Profile

mark pearson lives with his partner, helen wilson, on the sunshine coast, near coolum. he is a senior lecturer in counselling in the school of law and society at the university of the sunshine coast and is co-director and senior trainer with Expressive Therapies Australia.

Mark and Helen have established a small expressive therapies and sandplay training centre at Maroochy River on the Sunshine Coast.

Mark has been conducting training courses in Expressive Therapies around Australia since 1989, and in Asia since 2001. He began his career as a primary school teacher, then founded a remedial reading clinic. He transferred to counselling and psychotherapy after training for many years as an expressive therapist and sandplay therapist.

Mark has over 28 years experience as a counsellor. He has completed further studies in Transpersonal Psychotherapy with Dr Stanislav Grof, and holds a Masters in Education, majoring in behaviour management. He has a PhD, researching the impact of multiple intelligence theory on the therapeutic alliance in counselling.

Mark and Helen are the creators of a number of expressive arts modalities, including symbol work, forms of expressive writing and ways to use art and music as part of counselling. These are detailed in their books.

Mark is the co-author of Emotional First-Aid For Children (1991), Emotional Release For Children (2004), Sandplay & Symbol Work (2001), and Using Expressive Arts to Work with Mind, Body and Emotions (2009). He is also the author of Emotional Healing & Self-Esteem – Inner-Life Skills for Children and Adolescents (2004) and for adults: From Healing To Awakening (1991) and The Healing Journey (1997). He is the author of the new multiple intelligence groupwork program for schools and agencies: The Innerspace Program – Emotional Literacy for Student Wellbeing and resilience (2006).

He is currently preparing, with Helen, a new book on creative arts therapies with young clients. Mark has a new series of CDs and books in press on supporting children with relaxation and meditation activities.

Mark’s personal creative expression has focused over the last years on abstract photography. His first solo exhibition – firewater – took place in September 2010. His second exhibition – urban harvest – was held in July, 2011, and his third solo exhibition - water spirits - was held on 12 April, 2012 at the David Giles Fremantle Gallery, 49 High Street Fremantle. The photographic quest continues, with an exhibition planned for 2021.

Profile 2020

33 years teaching counselling – around Australia for Expressive Therapies Australia.
5 years teaching counselling – University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle campus.
3 years teaching counselling and psychotherapy – University of Adelaide, South Australia.
5 years teaching counselling at the University of the Sunshine Coast
2 years as Director of the USC Counselling & Wellbeing Clinic, Nambour
Over 20 years teaching counselling in international, multi-cultural settings – Singapore and Malaysia.
Extensive publication in areas of counselling and personal development.
28 years supervised experience as a personal counsellor and counsellor supervisor.
In collaboration with over 50 community agencies and tertiary training institutions, developed and presented inservice programs for staff, client groups and students.
22 years experience supervising training teams.
Provided supervision and support for Masters level research in the fields of education, social work and counselling.
30 years directorship / management of Expressive Therapies Australia - providing counsellor training.
Areas of teaching speciality are: teaching creative arts therapies, sandplay therapy, mindfulness, families and couples counselling, and counselling of children and adolescents.
14 years experience as an administrator.
Experience as a classroom teacher.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

PhD research topic:
Multiple intelligence theory and the therapeutic alliance.
The process of therapy – neuroscience and outcome research and implications for practice.
Developing emotional literacy and wellbeing for youth through groupwork programs.
Application of multi-modal counselling approaches.
Impact of teaching mindfulness to counselling students.

Current Curriculum Vitae

Mark Pearson CV, October 2020

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