Jewel is an Artist and a Writer and comes from a background as a Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Child Therapist. She is also an internationally renowned trainer and workshop presenter with extensive experience in offering small and large group face to face training as well as online training.
Jewel's qualifications include a Master of Arts in Art Therapy, Diploma of Child Psychotherapy (Play Therapy) and a Bachelor of Education. She has a deep interest in healing and spirituality and has trained in a range of energy healing practices.
Jewel loves painting and is deeply connected with Painting as a Spiritual Practice. She mostly does large paintings in acrylics and embraces a heart centered, intuitive and immersive approach. Jewel was the winner of a High Commendation at the Freedom School of Art Awards 2023 and has previously exhibited at Studio Eleven in Fremantle. She now exhibits at the David Giles High Street Gallery in Fremantle, Western Australia.She had the opening on 27th April 2025 of her first solo art exhibition, "A Gift from the Heart".
Jewel incorporates art and creative processes into journaling and other reflective practices she regularly engages in. She first started participating in classes at the Freedom School of Art in 2016 with the inspirational international artist and painting teacher, David Giles. She is part of the Art of Flow Creative Community with Gabbi Kitchener from Sydney. Jewel is inspired by the UK artist Mackenzie Thorpe and his philanthropic giving and also sees her art as a way of "giving back"...this is a key part of her future vision.
Writing has also been a great passion of Jewels over the past 16 years and she has discovered the joys and transcendent experience that writing can offer. She has immersed in expressive and reflective writing, narrative expressive, fiction/novel writing, non fiction and Writing as a Spiritual Practice. Jewel has participated in writing workshops in Bali, Perth, Sydney, Byron Bay and Melbourne and in many inspiring online programs and writing retreats including with the wonderful Shelley Kenigsberg who offers Writing Retreats in different locations including Hydra in Greece.
Jewel is the founder of the Play Therapy Online Training Academy and offers online training internationally, in collaboration with some American trainers, in Child Centered Play Therapy, a beautiful humanistic form of counselling and psychotherapy for children 2-10 years old. She is passionate about supporting therapeutic and healing work being done by mental health professionals and others across the world with children and families.
Prior to this, Jewel was the Founder and Director of Play Therapy Australia from 2001 until she left, in March 2015. After attending the Intensive Supervision Process and Summer Program at the Center for Play Therapy, University of North Texas in 2001, Jewel developed the vision of bringing Child Centered Play Therapy training to Australia which she successfully did. She specialised in working with children in Play Therapy and developed and presented workshops and Child Centered Play Therapy Clinical Training Programs in different parts of Australia. Jewel also offered training for agencies, organisations and universities. Her earlier work included working in agencies and educational settings.
Jewel has a great love of dogs! She has experienced the immense love, joy and healing that dogs can bring with their unconditional love and beautiful hearts and souls. Jewel was previously a volunteer/foster carer and on the Admin team and Committee with a Retriever rescue group. She has a deep interest in animal communication and in the gift dogs can be to us as beloved companions and best friends, and in their roles as assistance, therapy and service dogs.
Jewel also really enjoys reading novels, writing in cafes, traveling, dining out, music, the beach and forests, She lives near the beautiful coastal city of Fremantle in Western Australia.