Weiyu Guan
Art Therapist, Psychotherapist
Many Arts Studio
Hawthorn, Melbourne VIC 3122
In Person + Telehealth
Philosophy & Vision
I work from a deep trust in human connection and in the ever-present web of nature that supports us. I value clients as the artist in their own life, and I am committed to walking alongside each person with curiosity, respect, compassion and presence.
I work with clients across the life span and from all walks of life. Clients appreciate the sense of safety, spaciousness and enlivenment through my warmly-held studio space as well as my relational and experiential approach.
I believe that when therapy works well, it nurtures us, opens us to surprises, brightens up our life, frees our spirit, and ultimately, returns us home: to our uniquely intelligent and whimsical self; to the world around us; and to the great mystery of life.
Background
I worked clinically as a mental health nurse before stumbling upon the field of therapeutic arts, and experiential psychotherapies. Working simultaneously in both professions, I have developed an insight into both camps and their intersection. My particular interest is in bridging Art (the experiential) and Science (the conceptual) for the health and well-being across society.
I greatly value and actively seek out learning, connection and collaboration with other artists and healthcare workers who are practicing ethically with humility and diligence in their own courageous way beyond the contemporary dichotomy and power dynamics between the so-called classical/clinical and the alternatives.
Services
Quality Provision
I am committed to being fully present with the client and their stories, my own noticings and responses, and the feel in the space between and around us.
I have regular supervision and professional development with mentors across cultures and disciplines.
Areas of Special Interest
Accreditations
- Masters in Therapeutic Arts Practice - 2021 - MIECAT
- Master of Nursing Science - 2013 - University of Melbourne
- Foundations of Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy - 2022 - Wild Mind Institute
- MDMA-assisted Therapist Training Program - 2023 - MAPS & Monash Clinical Clinical Psychedelic Lab
Modalities
Art Therapy - Creative Arts Therapy - Experiential - Transpersonal - Trauma-Informed
Therapy Approach
My fundamental approach is inquiry-based, relational and experiential. It calls for a beginner’s mind from us, to gently become curious, to feel, explore, discover, examine, and to make and mend.
I draw on a range of traditions and modalities to find what best serves each person. My most valued influences include:
- Buddhist and Taoist philosophies
- Focusing (Eugene Gendlin)
- Compassionate Communication (Marshall Rosenberg)
- The Open Studio Process (Pat Allen)
- Process-Oriented Psychology
- Hakomi
- The MIECAT Form of Inquiry
- Advocates for the central role of play in early childhood education
- Contemplative Science
- As well as a wide range of creative arts and embodiment practices.
Professional Associations
- Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association
Practice Locations
Rear of 774 Glenferrie Road
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Free and paid parking nearby.
Wheelchair accessible with a portable ramp.
Appointments
Varying hours, Monday - Sunday, 10:30am - 7:30pm
Fees & Insurance
Self-funded clients: Sliding scale between $100-$160 per hour.
NDIS (self or plan managed): $193.99 per hour.
Concessions: 2 active clients at any given time.
* Free (15 minute) initial consult
* All first sessions: 1.5 hours
Languages
English
Cantonese
Mandarin
Payment Options
Cash or direct deposit.
Contact Weiyu
Please contact me for more information
A conversation with Weiyu Guan
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Various life challenges, and the kind and magical strangers who moved me along the way, as well as a reverence for the web of life.
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Phenomenology - a rigorously open and descriptive orientation to subjective experience.
Intersubjectivity - meaning making is an emergent process arising from the interplay between agents, including humans and the more-than-human.
Shiatsu - any healing touch originates from the power of intention, and the respect and support for the self-healing capacity within the receiver by the giver, whose ability, knowledge, skills and even experience are all secondary to this. -
Transformation from grief and trauma: from alienation to connection, stuckness to creative flow, inertia to aliveness.
Non-ordinary states experiences: mindfulness, dream, play, creativity, imagination, psychosis, spirituality, nature connection, psychedelic experiences, near-death experiences, dissociation… and their integration into our daily life and society. -
Experiential arts therapy - I offer a warmly held therapeutic environment in my carefully considered and maintained art studio space. I bring skills to support clients' awareness of their own nature and circumstances. I invite all faculties of our body, and different materials (both natural and artificial) and art forms into the space as our powerful and trustworthy allies. I also share insights into the many forms of therapeutic arts as daily practice to nourish, ground and balance ourselves.
Each session is individually tailored and may also be informed by:
- Focusing
- Hakomi
- Nonviolent Communication
- The Open Studio Process
- Process-Oriented Psychology
- The MIECAT Form of Inquiry
- Internal Family Systems -
Progress is an interesting word. It may feel conditional, hopeful, stressful, and even forceful, depending on where we are at.
I am inspired by Peter Merry’s view of progress, “Pay attention to what wants to happen now and take the next natural step. That’s all.”
I think that meaningful progress happens whenever the client is able to be present moment to moment to what is arising within themselves and between us. I work hard to support this in every meeting with the client. -
A more steady, trustworthy, vibrant and fluid sense of self.
A greater capacity to stay present with different aspects of life, the “good” and the “bad”, the mundane and the extraordinary.
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Resonance, hope and wonder from walking alongside another and witnessing their (and my own) transformation.
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Oh yes :)
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Cultures of dominance embedded in all levels of society, largely not seen or spoken about by most of us.
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Book: The Plague - Albert Camus
Film: Harold and Maude
Song: The lost words blessing
Artwork: Water Lilies #1 - Ai Weiwei
Events: clown school with Fabio Motta, guitar/mandolin ensemble with Ben Dix & Darryl Barron