Bex comes with over 12 years of experience working in the disability sector. She has extensive experience working with people of all abilities including complex needs. She has worked with Children, Teens and Adults, in both group and individual settings. Her key populations are Teens and Adults, with a preference for group work in either a face to face setting or online.
Growing up in New Zealand she has a rich respect for indigenous culture, which she endeavours to bring into her practice and teaching, while mindfully navigating her role as Tangata Tiriti.
Bex operates from a Social Model of health, with a critical perspective that recognises intersectionality and social systems as factors to be aware of when working with groups of people. Bex has experience working with mixed ability groups and utilises movement, art and music in groups, as carrier activities to support connection, relationship, social, emotional and life skills. A key consideration of her work is always ‘how can I make this accessible and meaningful to everyone present.’
She is currently enrolled at Massey University, for her Masters with a focus on Mindful Movement. Her special interest areas are ADHD; Dance Movement Therapy adaptions for wheelchair users; group processes; critical realism; linguistic philosophy; mindful movement; Space and Time; embodied cognition; interception; proprioception and movement practices to support emotional regulation.
Her practice is influenced by her background in circus, clowning and Middle Eastern Dance. More recently she gained a certificate in Lego therapy, and enjoys the small group work in this context which supports language and social skill development.
Bex came to Dance Movement Therapy when she was doing her psychology degree, as she sought a way to integrate her love of dance and movement, with her psychology studies and her work with mixed ability groups. She started her Diploma in DMT in Auckland in 2014, and paused partway through as she welcomed the birth of her daughter. Completing the course in the next intake, she found that the course’s focus on developmental movement patterns, connection and relationship building through movement supported her role change as she transitioned into motherhood. The skills she took from the course helped her to be a better group facilitator; supported her personal development and self regulation skills, and authentic relationship building with her daughter.
Her current influences in her movement practice are: Chase, Schmais, Yallom, Kestenberg, Laban, Bartenieff, Green Gilbert, Boas, Kabat-Zinn, Schoop and Evans.