Benevolent Rascal Research
Experiential Therapies & Collaborative Coaching
Mindful Mischief for Wholehearted Healing — for neurodivergent, queer, and creative minds
Experiential Therapies & Collaborative Coaching
Mindful Mischief for Wholehearted Healing — for neurodivergent, queer, and creative minds
You might be drawn here if you’re:
Whether you are some of these or none of these, you’re welcome here. Exactly as you are. Let’s get curious together.
I'm all about the experience. No matter what we think, feel, or say, our deepest healing and growth lives in our most IRL embodied and aware experiences. Undeniable realness is what our soul longs for - and it changes our relationship to past, present, and future in deep abiding ways. It's also illusive to those whose experiences in their bodies (or sensations) have been a source of challenge or pain.
I offer experiential, body-aware, creative-based therapies and coaching informed by:
Sessions are not about “fixing” you—they’re about discovering your own insight, capacity, and an inner trickster (a "benevolent rascal") on your side. Sometimes we go deep. Sometimes we laugh. Frequently we do both. Always, we move toward more aliveness.
Gentle, curious attention to what the body already knows.
I use Hakomi to support therapy clients in slowing down and tuning into subtle physical and emotional cues to uncover how early experiences live in the body, shaping beliefs, emotions, and relationships. We work slowly and mindfully, creating a compassionate space for insight, healing, and integration.
For coaching clients, I draw on the same Hakomi Principles - Mindfulness, Non-violence, Unity, Organicity, & Mind-Body Holism - for "assisted self-study" of present-moment experiences. We can notice patterns, shift responses, and move toward what matters.
Interactions with low consequences and maximum insight.
One-on-one personalized sessions.
For artists, caregivers, outsiders, seekers.
Drop-in psychodrama & role exploration sessions.
For newcomers, experimenters, or the therapy-curious. Event Calendar.
6–8 week group journeys around life’s big themes.
For those navigating grief, illness, trauma, or chosen-family dynamics.
Organizational consulting.
For collectives, creative teams, or helping professions.
As a coach, I use elements of psychodrama—like role-reversal, visualization, and creative dialogue—to help you test out new responses to life’s challenges. It's active, imaginative, and supports people who want to gain insight, develop roles, or shift patterns through exploration, not explanation.
Make meaning visible, one line at a time.
Using simple drawing tools and mindful prompts, I support clients in mapping out internal landscapes and unseen connections—especially helpful for those who process visually or feel stuck in words. This is not about making “good art,” but about making contact and developing communication with an ineffable consciousness working through your fingertips.
We meet as equals.
As someone with lived experience of queerness, neurodivergence, chronic illness, grief, and healing beyond convention, I bring my full humanity into the room. This work is conversational, humble, and shaped by what you want to explore—whether it’s resilience, identity, burnout, or building a life that fits.
I’m Ren (they/he)—a therapist, coach, and recovering “good kid.” I’ve worked in performance and healing spaces for over 20 years. I’m trans, neurodivergent, and believe therapy can be serious without being joyless—and creative without being chaotic.
My goal? To help you discover what’s already wise and wild within you, and welcome back any parts you may have left behind.
I approach clients with a deep respect for their intelligence and capacity to navigate isolating and challenging circumstances, personally and politically. I also believe the threat to self-knowledge and authentic expression is real and growing. At this time, pursuing growth and healing is innately activist. I believe we all have an inner "benevolent rascal" ready with clever tricks to expand our ideas for what's possible, no matter what the circumstances. All people deserve to have access to developing full and meaningful lives on their own terms. My experience is that true allyship, brave experimentation, and a healthy dose of humour can support profound and spontaneous growth.
My Style of Practice
I offer experiential, relational, and body-aware work rooted in compassion, creativity, and trauma-informed care. We’ll shape the process together—at your pace, in your way of communicating.
Lived Experience & Plural Roles
I bring lived experience of queerness, neurodivergence, chronic illness, and creative life. I’m also a performance artist. These parts of me inform my practice, and I hold strong boundaries between public and private work.
Therapy vs. Coaching
If you’re in Aotearoa NZ (or from here), we can work therapeutically. Internationally, I offer non-clinical coaching. Both are grounded, collaborative, and guided by clear scope and safety.
What I Share (and Don’t)
I believe in appropriate transparency, not anonymity. I never share client stories in my art, and I only perform material I’ve processed well beyond my own therapuetic need.
Power, Consent & Collaboration
You’re the expert on your life. I’ll bring tools, presence, and help you stay focused, but you guide the pace and direction of our work. Feedback is built into our process at regular intervals, so you are always met as accurately as possible.
Access & Ongoing Learning
This practice is queer-affirming, disability-aware, and anti-pathologizing. I’m committed to unlearning and learning in public—and creating safer spaces for plural and marginalized experiences.
Session Types:
I work in-person (individuals & groups) in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) & Whangārei, Aotearoa New Zealand.
I work online (individuals only) through Zoom with New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and United States clients.
Please see my event calendar for drop-in wellness clinics and group events.
Fees: Please inquire about fees. I work on a sliding scale based on financial ability and offer reduced rates for modalities I am still training in. I can accept most currencies.
Email: renlunicke@protonmail.com
Message: I use Signal a double encrypted chat app. Username ren.1111