Our Team
Our team is made up of deep listeners, creative thinkers and skilled communicators.
Monica Finch (M. Art Therapy, AThR)
Monica has been involved in the healing field for over 20 years, helping people become more aware of the mind-body-spirit connection and to live a more authentic life.
Monica is inspired by our ability to survive adversities, and that given a safe space and nurturing connection the human spirit has the capacity to repair and recover.
Seeing a lack of specialist Creative Art Therapy services in the Greater Ballarat region, Monica established Ballarat Art Therapies in 2015. Passionate about building a service that meets the needs of clients, Monica shares her knowledge with other professionals by providing Professional Supervision, presenting at Conferences and contributing to publications.
Qualifications: Masters Art Therapy (Latrobe University), Cert in Clinical Supervision, Advanced Diploma Transpersonal Art Psychotherapy (Phoenix Institute), Diploma Clay Field Therapy (Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy), Diploma Visual Arts, Diploma Community Health, Alcohol & Other Drugs and Mental Health and Family Violence, Cert in Expressive Therapies and Sand Play (Children & Adolescents), Cert in Small Figure Therapy (Attachment and Systemic Systems), Cert in Expressive Art Therapies for Trauma, Accelerated Trauma Recovery Mandala Workshops, Bruce Perry Workshops, Circle of Security, Cert Compassionate Inquiry with Gabor Mate
Additional: Professional Registered Art Therapist and Counsellor (ANZACATA), Approved Supervisor (ANZACATA)
Tegan Neville (Dip. Counselling)
Tegan has been helping, guide and inspire others to explore within to heal and grow using intuitive art and art therapy for the past 6 years.
Tegan’s personal experience has shown her that the biggest healing and growth can occur through inner work and connection to true self, using art as the primary tool helping to connect with your innate wisdom and light.
Tegan is experienced in delivering a range of art therapy activities to both individuals and groups including guided drawing, music play and other creative art therapy sessions and has delivered workshops in the community including schools and the Mother and Family Unit (BHS).
Qualifications: Diploma of Counselling (Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors), Cert in Initiatic Art Therapy (Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy), Cert Sensorimotor Art Therapy: Work At The Clay Field (Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy), Certificate of Completion: DRUMBEAT Facilitator Training (Holyoake), Bachelor Arts - International Studies (University of Ballarat), Bachelor Business (University of Ballarat)
Additional: Level 1 Registered Counsellor (ACA)
Tina Handley (M. Social Work, M.S.W)
Tina began her training and professional career working with people with disabilities and has since worked in many areas including Mental Health, Child Protection, Primary Schools and CASA, Tina’s experience is vast including forensic mental health, eating disorders, Mother/Baby inpatient support programs, supporting children and families, sexual assault advocate/counsellor and various group work.
After studying Child Centred Play Therapy, a passion for play therapy and opportunities for children to express themselves through play and creativity was sparked as play offers a non-confrontational and non-directive way for children to express their experiences.
Additionally, Tina is enthusiastic about the delivery of group work such as Tuning Into Kids for parents and Circle of Security, DRUMBEAT and Peaceful Kids.
Qualifications: Master of Social Work (Federation University), Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Clinical Nursing - Psychiatric Nursing (Melbourne University), Postgraduate Diploma of Play Therapy Australia (Modules 1-6), Circle of Security Training, Peaceful Kids Training, DRUMBEAT Facilitator Training (Holyoake), Tuning into kids (Mindful Institute), Bachelor of Applied Science (Intellectual disability Studies (RMIT)
Additional: Professional Registered Social Worker (AASW)
Lily Fraser (M. Art Therapy, AThR)
Lily Fraser has been working and training in the arts and healing for over 15 years, supporting people to tune into and express their inner world and unique creativity.
Lily became aware many years ago of the power of art to heal. She has had the privilege of working with many people using arts based therapies in groups and one to one. Lily is passionate about finding ways to work with clients that met their needs. She is regularly astounded by the inherent intelligence of clients to figure out what they need to heal.
Lily is currently completing her 4th year of Gestalt Relational Counselling. She is interested in nature based therapies and finds nature to be a great resource for clients healing journey. Lily has undertaken training in Narrative Therapy.
Qualifications: Masters of Creative and Expressive Arts Therapy (MIECAT), Advanced Diploma Transpersonal Counselling (Phoenix Institute), Level 1, Narrative Therapy (Dulwich Centre), Responding Narratively to Sexual Abuse Survivors (Dulwich Centre), Relational Gestalt Counselling (Gestalt Training Australia), Bachelor of Fine Arts (Otago Polytechnic School of Art), Dadirri – the Ancient Art of Deep Listening Supporting Culturally Sensitive Practice (We Al-Li), Understanding and Working with Anxiety (Gestalt Training Australia).
Additional: Professional Registered Art Therapist and Counsellor (ANZACATA)
Kylie Gregory (M. Art Therapy, AThR)
Kylie has had a varied and rich career helping and guiding people for close to 20 years. In 2017, Kylie transitioned from a teaching role to a counselling role after completing her Masters in Art Therapy at Latrobe University.
Kylie’s passion is working with people to help them reach their full potential, she works in a space of non-judgement and unconditional positive regard. Kylie recognises that talk therapy is not for everybody, and she has the privilege of experiencing the power of creative self-expression that art therapy can provide, particularly when working with people who have experienced trauma.
Kylie is curious about the impact of trauma on brain development and exploring how different materials and processes to complement brain development. Kylie has a special interest in Bruce Perry’s neurosequential model or bottom-up approach. Kylie has worked as an art therapist in both a clinical and school setting working with clients individually and in groups in addition to this, she has found her work with people with eating disorders rewarding.
Qualifications: Masters of Art Therapy (Latrobe University), Cert Counselling Skills (Latrobe University), Berry Street Model Training (Berry Street), Pat Ogden When Words Are Not Enough: How to Engage the Body to Disrupt Entrenched Patterns workshop (Byron Clinic), Bessel van der Kolk: Trauma, the Brain &Treatment of Trauma workshop (Byron Clinic), B(Ed) Visual Arts (University of Melbourne).
Additional: Professional Registered Art Therapist and Counsellor (ANZACATA)
Lyn Duffton
Lyn has been using art in her work with adults and children with special needs for over 40 years in a variety of roles both internationally and regionally. As an Art Therapist Lyn has repeatedly witnessed how art not only allows people who may not have a voice, a means to communicate, but also enables self-learning in a way that respects the individual. Using art as a way to address behavioural issues in a gentle, non-confrontational way, Lyn has run workshops on aging, coping with transitions, and exploring self with groups of adults with intellectual challenges. Lyn is particularly interested in allowing self-learning through doing, self-awareness through what is created by participants and allowing freedom of expression for everyone regardless of ability. Lyn believes that Art makes these meetings possible, like music, it can become a language beyond words. Lyn now delivers our online art therapy services.
Qualifications: Post Grad Diploma in Creative And Expressive Art Therapies (MIECAT), Post Grad Dip of Integral Art Therapy, Diploma Sensorimotor Art Therapy (Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy), Diploma in Transpersonal Art Psychotherapy (Phoenix Institute), Cert in Expressive Art Therapies with Children, Cert in Expressive Art Therapies for Trauma, Integral Expressive Arts Therapy Training, Colour Therapy Training and Introduction to Narrative Therapy.