As an artist, creative, or arts administrator, you pour so much of yourself into your work. You know firsthand the highs and the joys of your career. You live for the moments where you are reminded "this is why I do this." Your work also comes with intense pressures and demands on your time, body, and resources.

With over15 years of experience as an arts administrator, I've been immersed in the world of artists and creatives. I've seen firsthand the intense dedication required of you, and I understand the scramble, the pressure, the expectations, the exhaustion, and the inherent ups and downs of bringing creative visions and events to life. This insight allows me to meet you exactly where you are.

You’re in the right place if you’re looking for support because:

• You often put your needs second to ensure the success of the art, the performance, or the mission.

• Your efforts are unseen, underappreciated, or undervalued.

• You're losing sight of your "why," or your future in the arts feels unsustainable.

• You feel misunderstood by important people in your life.

• You need a space to process challenges connected to your arts education, industry trauma, or your childhood.

• You’re navigating an injury or a major event that has impacted your work.

When your art is your livelihood, it can be hard to find a space where your creativity is just for you, without deadlines or demands. In art therapy, we’ll approach art completely differently. In our work together, the art is in service to the psychotherapeutic process. It supports your story, your journey, and your needs.

When there’s no product to sell, we can release expectations, critique, and innovation. This opens up space for the art to support your nervous system, externalize and sit with complex emotions, communicate difficult-to-describe experiences, and lead to profound insights about yourself and your artist identity. Art Therapy is a dedicated space for your own reflection and healing.

Life can bring transitions that allow time for preparation as well as sudden shifts that catch us completely off guard. In either situation, things may feel out of control, scary, and uncertain. It's easy to feel lost or untethered. Art Therapy can offer a steady, grounded space to help you find your footing.

You're in the right place if you're looking for support because:

• You're navigating a significant life transition.

• You're experiencing grief and loss, whether from losing a loved one, a pet, a job, a place, or even a piece of yourself. This also includes grieving anticipated loss that hasn't happened yet.

• You're adjusting to new surroundings or a new culture, and finding what it means to belong or to maintain your sense of self amidst big changes.

• You're feeling loneliness, and seeking deeper connections with yourself and the world around you.

In art therapy, we'll create a dedicated space for you to explore your experience at your own pace. The art becomes a gentle way to express complex emotions, share your story, acknowledge and honour losses, and seek comfort.

Healthcare can be a difficult journey to navigate.

Art Psychotherapy, particularly with a mindfulness-based lens, can be a supportive part of your multidisciplinary care team.

Perhaps:

• You are navigating chronic pain. Pain is complex, multidimensional, and unique to your body. Your pain is real, even if part of your care is related to your mental health.

• Your healthcare journey has been long and you may have felt dismissed at some point along the way.

• You've had difficult experiences you need to process.

You're in the right place if you're looking for support because:

• You're navigating anxiety or fear related to your health or medical treatments.

• You're facing uncertainty.

• You're coping with chronic pain or discomfort.

• You feel overwhelmed.

• You are seeking psychotherapeutic support with the journey of preparing for or healing from a procedure or surgery.

• You've experienced a healthcare trauma.

Part of my continuing education is centering around pain and healthcare experiences. I understand how systemic bias has led to care that is not always equitable, particularly for women, trans and gender diverse folks, and marginalized communities. Art Therapy is an evidence-based practice that can support these challenges.

In art therapy, we'll work together at your own pace. Bringing art-making and creativity into your therapeutic space (alongside talking) introduces a gentle way to support a connection with your body, increase your capacity to navigate your experience, and express and externalize sensations that may be difficult to verbalize. Art Therapy may also support a sense of agency in your body and your healthcare journey. Your story deserves space to be witnessed.