Expressive Arts Therapy

What is Expressive Arts Therapy?

Expressive Arts Therapy is a relational, client-centered, experiential, resource-based form of therapy. It is a dynamic and integrative model that purposefully incorporates movement, dance, art making, music, poetry, improvisation, and theatre into a therapeutic experience to evoke healing, transformation, and restoration. It is a sensory oriented and cognitive model that incorporates verbal communication or talk therapy with the expressive arts as a low skill tool to support your healing. You don’t need to be an artist or have any artistic skills to receive the benefits of this form of psychotherapy. All you need is a little curiosity and a willingness to play.

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 and storytelling have also been used as ways to celebrate and honour transformation.

In an expressive arts therapy session, one can expect a check in to take place (talk therapy with compassionate and empathetic listening) followed by a sensory practice to shift the attention away from the presumed problem and a turning toward an arts based practice (decentering). This could be in the form of art making, movement, music, writing poetry or a combination of a few of these expressive arts. After reflecting upon and aesthetically responding to the creation, harvesting occurs and a transformation and a restoration of the problem can occur. Expressive Arts Therapy is a rich process that can offer not only a somatic release but a new perspective with insight.

ExAT Sessions are held online for increased access to this service for all Canadians.

Mariya Garnet and I host low cost, weekly Expressive Arts Therapy Groups. These groups are closed and include 10 weekly group therapy sessions and 2 private sessions with Mariya and I. You must live in Canada to qualify. There are only 8 spots available in these Expressive Arts Therapy Groups.

Please register for Group Therapy or join the Waiting List here: Group Therapy

I co-host, Expressive Arts Therapy Groups monthly. These groups are by donation and open to anyone who would like to register. You must live in Canada to qualify. To learn more 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.