About me
My name is Maia, a mother, artist, season swimmer originally from South Africa. I have over twelve years’ experience practicing as a registered Integrative Art Psychotherapist and a newly certified EMDR Therapist.
I'm a co-foundered of the Therapeutic Arts organisation called Songololo-feet CIC actively engaged with marginalised communities in London for twenty-four years and have helped forged my humanistic approach to getting and staying well. My experience of weaving the above modalities together helps provide a comprehensive trauma informed approach which is both culturally and gender sensitive. I work both in person and online.
Integrative Art Psychotherapy and EMDR reveal areas in which we are stuck, where our belief systems cause internal conflicts and create problems with our relationships with others and ourselves. By introducing self-regulation techniques and psych- education into our sessions become useful as vehicles for preventions and Interventions.
Our ever-changing world have left many of us with physiological and psychological discomfort. I offer you a safe, non-judgemental, confidential space to off-load difficult feelings, work through areas where you feel you might have got stuck and regain your strength to build resilience with curiosity and hopefulness for your future.
The therapeutic relationship is based on trust and mutual respect, guided by the client’s development.
I work with a wide range of presenting issues: Post traumatic stress disorders, complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD)schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and neurodiversity.
Introduction to Art Therapy Integrative Art Psychotherapy serves as a powerful tool and resource, offering opportunities to work through difficulties without becoming retraumatised.
Art therapy as a trauma informed approach aids in the retrieval of suppressed or forgotten information through both our right brain functioning and somatic experiencing. Neuroscience research indicates that our left-brain function goes offline during traumatic events and therefore offer a considerable amount of weight to the above mentioned. This is helpful as often highlights where we have become stuck causing internal and external conflicts with self and others.
Non-Verbal Communication: Many individuals find it easier to express complex emotions and experiences non-verbally. Art therapy allows survivors to communicate their feelings through symbols, colours, and forms, often leading to a deeper understanding of their emotional landscapes.
Self-Exploration and Reflection: Art making encourages individuals to explore and reflect on their thoughts and feelings. Through the creative process, they can examine their personal narratives, highlights where we have become stuck causing internal and external conflicts with self and others and leads to insights and revelations pivotal for healing.
Stress Relief and Emotional Regulation: Engaging in creative activities has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels. The mindfulness aspect of creating art can help stabilize emotions, offering survivors tools to manage overwhelming feelings.
Empowerment and Agency: Art therapy fosters a sense of agency as participants make choices through their creative expression, allowing them to reclaim control over their narratives.
Social Connection: Working collaboratively on projects, individuals build connections with peers and foster a sense of community, enhancing their support networks for quality of life.
Boundaries
The main purpose of the therapeutic conditions – set time, set fee, ethical framework is to create and maintain a safe space in which to facilitate this development. The conditions help to create a professional working alliance, to feel seen, heard and responded to.
In my private practice I work in person, telephone and telehealth bringing my years of experience as Artist, Artist in the community and Integrative Art Psychotherapist together in an informed simple and inclusive approach.
Information
£75 sliding scale £55 for students
I work on Monday, Thursday and weekends in person.
Online evenings are available on request.
Group sessions are available.
Please make contact for further information.
It'll be good to hear from you!
Training, qualifications & experience
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EDUCATION, TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION.
2024-2025 – EMDR training in progress. This is a six-month accredited qualification.
2024- ADHD certificate course
2022-2023 Introduction and 1st semester into sacral cranial Psychotherapy.
2022-2023- CERTIFICATE PROGRAM - Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy
2022- Embodied Social justice certificate
2022- Healing trauma -Peter Levine
2021- Applied Polyvagal theory in yoga 1
2021 -Applied Polyvagal theory in yoga 2 and 3
2018-Two-day training and volunteering at St John’s Hospice.
2017- Tavistock Therapeutic Intervention with Dementia.
2016-Observational placement at Forensic/Psychiatric secure unit (Men’s only)
2012-2016 Masters in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy. (4 years part-time) HCPC.
2012- Counselling using the Arts course at IATE.
2012- Higher diploma in Therapy and Education in Art.
2000-05 - Fine Art and Art in the community degree.
Work experience as self Employed.
2024 – Songololo-feet has been delivering weekly group Art Therapy sessions with Clozaril patients at community house N9 0PZ
2024- Weekly somatic swimming for adults with long term mental health at Southbury leisure centre.
2024 - Songololo-feet takes over the running of Enfield clubhouse.
