Testimonials

I have recently done a family constellation workshop and the whole experience still profoundly resonates with me. I will not even try to explain the process itself, yet the power of this technique moved everyone.
Maria - the facilitator, was simply astonishing!
Her loving and gentle approach guided the whole group into transformation. I have already met many therapists, but Maria is one of a kind. So much knowledge, patience, intelligence and intuition combined in one person is almost impossible.
I feel deep gratitude for all the lessons learnt and the opportunity to work with her.

“Taking part in many couples constellation workshops with Maria over the past 10 years has been the catalyst for deep growth, connection and love within my marriage, beyond what I thought would be possible. Often I was blinded my own story or my fears and I would project that onto my relationship, bringing the complete opposite to what I wanted….connection. The way Maria works with couples using constellation work has an incredible ability to bring what is really needed for that couple, whether it is a deepening of love and connection or parting in a good way. I notice there is no fear when I’m supported to face what is truly there… this truth is what strengthens not weakens my relationship and I’m truly grateful for this gift and what that has meant for my relationship and also our family.”

“I came to Family Constellation not knowing what to expect except that it would give me some insight into my family dynamics. I was blown away by how much was uncovered, so much that had been hidden but makes such sense when shown the light of day! It really helped me heal my relationship with my mother and work toward healing my relationship with my father who passed away years ago. I understood what drove them to behave the way they did. It has helped me in all my relationships. There are long and short sessions in a day, something for everyone to take away, even if the focus is not directly on you at that time. Wholly recommend the day!”

“My partner Levi and I would like to wholeheartedly recommend Maria’s work to individuals and couples interested in engaging with transformative and healing work.
Maria’s wise and compassionate presence , complemented by her direct and insightful nature , creates a space in which powerful healing is supported to happen. In this ‘zone’ deep insight is shared and dysfunctional & stuck patterns of relating have the opportunity of being unlocked.
Working with Maria has supported us to find more freedom and agency in responding to the joys and challenges life brings, to be more present and available to each other and to deepen our relationship with ourselves, each other and our families."

“Recently a friend suggested that I take the opportunity to attend Maria’s family constellation workshop. I signed up for the workshop feeling rather nervous and sceptical, as I couldn’t comprehend what influence participating in a constellation would have on me.

Throughout my life I have suffered from anxiety. Until recently I have attended regular counselling and energetic healing sessions, which have been of immense benefit. However, after each session I always seemed to fall back into familiar stress patterns where I developed illnesses.

The compassion and clarity shown by Maria and my fellow participants over the weekend workshop was very comforting. Maria created a space in which she completely engaged with my experience, and energetically supported me through the process of more clearly understanding the history of my family system. I have never participated in a session like family constellation where I have felt so at peace with myself. I walked out of the workshop with a smile on my face and genuinely felt like a new person, as I had finally realised how my family dynamic from birth had influenced my stress patterns today.

A few days after the workshop several people commented that I looked as though I had taken off a mask to reveal a relaxed, true inner self. These comments absolutely reflected my newfound confidence to step up and create my own path, without worrying about trying to please everyone around me.

For the first time since childhood I am no longer living with daily anxiety. This has strengthened my sense of presence and belonging in the world, and has subsequently improved my personal and professional relationships. Maria’s family constellation workshop has completely changed my life and I am very excited for what my future holds.”

“I would like to express our appreciation for the amazing experience that you and your team provided to the Mankind Project national meeting in November. Several of the men that came from around the country to meet together questioned the value of such an exercise before the event, and especially spending the best part of a whole day of our rare weekend together on ‘that stuff’.

While I had expected a useful piece of learning from the constellation work I have to say that we were all greatly surprised at both the relevance and the impact of that process. It was a powerful experience, both insightful for those of us relatively new to the organisation (myself only three years in an organisation that is 25 years old) and impactful in helping us bridge gaps and reach powerful outcomes as the weekend progressed.

After the weekend was over virtually every man who came cited your work and its flow on outcomes as the biggest contributor to the success of the weekend.”

“I had been concerned for some time about the communication in our company and was unsure of what to do about it. I asked Maria if she work with our company and facilitate an organisational constellation day to help bring to light any issues we may be stuck on. Our workforce is made up of mostly males whose work it very labour intensive and have little to no experience in the company of doing this type of ’emotional work’.

It was amazing to watch Maria work, she intuitively knew what the next best thing was to do throughout the day. She held the space with such ease and confidence and I saw employees that I believed would not participate sharing experiences and feelings of their own. It was a big stepping stone for our company to move forward. Those who still don’t know what it was about have felt a change on some level. I would recommend everyone to do this work, especially those who own or run a business.”

“I have known Maria for over six years. Over that time Maria has been my therapist via one-to-one sessions, group work and weekend retreats that Maria facilitates. I always come away from my experiential work with Maria with a better understanding of who I am and how I operate in this world through the stories and belief systems running through my mind. This process of re-discovery, as I have learnt, has allowed me the choice to keep operating in the same way or to take a different path.

I have learnt through the tools that Maria has taught me that my primary addiction, gambling, does not have to be seen as something “bad” – needing to be overcome and beaten into submission. Rather if I choose to listen and pay attention to the messages coming from within I can learn more about myself and hence what my addictive behaviour is trying to teach me. I have found that I can apply this technique to all facets of my life.

Without Maria’s experience and guidance over the years I know I would not be where I am today – the ability to love myself and others as they are, at every single moment.”

“I met Maria in 2001 when I was admitted to South Pacific Private Hospital in Harbord. I was at a stage in my life where I had reached rock bottom and was almost ready to ‘throw in the towel’. As I walked into the reception area of South Pacific I noticed a sign which read ‘Expect a miracle’ and for me, that miracle was Maria.

Over the next six weeks Maria gently guided me through the minefield that had been my life, and brought me to a place where I felt whole again. More importantly, she helped me discover the real ‘me’ and to realise that I am responsible for my own happiness and that I had choices.

I was so impressed with Maria’s teachings that in the five years since leaving South Pacific, I have attended regular counselling sessions with her and have also attended a couple of her weekend workshops. I can honestly say that Maria has opened my eyes, my mind and my soul.

In the years since meeting Maria I have found the courage and tenacity to start my own successful business. I have also been able to guide my children with the wisdom gleaned from Maria’s teachings and have witnessed first hand the miraculous transformation of my fragmented and dysfunctional family to a place of wholeness and healing.

It’s not always been an easy ride and Maria has challenged me and ‘pushed my buttons’ on many occasions – which is exactly what I needed to grow. I am now busy studying a 4 year diploma to become a Gestalt Therapist myself. My dream is to be able to give back to others what Maria has given to me!”