Attuned Space Art Therapy is a heart-centred practice in Christchurch dedicated to supporting the emotional wellbeing of first-time migrant mums-to-be. Founded by art therapist Nuraishah Abdullah, the practice blends art and talk therapy to help women navigate identity shifts, cultural transition, and the often-unspoken emotional challenges of early motherhood. With a gentle, culturally attuned approach, Attuned Space offers a nurturing environment where mothers can reconnect with themselves, build resilience and feel seen during one of life’s most transformative seasons. Here, Nuraishah talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the passion behind her business, her biggest breakthrough, how she balances work and family time, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I have been in the helping profession and mental health sector since 2005. I intended to build a career for myself as a counsellor and what better way to get first-hand experience and guidance than to devote my time and dedication to full-time employment. Through the years under several workplaces, I learnt the value of grit, teamwork and managing different hats, as expected of an employee.
The pivoting moment that changed my perspective and fueled the courage to be my own boss came after I migrated to Christchurch in August 2023. I decided to turn job rejections and radio silences into an opportunity for me to strike out on my own. I craved doing the work I am passionate about – to help others in their mental health journey through art and talk therapy. Inspired by the topic of my Masters’ thesis, I dove into private practice and fondly registered my business as Attuned Space Art Therapy.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Oh my, it was not easy! One thing that I did not learn from school and work experience was how to set up a business. I had to quickly grasp that and familiarise myself with how things are done in this country. Additionally, I was also battling with moments of grieving over the loss of moving far away from home and the connections that I had been blessed with.
Perhaps one of the things that helped me, apart from relying on my faith, was knowing that all I could do was to regulate myself, put one foot ahead of the other and keep going. I looked for resources that could help me with my business including networking with others within and outside of my industry. They are so generous with their knowledge and skills, which directly and indirectly allowed me to confidently open my doors to my first few clients. Forever grateful as beyond this, some of them have become part of my tribe now.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
I first started seeing adults who seek support for issues like grief, loss, anxiety and trauma. Whilst this somewhat enabled me to start seeing clients, I reached a road block, as I struggled to market myself more effectively. Already as it is, I am not familiar with managing the business side of things, which includes how to market myself and my art therapy service. There’s a steep learning curve, for sure!
Fortunately, earlier this year, I took up an opportunity to run a parent-child art therapy workshop at Te Matatiki Toi Ora (The Arts Centre), which went incredibly well (the workshop was sold out!). From this experience and under the guidance of my business coach, I took time to ask myself a few key questions: What was that sweet spot that I wanted to immerse myself in? What can I offer that is meaningful and supportive to the mental health situation here in New Zealand?
After some reflection work, I realised my ideal client. I feel even more energised now, knowing that the practice I’m building centres around supporting first-time migrant mums-to-be who struggle with the feeling of loss and confusion but dream of reconnecting with themselves so that they can show up authentically in their own version of motherhood here in New Zealand. I am really heartened to hear from others in my network – that they believe my work can be transformative to mamas out there.
For me, just being able to resonate with a scope of practice that defines who I am and what I am passionate about in my business is such an amazing breakthrough, especially being self-employed.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I was fortunate that balancing work and family was something that I already practised back in Singapore. Both my husband and I are firm believers that there is always a time and place for everything that we are committed to, whether personal or professional. We brought over this belief when we migrated here and somehow, we are very blessed that the culture here is even more supportive to make that sustainable.
I design my day-to-day with blocks of time dedicated to the roles that I play. For instance, between 7am to 9am, that would be my mum-role, preparing my children’s school lunches and cooking meals for the day. Depending on my husband’s ability to work from home, I will put on my therapist’s hat and see clients during school time or typical office hours. If I have no clients, then those hours are dedicated to tasks such as clocking further training hours or catching up with business matters. I also keep my evening sessions to a minimum.
Additionally, we find that knowing our own love language is helpful. Muhammad’s is about spending quality time together. So, each week, we do fun activities as a family on Friday nights and one of the weekend days such as singing karaoke, watching movies, going café-hopping and beautiful walks. Essentially, what works for us is having a routine that we enjoy and fills our cup.
