I'm also an artist, content creator, + author living + working online from the Slocan Valley of British Columbia (unceded Sinixt Territory). Art therapy combines approaches from psychotherapy, counselling, + art-making to support people in their mental health.

Please note that my caseload for 1:1 art therapy clients is currently full.

I love the way art opens up space to explore feelings through colour, poetry, movement, + metaphor. As a person with ADHD, big feelings, + more questions than answers, making things helps me feel safe, alive, + connected. Creativity has also been my pathway to post-traumatic growth + has helped me coexist with grief.

As a person with privileged intersections of identity (I’m white, a settler, queer, cis, + neurodivergent) I am curious about what it means to engage in wellness practices while challenging systems + beliefs that cause harm. I believe both the client + therapist bring wisdom, creativity, + insight into the art studio. Together, we co-create a therapeutic relationship.

I hold a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art where I focused on community arts; using creativity as a tool for social justice + community engagement.

I have a master’s level diploma from the Kutenai Art Therapy institute. 

I am a registered member the Canadian Art Therapy Association (RCAT).

I am a Registered Psychotherapist + member of The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).

I have more than 15 years experience facilitating in prisons, rehabilitation centres, transitional housing, retirement communities, + schools.

I have thousands of hours of experience providing clinical art therapy to adults experiencing complex trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, + a number of other mental health concerns.

  • Art therapists are trained professionals with expertise in counselling psychology and visual art, with a minimum of a master’s level degree. Art therapy is more focused on how the process feels, than how the finished product looks. You don’t need any drawing skills or experience to benefit from art therapy!

    In Canada, art therapists offering both clinical and non-clinical services are overseen by the Canadian Art Therapy Association and follow specific ethical and professional standards.

  • Clinical art therapy is mental health treatment. I work 1:1 with people wanting to process emotions, heal, + address their mental health goals through art. I have experience with complex trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, as well as other personality + mood disorders. While art therapists are prepared to support people experiencing a wide range of concerns, we do not diagnose or prescribe medications. My 1:1 art therapy sessions are clinical art therapy.

    My non-clinical art therapy offerings are more casual + community-based. These groups + workshops focus on wellness + community-care. They often involve opportunities to share your art + experience in a supportive group. My groups + open studios are non-clinical art therapy. These groups are less expensive than 1:1 art therapy + can be joined from anywhere in the world.

    • I use social media as a marketing and educational tool - the content you find on my social media channels does not constitute therapeutic advice or a relationship with a mental health professional.

    • Your confidentiality may be impacted by commenting on, liking, or sharing my posts. You may be identified as my client if you interact with my social media pages.

    • I don't follow my clients online. This is to maintain a professional boundary as client and therapist. It's also to make sure you don't feel like I am watching your online presence - that space is for you to express yourself freely! If we are connected on social media and decide to pursue a clinical relationship, I will unfollow or mute your account.

    • I don't communicate with clients over social media. If I receive a message from you on social media I will reply via email or Signal.

    • If you would like me to see something on your social media profile, you're welcome to share it during a session.

    • I use TikTok/Instagram/Facebook as a professional, but also as a human. You may learn things about me online that wouldn't naturally come up during a therapy session. Sometimes that happens! Let's chat during our next session about how it's influencing our relationship.

    • I don't offer crisis support through social media. If you feel unsafe and would like support, please reach out to a crisis line.

  • Mental health is political. “Wellness” is not just about the ways we care for ourselves. It is also the social, environmental, historical, and political contexts we live within. As a practitioner with many (unearned) privileged intersections of identity, I am committed to working in a way that is sensitive and responsive to systemic barriers preventing wellness for all. I believe that wellness is about relationship, creativity, and liberation.

    • Relationship: Healing happens in safe connection with others. Being in relationship and community is crucial to our thriving.

    • Creation: Creativity is an ally to wellness. Art is not just for those our culture has deemed “talented”. Creativity is an innate human way of expressing and processing emotions that we all deserve access to.

    • Liberation: Wellness is not a solitary journey of personal ascension. True mental health comes with solidarity and care for the people around us. Wellness includes challenging the systemic injustices that prevent others from experiencing safety, ease, and connection.

For more than 15 years, I've worked as a facilitator and teacher in Canada, the United States, and abroad. Art creates opportunities for connection and self-discovery in ways that conversation alone sometimes cannot. I became an art therapist because I wanted to combine my interests in mental health and creative expression to offer a unique approach to community-care and self-care.

The name "Art Therapy in Real Life" came from my research as a graduate student. In the early months of the pandemic, I created a podcast to explore how the field of art therapy was adapting to the online world. As a student, I didn't expect to build a practice online instead of in-person. "Real life" now seems to include both the digital and analog ways we move through the world. Today, my work as an art therapist and author seeks to explore how we can feel well while navigating this digital age.