Practice information:

Children

Has parenting your child become a crisis situation for you?   Is your child acting out after a traumatic experience such as a separation, divorce, or loss of family member?  Is your child experiencing separation anxiety when going to daycare or school?  Is your child showing signs of frustration while trying to navigate the expectations of him by parents, foster parents, schools, and peers?  Have you known that there was a problem for a while, and now feel that you simply must address it?

Expressive arts therapy and play therapy are powerful, intuitive, proven forms of therapy that help children express traumatic, painful or confusing life experiences, and begin the healing journey. Play is the natural form of communication for children.  Children have an amazing capacity to grow and flourish when they are supported to share their reality in a creative and safe way.

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?  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 so mixed up.  You might not be able to find words to describe it; or you might have talked it over with someone so much that you feel like you are going in circles.

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 over and over.  But sometimes we just don’t know where to look for the answers any more. The answers are not always “out there”, but frequently inside, if you can find a way to access them. Using an Expressive Arts Therapy approach, we explore your challenges and the chaos that you might feel, and then look for the creative resources and strengths that you have inside with which you can face them.  

Me as a Therapist

The three foci of therapy, education and the arts have been important for me throughout my life. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor and hold a Masters Degree in Expressive Arts Therapy and Psychology. I have done extensive training in many expressive therapies including play therapy and sand tray therapy, as well as training with the Neufeld Institute on an attachment-based developmental approach to understanding children. In addition, I am a certified teacher and have been working for The French School Board (CSF) since 2004.  I am a mother of two young children, which gives me a personal understanding of the great challenges and great joys of parenting. I use Expressive Arts Therapy with children in psycho-education groups at Family Services, and I have a private counselling and expressive art therapy-based practice in Nanaimo, BC.  I love working with children and adults who are hurting, stressed or stuck and are open to exploring how they can begin to feel better.