nature calls
We are living in a world right now that is both different and at the same in so many ways. Different with the complications, limitations and heartache of COVID-19, yet same in that our true nature is still there, both within and surrounding us. I remember when the pandemic was a few months in reading […]
Create Space for What is: Self-Compassion
I am beginning to realize that I cannot do it all. Writing weekly or every other week blog posts and sending weekly newsletters is not sustainable when I am working full time on top of a private practice consisting of workshops, supervision, consultation and psychotherapy. And though I have not been practicing that level of […]
Art Retreat
What happens when you bring three art therapist friends together at the cottage on a warm and beautiful weekend? Contemplative outdoor art of course! A few weekends ago I was lucky enough to be at a cottage with my 2 dear friends and colleagues who are also art therapists. We had thankfully planned this getaway […]
Discovery Through Art Process
Over the years I have dabbled in this and that when it comes to implementing art-making for my own creative self-care practice. I love to be able to try new modes of expression, pushing my creative edge and make new discoveries about myself. What I notice is that there is always a lesson in the […]
Honoring Your Strengths Through Art
The other week I had the honor of being invited to facilitate a creative self-care workshop as part of a Day Away retreat for the Prevention Staff at Sick Kids Centre for Community Mental Health (CCMH). In the morning they focused on their individual strengths, similarities and differences within their smaller and larger teams. […]
Cultivate your Unique Creative Voice
I have been writing more in my journal as well as in my art journal lately. Play is such an important part of self-care. When I came across the JP Spears video below I was reminded of just how important it is to cultivate one’s own creative voice. When we step away from our […]
Creativity Thaw
Winter brings a coldness that is meant to allow things to prepare for the spring, for new beginnings. It is the cycle of life. It is also the cycle of creativity: the deep sleep that creativity sometimes falls into, often when we least want it to, is an essential part of the process. We need […]
Arts Based Super Vision
Last weekend I went to a wonderful workshop sponsored by the Ontario Art Therapy Association (OATA) on Arts-based and Positive Supervision. It was a workshop designed for supervisors but open to all including students and supervisees. Aside from the sharing of pertinent information around supervision issues, we explored our character strengths as supervisors and supervisees […]
Creativity, Vulnerability and Reflection
Here we are in 2018, a new year, a new day, a new outlook, if you choose. The New Year celebrations to me are about reminding ourselves that there is always a new opportunity to start fresh, everyday, every hour, every minute, every second of our lives. We just need to take it. We do […]
Creative Inner Work and Balance
In November I held my last workshop for 2017. I was honoured to lead one of my Creative Self-Care workshops in my home studio with a full house so to speak. It was exciting to have some new and old faces join me in this self-care series. One of the things that I spoke […]