Janet Walker

Janet Walker, MA, RCC, ExAT, BCRPT, CPRT Level 1

Children (3-12 years)

Play Therapy is a developmentally appropriate form of therapy that helps children express themselves non-verbally.  Play is the language of children.  When children have a safe space in which to communicate their reality in a creative and symbolic way, they have an amazing capacity to grow and flourish. I often see children who seem to be exhibiting difficult behavior and anxiety, who have been abused, or who are adjusting to divorce, separation, or death in the family.

Teens and Adults

Do you feel anxious, depressed, lost, confused, or unfulfilled?  Are you having trouble making tough decisions?  Are your relationships feeling unsatisfying, strained, or unsafe? Do you have unresolved trauma or abuse in your past?  You might have had an idea about where you wanted your life to go, but somehow, on a personal, professional, or relational level, it seems stuck or impossible. 

We all want to feel safe, connected, and loved. We want to feel in control of our lives, and we want to feel like we are going forward instead of repeating the same patterns.  But sometimes we just don’t know where to look for the answers anymore. The answers are not always “out there”, but frequently inside, if you can find a way to access them.

Using an Inter-modal Expressive Arts Therapy approach, we can explore your concerns in a symbolic way, using creative media that bypass the verbal, rational left brain. We begin with a discussion about your concerns and then explore the themes using expressive media such as visual arts, clay work, dance/movement, poetry/creative writing, dramatic expression, music, photography, and sand tray images.  Through creative self-expression, you gain insight into your immediate concern and discover inner strengths and resources that can help in your healing process. 

Training and Experience

I work with children, teens, adults, and the elderly in Nanaimo, BC, (Vancouver Island).  My foci are therapy, education, and the arts.  

I work as a Registered Clinical Counsellor, a Certified Expressive Arts Therapist, a BC Registered Play Therapist, and an International Certified Child-Parent Relationship Therapist (Level 1).  I am also a School Counsellor at L'École Océane (French School Board). 

I hold a master’s degree in Expressive Arts Therapy and Psychology (Switzerland) and a Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy from Concordia University (Montréal).  I have done extensive training in Expressive Arts Therapy, Creative Arts Therapies, and Play Therapy.  Play Therapy approaches include Child-Centered, Child-Parent Relationship, Expressive, Jungian, Gestalt, AutPlay, and Synergetic. I have studied an attachment-based, developmental approach to understanding children at the Neufeld Institute. I continue training in ADHD, autism, and Sandplay Therapy. 

I am a mother of two teens, aged 14 and 17. Our evolving relationship gives me a personal understanding of parenting.