SOMATIC TRAUMA SPECIALIST
Since 2003, Atira has been guiding people on their life path and healing through her powerful blend of Somatic Experiencing, Expressive Art Therapies, Transpersonal Psychology, Embodied Spirituality, and professional supervision & coaching.
“I have come to the conclusion that human beings are born with an innate capacity to triumph over trauma.”
– Dr. Peter Levine
Somatic Trauma Specialist
Since 2003, Atira has been guiding people on their life path and healing through her powerful blend of Somatic Experiencing, Expressive Art Therapies, Transpersonal Counselling, Embodied practices, Professional supervision & Life coaching.
“I have come to the conclusion that human beings are born with an innate capacity to triumph over trauma.”
– Dr. Peter Levine
Somatic Trauma Specialist
Since 2003, Atira has been guiding people on their life path and healing through her powerful blend of Somatic Experiencing, Expressive Art Therapies, Transpersonal Counselling, Embodied practices, Professional supervision & Life coaching.
“I have come to the conclusion that human beings are born with an innate capacity to triumph over trauma.”
– Dr. Peter Levine
Atira’s academic training includes a Grad. Diploma of Transpersonal Art Therapy from the Phoenix Institute of Victoria, a Grad. Diploma in Holistic Counselling from the Australian College of Natural Medicine, a Masters of Clinical Art Therapy from Latrobe University and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). She also has a Cert IV in Workplace Training and Assessment and has worked as a lecturer in universities in Melbourne (IKON) and Nepal (Tribhuvan University).
She is currently a PhD. candidate at the European Graduate School, finishing her research in Expressive Arts Research and Therapies. Her research studies the efficacy of the expressive arts and somatic therapies for trauma resolution of child sex slaves in shelter care.
Atira is a professional member of ANZATA and APS. (Australia).
Her work as a coach, facilitator, and consultant works to empower her clients to explore what they know and how they know, rather than traditional advice-based counselling.
“Re-establishing a “felt-sense” of safety in the body is absolutely key in trauma recovery.”
In addition to Atira’s academic pursuits, she has also completed training in many different trauma recovery approaches, including Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Neuroaffective Touch, Polyvagal Theory and is currently training to be a Womb Surround Facilitator.
As the clinical director of the charity she founded, Art to Healing, Atira has developed numerous trauma recovery programs for sex-trafficked survivors in Asia, delivering and publishing research on the efficacy of Somatic Experiencing, Creative Art Therapies and Reproductive Health Education as a way to empower survivors of gender-based violence and complex trauma in BIPOC populations. She was part of co-creating and delivering the first-ever Somatic Experiencing Trauma Resolution training for sex-trafficked survivors with SETI, alongside Lotus Circle International.
She has also worked as a clinician for many NGOs, organisations, and hospitals, working as a trauma specialist and consultant in projects in refugee camps, Aboriginal communities in the desert, acute psychiatry care, with survivors of domestic violence and women in prison.
“Personal healing supports our quest in collective healing. Truly one cannot exist without the other.”
Recently, her dedication to creating safer spaces in the world has led to Atira becoming the Head of Integration at AYA Healing Retreats, where she oversees the trauma recovery of hundreds of individuals alongside plant medicine. She has worked as a trauma integration specialist in retreats such as the Temple of the Way of Light and in private practice and teaches facilitators to be more trauma-informed in psychedelic therapy.
Fusing the modalities of creativity with somatic psychology and spirituality, Atira holds an impeccably safe space as a container for people to heal and find resolution in the more “shadowy” areas of life. She is particularly passionate in supporting women of color to reclaim their sovereignty from partriachial structures and conditioning, and specialises in sexual abuse recovery, complex and developmental trauma.
“Working with Atira through Somatic Experiencing has been the most effective form of therapy I’ve tried in my life.
It’s provided me with essential tools for self-regulation and the opportunity to get to know myself on new, intimate levels. Becoming more aware of myself through a felt sense which is and will continue to be key to my healing journey and I wish for all walking the same path to have this powerful opportunity with Atira as well.”
– Carly Webb, Waitress, USA
“Atira holds a beautiful space that feels incredibly safe to explore and uncover the many layers of experienced trauma. Her intuitive way of working and the somatic practices she guides with have helped me to rewire my entire nervous system.
I now have a strong template for how to identify, track, and clear associated trauma behaviors. Her sessions have guided me back home to my body, heart and spirit. I am eternally grateful.”
– Adelina Vaughn, Bodyworker and Energy Healer, USA.