2023 – Enfield Young Peoples Drug Services.
1/1Trauma informed Art therapy sessions which had been referred to us.
2022-2024 Manager at Enfield clubhouse.
Adult mental health charity with enduring mental health issues.
2018-2022 Deputy manager at Enfield clubhouse (Adult mental health charity)
2021-2024 Nest and Growing wings Art therapy groups for Adults with long term mental heath issues.
2020- Thrive hive and “thrive hive thrives” Art therapy group and one on one sessions for young adults.
2017-18 Honorary position within City and Northwest NHS.
Facilitating on a project called Arts in Health in partnership with the Welcome trust.
.2017- Art Therapist at Sharp End over 50’s (part time)
2016- Art Therapist at Centre for better health.
2016 - Set up private practice
2015- Consultation work with Greenwich council.
“Art Therapeutic Intervention and prevention programme”.
2012 -2017 Praxis refugee charity
This position was a placement 5-year work experience
2011 – 2015 Core Arts Adult Mental Health Charity
I facilitated as a textile tutor for 5 years.
2011-2018 – Greenwich children services.
Facilitating annual school projects called “Anti-bullying road show” and Stepping – up. These projects were set up to target vulnerable children at transitional stage.
2008-2011- Hackney Youth clubs facilitating customizing clothing
Running workshops with young people on housing estates affected by gang violence. Our main objective was to provide a creative space where young people could meet and learn new skills
2007- Exchanging traditions
With a group of Somalian and Asian women worked together to bridge together their cultures through print.
2005-2008 East end of London schools.
Therapeutic arts workshops into schools
2004 - Hackney city farm.
Mums and toddler’s textile printing workshops
2004 – Co- Founder of Songololo-feet.
A non-for-profit Therapeutic Arts Organisation
Working with hard-to-reach grassroots communities in London. Using the power of Art as a nonverbal form of communication and wellbeing.
HOBBIES and INTERESTS.
In my spare time I enjoy swimming, gardening and travelling.
I am a practising artist and have a zest for life especially to do with sustainable living.
Cooking vegetarian food.
I’m a seasoned open water swimmer,
I love Walking and exploring and spending quality time with my family.
I’m well-travelled and fascinated about others social, political and cultural views.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.
They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.
Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£75.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer a complimentary initial introductory session of 30mins.
After that, £75 per hour and charge £45 concession
When I work
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Further information
During my fine art and Art in the community degree I set up my Community interest company Songololo-feet CIC which is a Therapeutic Arts organisation using many art forms including printed textiles as an unconscious form of communicating especially with those whose English was not their first language and others that found it difficult to express themselves with words.
This has allowed for me to place myself alongside many members of grass roots communities which have helped raise awareness and understanding of the significance of the arts as a trauma informed therapeutic intervention,prevention and a self-expression tool in terms of developing insight, whilst skill sharing.
My curiosity piqued when noticing repetitive patterns been played out in family units and drawing on similarities within my country of origin, South Africa drew my attention to parallel phenomena being played out across cultures which created my driving force behind upskilling to become an Integrative Art Psychotherapist.
We now recognise this as trauma which profoundly affects our minds and bodies. We looked at how trauma, often caused by stress greatly increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and some autoimmune disorders as well as many of the more severe mental health problems. We looked at body memories and how our experience of pain is influenced by our psychological state.
But, after working in this area for the past 20 years I’d like to consider, what is we flip the coin? How does the state of our body influence our mind and emotions? Thinking about how our mental health – things like our mood, our emotions, even our compulsions – are at least in part driven by our physiology system: how the bacteria in our gut may influence our mental state; how depression and anxiety may be generated by inflammation and our immune system; how our hormones and nervous systems could impact how we think, feel and act.
Often when we encounter difficulties, we often forget the 3 words eat, sleep and exercise. I like to consider the goal for many trauma-informed- approach is to remember the 3 words, self-regulation with the addition of one extra word, socialisation. I by no means discounting the need of medication!
This form of art therapy, informed by overarching theories and the unique needs of our grass roots communities is fundamentally driven by goals of social inclusion, empowerment, and stigma reduction whilst creating and strengthening community voices and sustainability especially post pandemic.
This form of engagement including the arts is becoming widely accepted as a method for promoting quality of life in survivors of mental health issues. My purpose is promoting autonomy whilst fulfilling individual needs to be meaningfully engaged in their community around them.
This is about thriving not merely surviving.
