What is Expressive Arts Therapy?

“Before a child talks they sing.
Before they write they draw.
As soon as they stand they dance.
Art is fundamental to human expression”

-Phylicia Rashad

What we do
Expressive Arts Therapy (EXAT) is an arts-based approach to individual counselling and therapeutic group work. A beautiful aspect of EXAT that it is inter-modal, meaning an individual session or group workshop could include an array of different mediums such as writing, movement, music, dance, painting, clay, drama, puppets, etc.

A individual session or group is a time for you, a time to get messy, play, and delve into the artistic modalities we are working with. For individual therapy we will check in about what modalities you would like to work with and explore.

EXAT can be a very powerful tool for self-expression, self discovery, and healing. EXAT is another channel to access our inner world that doesn’t focus primarily on language or talk therapy. When we can delve into the arts, connect with the materials, immerse yourself into the play we have a beautiful opportunity to connect with different parts of your body and psyche that words or logic alone cannot access.

We work with the body and what is there
EXAT is a powerful form of depth psychotherapy, meaning we work with what is going on internally for a person. The arts are a way to access and listen to your inner world, your nervous system, and your feelings. The arts are such a powerful tool for healing, they can connect us with our senses and help reform connections that may have been disrupted due to life’s difficult experiences and traumas. 

The process of creation and deeply engaging with the various modalities and materials is emphasized rather than a final product and no previous artistic experience is necessary to participate.

Everyone is an artist
As an EXA Therapist and Queer femme of colour who grew up working class, I truly believe everyone can tap into arts creation and their creativity. Creating isn’t only for people with a certain training or a specific type of ‘skill’. I work from the belief that everyone is innately creative and with varying degrees of support, everyone can have access to their imagination, insight into what is happening in their nervous system and expressive artistic creation.

We use the arts to soothe and repair disconnect
There are many reasons why folks lose connection to their imagination and to their creativity, such as trauma, experiences of oppression, substance use and addictions, wounds we carry, and grief we hold can all be a huge part of that disconnection from self, disconnection from our creativity and inner resources.

Trauma is disconnecting and EXAT can be a way to gently bring some connection back. EXAT is a form of therapeutic work that strongly engages with folks’ senses, feelings, and our inner world; it is a body based therapy that supports folks where they are, at that particular moment. Through prompts, some facilitation, and engagement with different arts modalities, clients work with what is going on for them in their body, mind, and heart

You are in the drivers seat: I hold space and provide support
With EXAT, the creation of any art is an inside out process and always guided by participants and where they are at.  As an Expressive Arts therapist, my aim is to hold space for you and to support a connection and curiosity back into your body, back into a connection with yourself through the arts modalities we are working with. This process looks different for each person. 

As someone who aims to be an Anti-Oppressive Expressive Arts Therapist, exploring and naming power dynamics is an important part of my work and values. The arts can be a beautiful way to explore what is going on in a person’s internal world and can lead to discussion and critique of how their outer world (society, institutions, government, community, etc.) experiences of oppression, colonization, forced displacement, racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, fat phobia etc. have impacted their lives.

My work is intersectional; we will explore and interrogate systems of power and privilege within the context of your life.

I will support you to grow and we will go at your own pace. I will share my knowledge about trauma and together we will establish where you would like to heal and do your work. It is important to establish emotional safety and develop your internal and outer resources before we explore any inner work. For every individual, this work looks different and we will talk more about what you need to feel safe, comfortable as well as have space for growth in our work together.

The arts can provide an

access point to

insight, healing, and

your innate wisdom.

Please connect with me about any questions you may have.