About
Fiona Villarreal is a qualified art psychotherapist. She is trained to Master’s degree level in art psychotherapy and registered with the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Fiona is a therapist with lived experience and is, herself, a neurodivergent (ND) individual. Fi feels very passionately about advocating for the ND community and offering art therapy spaces which meet all needs.
Fi’s way of working is very much person-centred. It is important for Fi to know that she is promoting autonomy within the art therapy space and to allow individuals to explore and develop a deeper understanding for themselves which feels as self-led as possible. Fi very much trusts the process with the art making and believes everyone has a creative self within them which they can unlock and use to explore emotions and feelings that feel difficult to name.
Position at Priory
Initially Fiona began her therapy career working with children and adolescents in community therapy services for looked after children who had experienced complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Fi then moved into inpatient mental health in 2018, working on child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), eating disorder unit (EDU), high dependency unit (HDU) and psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) wards where her previously developed skills in working with early developmental trauma gave her the ability to work with complex cases within the inpatient settings.
Fi began working on the addiction treatment programme in July 2022. Her specialism includes developmental trauma, attachment and neurodevelopmental differences (autism/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)). Fi’s specialisms cross over with addiction work and so she is finding this new area of work very rewarding.
Training
- BA Hons Fine Art – Nottingham Trent University
- MA Art Psychotherapy Practice - Art Therapy Northern Programme Sheffield (part of Leeds Beckett University)
Additional relevant CPD training:
- Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills
- Sex and love addiction
- Walk and talk therapy
- Art therapy outdoors
- Dyadic art psychotherapy level 1