Gretta Nolan-Maloney
Gretta Nolan-Maloney is an Art Therapist from Galway, western Ireland. She has been in private practice for 3 years.
What sort of therapy practitioner are you?
I am an Art Therapist/Art Psychotherapist (the terms are interchangeable) in a private practice called Slí Féin Art Psychotherapy. Slí Féin means “my way”. Originally, I trained as a nurse, in intellectual disability sector, I have also trained as a Consulting Hypnotist and NLP practitioner and have a certificate in Counselling.
More recently I completed The Rewind Technique and Lift Depression Fast course with Uncommon Knowledge.
So, I integrate aspects of the various modalities into my practice -a synergism of everything I have learned so far, hence the name :)
Do you see clients from home or in a clinic?
I see clients in two locations. In Health and Herbs clinic in Galway city and in a Therapy room in Evergreen Healthfoods in Moycullen, Co. Galway.
What problems/issues do you treat most frequently?
I’ve treated a lot of people with depression, issues relating to anxiety, emotional trauma and some with PTSD.
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Setting up in private practice to begin with. I really need my own premises and I don’t have that yet, I share rooms with other practitioners of different disciplines. So, each session, I have to set up and remove all the art materials.
Also the marketing – trying to think as a business woman – it really is on the other side of my brain (opposite from the Art Therapy side) :) It’s a challenge when it’s the actual work I really love.
What do you find hardest about your daily work?
The business side of things including marketing, the uncertainty of client flow and not having my own premises.
Do you find your professional body supportive and helpful? Do they help you create connections with fellow therapists?
My professional body is IACAT (Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists) they reassure prospective clients that I belong to an identifiable professional body, and they’re lobbying for state registration (unlike UK Art Therapists are not yet state recognised here). They are helpful and they have a register of fellow therapists but creating connections is up to yourself.
How do you balance work and life? Stress management/avoiding burnout
I meditate and use self hypnosis to manage back pain I acquired in a car accident. I do my own art work. I have good family support and family pets that are “full of personality” :) -they love their little walks in the countryside where we live.
What frustrates you most about the way mental health is dealt with in your country?
It’s just not talked about enough and it’s treated as though it’s something to be ashamed of, though I think we are getting better about talking about it, at least. I feel mental health is a spectrum we are all on -so it’s not a “them” and “us” situation.
I think it’s difficult enough for people to deal with emotional issues without pilling shame on too, and I believe Art Therapy does make it easier to have that “conversation”.
Can you tell us about your most uplifting experience treating a recent client? (anonymously of course!)
I feel quite lucky, there are lots, but I live in a small community so I would be concerned about the anonymity. I’ll tell you about some Art Therapy work I did in Cape Town, South Africa.
One 15 year old girl I worked with had witnessed her mother being shot and killed and could describe it in graphic detail. She could recognise the murderer too, so, she lived in fear of being killed herself or being raped. There were various other family issues so she was on her own. She opened up to me, and engaged really well in the sessions. We had a set number of sessions and the end of our last session I asked her if she felt our brief work together had benefited her. She paused in thought, then said, “Yes, I came to you with a broken heart, and now I feel as though something has been released”.
It was so humbling for me and I felt genuinely privileged to have worked with her – it is something I will always remember.
You can read more about Gretta’s work here or on her Facebook page.
Pictured above: Gretta’s art therapy materials.
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About Mark Tyrrell
Psychology is my passion. I've been a psychotherapist trainer since 1998, specializing in brief, solution focused approaches. I now teach practitioners all over the world via our online courses.
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