Tai Chi Wu style practitioner. I am also a painter, poet and writer, and have my therapy practice at Toi Poneke Arts Centre in Wellington City.
I have great respect for the biographical path each person forges in life, often under the weight of great personal hardship and suffering, and have often witnessed phenomenal endurance, transformation and transcendence through such adversities. My clients are so often my teacher, and it is a privilege to accompany them on their path of recovery and self-knowledge.
To book a session or ask for further information, contact Mark Geard on markngeard@gmail.com
Testimonials:
Mark has worked alongside our therapy team, assisting with the rehabilitation of high risk violent offenders, for approximately five years. In this time, Mark has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to engage our most challenging clients and use mindfulness-based practices and artistic mediums to help these clients gain insight into their internal processes. There have been occasions in which this work was the turning point for men who wanted to give up on their journey of change, and a catalyst to their willingness to explore and address unhelpful patterns of cognitions and emotions within our psychological treatment sessions.
Nicky Perkins
Principal Psychologist | Te Whare Manaakitanga | Rimutaka Prison
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Having now worked in the prison for five years there is one thing that still continues to amaze me, and that is how few words the men here have to identify and talk about how they are feeling. When I think about this, I think about how much as a society we have let people down, and a strong need to better equip people to be able to successfully navigate the challenges that life throws our way. We as a psychological treatment team provide talk therapy to the men here, however there are so many other ways to express yourself which we do not teach. This is where Mark’s work is an amazing gift to our unit and to the men in prison, who often struggle to understand themselves, and to express themselves verbally. As a team, we have loved when Mark arrives to our unit with his caring nature and passion to share. He has always been highly professional (both in his conduct and the content he teaches), organized, and flexible in working around the team and the individual men he is working with. It has always been a pleasure working alongside Mark and we hope that he is able to share his work more with others in the future.
Josie Hammington
Clinical Psychologist | Te Whare Manaakitanga | Rimutaka Prison