Expressive Arts Therapy

What is Expressive Arts Therapy?

Expressive Arts Therapy is a relational, client-centered, experiential, arts-based form of therapy. It is a dynamic and integrative model that purposefully weaves in movement, dance, art making, music, poetry, improvisation, storytelling and/or theatre into a therapeutic experience to evoke healing, transformation, and restoration. It is a sensory oriented and cognitive model that incorporates the expressive arts in a low skill manner (no artistic skill is needed) with some talk therapy as a tool to support change and healing. You don’t need to be an artist or have any artistic skills to receive the benefits of this form of somatic therapy. All you need is a little curiosity, some willingness to play and enough courage to trust the magical process of stepping into liminal space and the creative arts.

The expressive arts are ancient tools that have been utilized for thousands of years to help individuals and communities heal from trauma, crisis, and distress in all forms. Ritual, ceremony, dance, painting, sounding, music, weaving and storytelling have also been used as ways to celebrate and honour transformation. These creative layers of expressive arts therapy, soothe and stimulate the senses and support and calm the nervous system and Expressive Arts Therapy is soul work.

In an expressive arts therapy session, one can expect a check in to take place (talk therapy with compassionate and empathetic listening) followed by sensory explorations and somatic practices to help ground you and cultivate a feeling of safety. Then we often shift away from the presenting issue and turn to art making, movement, writing poetry or a combination of a few of these expressive arts to help you open your senses, connect with your body and explore what wants to be revealed. Layering in the arts (art making, poetry writing) and moving from one to another is called an intermodal exchange. This process can help you move through your story via the senses to help you find a new understanding and perspective of the issue. After this intermodal exchange, reflection and dialoguing with your image or creation, we harvest and often see the glimmers and perhaps see things in a new light. Sometimes we can at this point we can sense a transformation and a restoration of the problem. This transformation of the presenting issue could take one session or a several. Expressive Arts Therapy is a rich process that can offer not only a somatic release through the arts but a new perspective with insight.

I offer 1:1 expressive arts therapy (ExAT) sessions, weekly (closed) group therapy and monthly (open) group therapy sessions. Please learn more below and in the drop down section of the page. ExAT Sessions are held online for increased access. All times are in EST and all funds are in Canadian dollars.

I am currently offering 1:1 session at the CREATE Clinic, virtually. Please click the link for information on my 1:1 sessions: CREATE Clinic.

Mariya Garnet and I host low cost, weekly Expressive Arts Therapy Groups (closed). These groups include 10 weekly group therapy sessions and 2 private sessions with Mariya and I. There are 8 spots available in these Expressive Arts Therapy Groups. To learn more and to register to here: Group Therapy

I co-host a monthly, open Expressive Arts Therapy Group. These groups are by donation and open to anyone who would like to register. To learn more go please go here: Group Work

To join the private Group on Facebook go here: Join here – Expressive Arts Therapy Group

Question?

Do you have some questions about these Expressive Arts Group Therapy sessions? If so, feel free to book a clarity call.

Trauma & Nervous System Informed

As a trauma and nervous system informed Student Therapist, I bring this awareness and training to all my expressive arts sessions. I provide a trauma and nervous system informed safe space where I help to support you to feel safe enough to arrive so you can open to working with your nervous system and body, and a space where you can create, make, move and dance freely.

Insurance Coverage

NB: My training at The CREATE Institute and Expressive Arts Therapy is recognized my the College of Registered Psychotherapist of Ontario (CRPO) and can be billed through most insurance companies after I have graduated in the Spring of 2026 and have met the requirement of the CRPO.