Maggie van den Heuvel

NZ Clinical Arts Therapist (reg.)

Maggie is a Member of ANZCATA: (The Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association)

Maggie graduated with a degree in Art therapy in 2012 and has a well-rounded experience as an Art Therapist and Clinical Social Worker. Maggie uses art as a tool to explore, reflect and self-express.   She believes art is the greatest comfort and mirror of one’s inner world.

Maggie, originally from the Netherlands has combined her passion for travel and culture while working in mental health. Operating in different countries she has learnt new skills and techniques and met lots of inspiring people.  Maggie has successfully worked in diverse settings, from closed clinics to prisons, schools, private practices and ambulant care, she is able to cater to the needs of a wide range of clients.

Maggie’s therapeutic skills extend to a wide range of clients and include children, teens and young adults with challenges. She offers close-fit art therapy to promote:

• Self-esteem
• Social skills
• Body positivity
• Resilience training
• Anger issues
• ASD: autism spectrum disorder
• ADHD
• Developmental disorder
• Personality disorder
• Behavioural disorder
• Body positivity
• Palliative care.

More recently Maggie started working with people with disabilities and stroke survivors.

What is Art therapy?

The creative arts therapies are based on the idea that creativity enhances the well-being of all people, and is a natural aspect of all cultures and human experience. It is an experiential psychotherapeutic approach utilising many creative modalities within a therapeutic relationship with a trained therapist. It is holistic – attending to emotional, cognitive, physical and spiritual well-being – and aligns well with indigenous models of health and well-being.

The creative arts therapies use creative processes to help clients explore and express unconscious material that is often difficult to articulate in words. These methods are innovative, participatory and practical: they provide a supportive space for participants to ‘try on’ and practise new behaviours, and this can be more effective than merely talking about change. Creativity harnesses the imagination and a sense of play. This can help those who have limited choices in their life to use the safe space of the therapeutic environment to learn to tolerate the uncertainty of the unknown and to become more comfortable to be able to improvise and open up new possibilities in their lives. A key feature of the creative arts therapies is that the processes are often pleasurable. This means that using the arts we are more likely to practice new patterns of more healthy behaviour. The activities practised in this treatment model can thus provide new hobbies and interests which are vital for ongoing self-support.

Source: ANZCATA