about Nicola
creative mindfulness
Wellbeing specialist, Nicola Turschwell, brings a strong, honest and fun energy to her practice of creative mindfulness.
Nicola is a ‘disruptive creative’, inviting radical responsibility into enlivening individuals and teams. With twenty years professional experience in psychotherapy, Nicola effectively engages individuals and groups with a fusion of creative expression, authenticity and technical knowledge; coaching both leaders and team members to reach their potential in work, leadership and self.
I have had the honour of working on the tender, sometimes painful edges of life with so many people over the years. I have witnessed them nourish their mind, heart and soul in the process. I am a connector – a compassionate ‘people person’. This is one of my ‘ordinary super-powers’. I am passionate and committed to guiding people through difficult life transitions to find inner ease and peace of mind
– Nicola
“Inviting our thoughts and feelings into awareness allows us to learn from them rather than be driven by them.”
“You know that the antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest? … The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.”
Philosophy & VALUES
It’s only fair you get to hear a bit about me before we sit together to help smooth out your tangles. I have learnt a lot from my wounded-ness and life adventures, combined with years of “sitting in the therapy seat, doing my work,” (as required by Gestalt therapy training and my ongoing professional development), I have moved from being the shy, anxious one to become more confident knowing my voice matters and what I do has an impact. Through my own use and experience of art therapy, I can feel and know how effective the exercises are for me and I take them with confidence to my clients. It’s simple yet profound. Trauma happens in the body. In bypassing our ‘thinking brain’ (the part that more often than not confuses us with too many stories) we arrive into our body and it’s innate knowing. We attend with care to our body and in so doing, bring about healing.
As I accompany distressed souls in therapy, I am privileged to consistently witness this recovery. My vocation is a way of life for me. I still get scared at times, my heart thumps and my energy surges. I pay attention and it tells me where I need to go next. My body still sometimes fumbles & shakes when I begin to speak to a new group. I live a life full of friendships with depth and honesty and “FULL BODY YES” moments. I grab this knowing, trust it and pull it in close. I feel full now. Full of life, fully here and full of promise of what is to come. I want this for you.
My Values include Fun – Curiosity – Choice – Safety – Wellbeing
Credentials
Nicola Turschwell is a trained Art and Gestalt Therapist with over twenty years experience working in various therapeutic and corporate settings. She has extensive experience in direct client therapy as well as in team leadership, supervision and management.
The principles that underpin the cutting edge work that Nicola delivers are based on highly sensitised interpersonal and communication skills that create positive connections, trust and safety which establish the platform for change and growth.
Nicola is well versed in theories of trauma informed practice framework, contemporary neuroscience, somatic theory, mindfulness, reflective process and creative therapies, all of which underpin her work.
qualifications
2010 – 2013 Post Graduate Diploma Sensorimotor Art Therapy | Institute of Sensorimotor Art Therapy
2011 Diploma in Business Management | Uniting Care
2009 Certificate in Systemic Constellations | Margarete Koenning
2002 – 2005 Master of Gestalt Therapy | Gestalt Association of Qld. Brisbane