Our mission, our story, our philosophy
our missionThe heart of who we are
Beyond Valleys Art Therapy exists to heal, inspire, and empower individuals and communities through the shared language of creative expression that connects us all. We practice in trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and neurodiversity-affirming ways that welcome and celebrate your unique life story.
We are here because we’ve been hurt before: by ourselves, by strangers, by the people we love, and even within the very systems that promised to meet us, but failed to see us. We are here for those who struggle with words, who feel deeply, or who are just flat-out exhausted. We are here for all those wandering and searching for a freedom to call their own.
Grounded in empathy and led by our humanity, we aim to cultivate safe spaces that are non-judgemental and truly person-centred. We offer our art therapy services to anyone we are lucky enough to meet and cross paths with. Our mission embraces the infinitely creative ways in which art therapy works to reduce suffering, while also enabling experiences of joy, love, compassion, and hope for futures brighter.
our storyMeet Amanda
Registered Arts Therapist / Founder and Owner of Beyond Valleys Art Therapy / Ceramic Artist at Everyday Clay
BA (Hons) Psychology, MTAP(CAT), AThR
Board-Certified, ANZACATA Reg. 77324552
Beyond Valleys Art Therapy is the culmination of Amanda’s decade-long search for a meaningful career that would stitch together her passions for psychology, wellbeing, and creativity. Before starting her practice, she completed an Honours degree in Psychology (The University of Melbourne) and held professional roles in academic and applied mental health.
In academia, Amanda conducted research into wellbeing science and positive education in schools (Melbourne Graduate School of Education), contributing to two peer-reviewed publications. On the frontlines, she gained extensive experience across diverse settings, including crisis support (Lifeline), forensic mental health (Thomas Embling Hospital), rehabilitation (Austin Health, Royal Talbot Centre), NDIS service provision (Candella), dementia care (Caladenia), and youth mental health (headspace). During this time, she saw how words often fell short of capturing lived experiences – and how creative processes offered another way to connect and heal.
Amanda is a passionate arts therapist who works skillfully with clients across the lifespan. She draws on her Southeast Asian heritage and international upbringing to bring nuanced insight into experiences of difference, disconnection, and the human need to belong. Amanda champions creativity as a fundamental human right, advocating for arts therapy as an equal alternative to mainstream psychological supports in Australia that is worthy of being a primary treatment modality. Her work demonstrates that art therapy is effective not only for children, but for adults too. She is her clients' ally on their journey towards empowerment and a life more fulfilled.
Amanda’s artworks are featured throughout this website. Outside the therapy room, she is a ceramic artist who owns and operates the pottery studio, Everyday Clay.
our philosophyValues in action
We value working with a range of expressive modalities – such as visual arts, poetry, music, drama, and dance – believing in their rhythms to move us into a potent dialogue of possibilities, meanings, and new beginnings.
We value the momentum of our authentic self-expression to bring us out of our heads, and into a deeper landscape of feeling, sensing, and knowing.
Our core values guide this work:
-
We listen, not just with an open mind, but an open heart. This helps us to remain attuned to the possibilities of our clients’ lived experiencing and what they might need. Our attuned presence deepens our capacity to respond intuitively and insightfully in ways that uniquely speak to each client, and each present moment.
-
We empower our clients by working together to nurture their sense of resilience, agency, and inner strength. We facilitate art-making opportunities that balance the safety of structure with the spontaneity of freedom, supporting clients to make choices and find their authentic voices.
-
We show up with tenderness, care, and in the spirit of togetherness. We bring our humanity to this work and our sensitivity in responding to experiences of hurt, pain and suffering.
-
We are committed to walking the talk and making decisions from a place of moral integrity. We go all in to support our clients, and know only to make promises that we can keep.
-
Quick explanations and fast strategies seem to hold promise, but they often provide band-aid fixes that mask the real root of the problem. As believers in sustainable wellbeing, we do not use expert theories or formulaic models to explain away the felt experiences of our clients.
Instead, we draw upon a lived experiencing approach that is collaborative and whole-person centred. We support clients in creating a framework of understanding that considers the unique context and stories of their lives. Within this framework, strategies are given time and space to emerge organically and signal their personal relevance for a more tailored and lasting approach to wellbeing. Solutions are more effective when they are designed by us, for us, rather than prescribed by the ‘expert’ as general, one-size-fits-all approaches.
-
No artistic ability or creative experience is necessary to participate in our services. Anyone can benefit from art therapy, and we continuously strive to create safe, inclusive and non-judgemental experiences where all can feel welcome and valued. We stand in firm solidarity with First Nations, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, and other marginalised communities.
-
We are committed to continuous learning and professional development to meet the evolving needs of our clients. We stay up-to-date with the latest research, techniques and best practices in the field, attend training opportunities, and seek ongoing supervision. As part of our duty of care to clients, we regularly engage in our own reflexive arts practice, dedicating personal time before and after every session to ground, reflect, and integrate our learnings.