Begin Your Path to Healing with Art of the Heart Counselling

Experience the Art of Healing

Expert Counselling for emotional and mental wellbeing, combining decades of experience with a heart-centred approach.

Connect With Your Capacity to Heal

Will You Allow Yourself to Receive It?

This space is for you . . . safe, sacred and supportive.  Cristina brings decades of experience and steadfast commitment to your healing journey – walking with you as you tune into your heart, your fears and your truth.

Let her guide you as you release your pain, find better answers and liberate yourself into a life more empowered.

Let go of old beliefs that tell you to stay silent. Reach for the hand extended to you . . . because true healing begins the moment you allow yourself to receive it.

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Who we are

Meet Cristina

About Me

I, too, followed my Heart to be here for you . . . After 23 years as a clinical psychologist, I followed my truth that healing is not defined by titles, it’s defined by connection. Letting go of the title allowed me to step into my heart-based work as a Counsellor for emotional and mental wellbeing, where I can meet you with authenticity and Heart.

My approach is deeply person-centered. I believe healing begins when you truly feel seen, heard, and understood . . . because connection is at the Heart of the healing. Over two decades, I’ve supported hundreds of people through life’s most profound challenges, guided by this principle.

Having lived in six countries, I understand the emotional and cultural challenges of navigating new worlds. That’s why I also dedicate part of my practice to supporting expats and immigrants in finding balance and belonging.

Beyond counselling, I offer clinical supervision to other practitioners, honouring the sacred responsibility of this work and the professionals whose life’s calling it is to guide others.

Whether you’re seeking support, healing, or professional growth, know this: You Are Welcome Here.

I have three degrees in Psychology that I achieved over 7.5 years from the prestigious Rhodes University in South Africa, having graduated as a Clinical Psychologist in 2002.

The range of professional assessment & treatment skills that I obtained there not only included CBT but also the deeper, more complex therapeutic approach of psychodynamic psychotherapy. I was also trained in family therapy, play therapy & neuropsychological assessment.

I’ve completed two academic theses – at the Honours and Masters’ levels. One of these focused on traumatic brain injury and the other on intervention for childhood sexual abuse, demonstrating that my passion for trauma recovery spans over two decades. 

My post-graduate studies have continued for over 20 years. I’ve subsequently trained in DBT (the full program), Mindfulness & somatic approaches, Solution Focused Therapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), other attachment-focused approaches, EMDR Therapy and EMDR Ego State Therapy. 

I’ve completed numerous Masterclasses and other trainings in EMDR Therapy & EMDR Ego State Therapy with world-renowned therapists. I have subsequently delivered workshops, myself, to other therapists on EMDR Ego State Therapy, both in person and online.  

My work with other therapists is further backed by my Post-Graduate Certificate in Supervision.

I have worked as a Clinical Psychologist in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, within both the private and public healthcare sectors in all three countries, totalling over two decades. This has enriched my knowledge and experience of how attuned, compassionate care can be successfully provided to people in various contexts when the therapist consistently uses a person-centred, Heart-based approach, no matter where the person is located.

My professional experience in supporting people with their mental and emotional health traverses nearly the entire lifespan. I’ve worked in infant mental health; child and adolescent mental health; and adult mental health.

I have extensive and high-level training and experience in the field of trauma and PTSD. Subsequently, I became an Accredited Practitioner by the EMDR Association of Australia.

While my primary modality is EMDR Therapy, a powerful method that integrates mind, body, Being and memory, I also draw from CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, Solution-Focused Therapy, and attachment-based approaches. This blend allows me to tailor every session to your unique needs.

I have lived in six countries and I’ve worked in my professional capacity in four of them, and now globally online. This makes me extremely well-versed in the role of culture in the varied ways that our pain and suffering can be expressed, and the many nuances required by me, the counsellor, to ensure that you, the person in front of me, truly feels heard, understood and supported as the Sacred Person that you are. 

Services

What We Offer

Expat / Immigrant Support Sessions

Experienced support to help you navigate the cultural, emotional, and assimilation challenges of life in a new country.

Individual Counselling and EMDR Therapy

Personalised sessions using effective approaches, including EMDR, to restore emotional balance & recover from trauma.

Group Meditation and Mindfulness Workshops

Live, guided practices in a supportive group setting to reduce stress, enhance inner calm and build resilience.

Psycho-education Courses

Practical, interactive courses for emotional resilience, improved communication and reclaiming your power.

Parts Work / Working With Parts of Self

Deep change that goes beyond talk therapy to alleviate deep-seated patterns of relating, internal conflicts & dissociation.

Clinical / Counselling Supervision

A safe, reflective space for professionals to deepen their practice with supportive guidance from an experienced practitioner.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Winston Churchill

Heart Help

Areas Where We Can Assist

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Anxiety, Depression & Stress

Find relief from anxiety, depression, and overwhelming life stress through skilled, compassionate support.

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Trauma & PTSD Recovery

Recover from Trauma, PTSD, Complex PTSD and dissociation with specialised approaches like EMDR & EMDR Ego State Therapy.

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Grief, Loss & Life Transitions

Navigate grief, loss, and major life changes with gentle, personalised guidance.

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Communication and Relationship Challenges

Break free from unhealthy patterns and build stronger, more assertive connections with others.

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Expat, Immigrant & Cultural Adjustment

Feel connected and supported as you adjust to a new culture, a different country, and a reshaped sense of belonging.

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Support for Parents & Professionals

Get expert support in parenting challenges, or professional growth through clinical / counselling supervision.

Heart is the Great Art of Life . . . the Choice is Yours to Nurture it . . .

Let’s nurture it together

Why Choose Us

Therapeutic care grounded in compassion, experience, and connection

Art of the Heart Counselling - a space where you can feel heard, safe, connected and supported, knowing that you are in the hands of someone with decades of experience in guiding people who were once in a similar place to where you are now . . .
Experience Above Par

With over 20 years of international experience having practised as a clinical psychologist, you can trust Cristina’s profound therapeutic knowledge and expertise to guide and support you.

Compassionate Care

Counselling is about connection and that starts with care. Cristina listens with her soul so you can truly feel heard - your story, your challenges and your needs - and receive respectful, insightful care.

Interventions That Work

The compliment to the care are the tools. Cristina draws on her high-level training and extensive experience in EMDR Therapy, EMDR Ego State Therapy, CBT, DBT, solution-focused therapy and Mindfulness approaches to support you.

Online or In-Person Sessions

This is counselling that moves with you. The choice of in-person or online sessions allows you the convenience to have easy access to your sessions, wherever you are.

Specialised Skills

Trauma does not have to be a lifelong sentence. You can benefit from cutting-edge change tools like EMDR Therapy & EMDR Ego State Therapy, in which Cristina is highly experienced, to gradually feel relief from trauma.

Culturally Experienced

Culture plays a big role in how we express our challenges and our needs. Cristina’s international experience means you have a counsellor who is culturally sensitive, attuned and respectful of you.

Common Questions

FAQs

Contact Us

From my Heart to Yours