I'm a Registered Psychotherapist

When engaging in psychotherapy I take a person-centred approach integrating body-based, mindfulness and compassion-based practices, such as Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), Therapeutic Presence, Polyvagal Theory, and Self Compassion in Psychotherapy approaches. I am registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). I am a member of the Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals (OAMHP) and the Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists (OSRP).  I bring with me a background in education and leadership coaching. I am registered with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) and am a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF). My  psychotherapy and art therapy practice focuses on nurturing wellbeing across the lifespan by working with individuals and caregivers of all ages. and stages.

 I offer art therapy for adults, caregivers, elders and those at the end of life. I also am an instructor and thesis advisor with the Canadian International Institute for Art Therapy (CiiAT).  I have studied expressive arts and movement based arts my whole life and most recently, graduated from the Toronto Art Therapy Institute (TATI). The focus of my thesis research was on Therapeutic Presence in Online Art Therapy Practice. I use an experiential, phenomenological approach to creative process and artmaking as part of the psychotherapy wellness journey. My clinical practice and supervision included working with individuals and families within a hospice setting, with children, youth and parents at Sick Kids Centre for Community Mental Health, and then supporting individuals through the TATI Student Art Therapy Centre (formerly the TATI Online Art Therapy Clinic) promoting wellbeing  throughout the pandemic. I  have taken additional trainings in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), Polyvagal Theory, Compassion-Based Mindfulness Art Therapy (C-MBAT), Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy (FOAT), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and workshops on practicing art therapy online with children, teens and families.  I currently serve as the Director of Membership for the Canadian Art Therapy Association.. I love exploring artmaking online using materials on hand at home and found objects to nourish our relationship with Self and with life through nature's elements.

With a teenager and a young school aged child, I resonate with the joys and the challenges that come along with being a professional and a caregiver in today's changing world. I also help to support my parents to adapt to their shifting health conditions, needs and abilities. I live in an intergenerational home where grandparents, parents and children all endeavour to care for each other and live as fully as possible together.

Throughout my life the expressive arts have helped me to process big feelings and make meaning  during times of loss, transition and struggle. Sometimes words are not enough. I use colour, imagery, movement and mindfulness practices to nurture wellness for myself and others. In my first career, my focus was on Outdoor and Experiential Education when training at Queen's University to become an elementary school teacher with the Ontario College of teachers (OCT). As a teacher, I integrated the creative arts as a way to support personal development across ages and stages. My Masters degree was in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, specializing in Holistic Education and I used this as an opportunity to extend this work by integrating embodiment , mindfulness and creative practices into my facilitation work with leaders, teams and organizations in the years following.  I also draw inspiration from 30 years of dance and somatic work,  and from a passion for nature. I integrate embodiment practices, along with Spiral Journey practices (rooted in the Work that Reconnects created by Joanna Macy) into my work with clients and groups.

I believe that as human beings we are meant to experience life together.  I enjoy bringing people together to share stories, wisdom and inspiration in support of one another.  I offer online open studio sessions  and online groups for caregivers and individuals. As a co-founder of the Spiral Centre – a global online community learning centre – I facilitate the Work That Reconnects practices to help bring people from around the world together in community to witness, process and transform the pain we feel for ourselves, each other and our planet into active hope. In this work I often weave in an art as therapy approach to individual and group process. Pay-what-you-will monthly Spiral practice gatherings and seasonal workshops are offered online to help nurture community connection locally and globally. 

As a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF)  I bring more than a decade of leadership and life coaching experience to my practice.  I love working with individuals and teams to discover new perspectives, possibilities and plans for living into their desired future! 

With fellow Work That Reconnects (WTR) facilitator Simone Hanchet, I co-founded Spiral Centre, an online learning institute dedicated to making the WTR practices, created by root teacher Joanna Macy,  accessible to people everywhere. Spiral Centre offers individual coaching and group facilitation so more people can experience their full agency, creative power, compassion, joy, courage, and active hope at this time of multiple complex social and ecological crises. Spiral Centre works with leaders in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, as well as with activists, caregivers, educators, and young people. 

For more information about my separate coaching practice, click here. 

PLEASE NOTE: According to the provincial legislation governing the use of psychotherapy as a controlled act,  therapy clients in this practice may not become clients in my coaching practice. However, drawing on coaching as a tool within our therapeutic relationship and work is allowed.