About the author
Simonette Vaja is an experienced growth psychologist, with a particular interest in the creative arts, positive psychology and mindfulness mediation. Simonette's experience spans corporate mental health over the years she has developed numerous personal development and psychological materials for the general public, corporate training programs and her successful creativity and personal empowerment community programs. She has established a successful private practice within multidisciplinary medical centres in Australia Sydney.
Simonette has a passion for guiding people to find their own inner sanctuary and mind retreats.
Through e.learning programs found on her websites simonettevaja.space and retreatscreative.com Facilitating initiatives include: Wild at heart - creativity and meditation groups, Women's groups, meeting each week to tell their stories through the creative and performing arts. These programs grew in popularity, and developed to the next phase as a certified facilitator training program. Simonette delivered the "facilitator for life" courses through Nature Care College and was contracted for five years, where she taught and mentored allied health professionals to facilitate their own creativity and self-expression groups.
In addition, Simonette has recorded and produced a large range of guided meditation and self help CD's and DVD's based on positive psychology, visualisation and meditation strategies. These products have been sold internationally for over a decade, within the ambient and self help category and have consistently rated within the top 10 best sellers. Simonette is committed to building supportive social networks and personal well-being and has been interviewed on radio, cable television and popular magazines in Australia and UK about her work. Her guided meditations were played on international Qantas in-flight radio.
Simonette has an extensive list of corporate consultations and seminars, she is an engaging and experienced trainer/facilitator having presented to diverse industries and large organisations, currently representing Davidson Trahaire Corpsych with excellent delivery. Including major banking and insurance, medical and legal firms, Boston Consulting group, Zenith media, IT, Government health and service departments, Engineering, Retail, Art gallery of NSW, and smaller business groups adding value to employees through 1 day seminars or longer residential leadership programs. Her seminars cover: resilience/ stress-management, work-life balance; communication skills, dealing with difficult people; self esteem and confidence, Relaxation training, creativity and future visioning.
Whilst enjoying an early eclectic career in hospitality, television, media, retail and fashion industries, Simonette returned to University and completed two degrees in psychology: B.A. double major in psychology; Organisational psychology, and Applied counselling awarded at Swinburne University of Technology; moving to Sydney University and completing an M.A. & postgraduate diploma in clinical hypnosis; with further professional development attending specialist clinical training in CBT, ACT, E.M.D.R., couple therapy, marriage celebrant.