Janet Walker
Areas of practice
- Anxiety and/or Panic
- Child Behaviour
- Child Stress and Trauma
- Creativity
- Depression
- Dreams
- Grief and Loss - General
- Neurodiversity
- Parenting Issues
- Personal Growth
Approaches used
- Child Centred Therapy
- Expressive Arts Therapies
- Mindfulness approaches
- Play Therapy
- Psycho-Educational Groups
- Sandplay Therapy
- Walk and Talk Therapy
Other languages spoken
- French
Counselling practice website:
janetwalker.caPractice information:
Janet Walker, MA, RCC, ExAT, BCRPT, CPRT Level 1
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, a Certified Expressive Arts Therapist, a BC Registered Play Therapist, and an International Certified Child-Parent Relational Therapist (Level 1). I hold a Master’s Degree in Expressive Arts Therapy and Psychology and a Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy.
I have done training in Inter-modal Expressive Arts Therapy and Creative Arts Therapies (Dance/Movement Therapy, Poetry Therapy, Music-Integrated Therapy) as well as Play Therapy (Child-Centered Play Therapy, Child-Parent Relational Therapy, Expressive Play Therapy, Sand Play Therapy, Jungian Play Therapy, AutPlay Therapy, and Synergetic Play Therapy). In addition, I have studied with the Neufeld Institute on an attachment-based, developmental approach to understanding children.
I have a private practice in Nanaimo, BC, where I work with children, teens, and adults. I am also a certified teacher and am currently the school counsellor at L'École Océane (Conseil Scolaire Francophone). I am a mother of two teens, which gives me a personal understanding of parenting.
Children (3-12 year)
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 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, or children who are coming to terms with 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? 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.
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 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 you can put to work towards making change and feeling healthier and happier.
I am a service provider for the following:
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Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP): counselling funding for victims of crime who have filed a police report
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Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC): counselling funding for individuals who have been involved in an automobile accident
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Charlene Reaveley Children’s Charity Society (CRCCS) : counselling funding for children who have experienced a death in the family
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First Nations Health Authority (FNHA): counselling funding for First Nations and Indigenous clients
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Workers Compensation Board (WCB)/WorkSafe BC (WSBC): insurance for counselling after work-related injuries or death in the family
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Ministry of Children and Family Development, Autism Funding Branch (MCF Autism Funding): counselling funding for children on the autism spectrum
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Living Through Loss Counselling Society of BC (LTLC): professional grief counselling for adults and children
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SelfDesign Learning Foundation: counselling funding for K-grade 12 home and independent learners who need emotional support
Extended Health Benefits:
Some Extended Health Benefit plans such as Pacific Blue Cross, Sun Life, Green Shield Canada, and Great-West Life cover Registered Clinical Counsellors as a service. If you have such a plan through work, check with your provider to find out if your plan covers consultations with a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).
Indoor and Outdoor Studios:
I have a large indoor studio with an extensive Sand Play Therapy figurine collection (1000 figures to represent symbolic and archetypal elements), Expressive Arts Therapy supplies, and space to sit and talk, and Play Therapy toys. I also use an outdoor space which includes a large garden, space to move and connect to nature, a playhouse, outdoor sandbox, and Play Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy tools of the trade: art supplies, elements to encourage movement (hammock, sports equipment) and expressive toys (swords and shields, dress-up). Adult and teen clients are also welcome to do a Walk and Talk Therapy session.
Specialized training:
- Masters of Art in Expressive Arts Therapy European Graduate School, Switzerland Certified Expressive Arts Therapist (ExAT) with the Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association (OEATA)
- Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy Concordia University, Faculty of Creative Arts Therapies BC Registered Play Therapist (BCRPT) with the BC Play Therapy Association (BCPTA)
- Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy Concordia University, Faculty of Creative Arts Therapies Certified Child-Parent Relational Therapist Level 1 (CPRT) with The Center for Play Therapy
- Expressive Play Therapy Training The Centre for Expressive Therapy Expressive Play Therapy Holistic and Integrative Approach; The Grieving Child; Complex Trauma; Self-Care; Sand Play Therapy
- Professional Development Program Simon Fraser University, Faculty of Education Certified BC Teacher and School Counsellor Professional Member of the BC School Counsellors Association (BCSCA)
Client fee individuals:
$135 per 50-55 minute session (includes GST)Availability:
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