meet niki

Niki Schild (She/Her)

BA (Hons); M-CAT (DMT) AThR

Creative Arts Therapist/Dance Movement Therapist

 

Cross-pollinating the roles of artist and therapist, I believe that art can take many forms beyond traditional categories and that any action can be creative.

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As a practicing artist, I have formed a strong personal relationship to dance, theatre, image making, writing and music. I see these media as opportunities to extend the range of therapeutic interactions to include sensing, relating, moving, making and integrating. In these processes, I value curiosity, responsiveness, learning and collaboration.

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Although I often work with art and craft materials, my creative arts therapy training is specialised in dance movement therapy (DMT). Within that lens, I have found a particular affinity for physical games, outdoor play, and the creative qualities of everyday functional movement. As needed, I accompany people in exploring new ways of moving, whether that be through dance-based methods (if that is their interest), physically active play, processes of making with other art/craft media, or attending to micro movements such as breathing.

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I believe passionately that it is everyone’s right to experience safety and agency in their body. In particular, I am interested in finding creative ways to support this where access to that experience has been systemically obstructed, by attending to cultural systems as well as the individual needs, knowledge and wishes of the people who navigate them.