Art Therapy in Langley
Art Therapy is a wonderful outlet and means of self-connection and personal development.
Art Therapy outcome research with diverse populations continues to be published in different academic journals in art therapy, psychology, psychotherapy, counseling, special populations, art education, etc.
Neurodivergent and Autistic individuals can find a space to explore, play and be in tune with their authentic selves without the need to fit in or mask. Creatives can engage in an exploration of mediums and art modalities in a safe and supportive space, free of judgment or evaluation.
What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is a mental health profession that combines traditional counselling theory with the visual art process and exploration to improve emotional, mental, and physical health. Art Therapy focuses on the client’s ability to use simple art materials to express and resolve trauma and inner conflict and to practice emotional regulation and rediscover joy.
Who can practice Art Therapy?
Art Therapists are trained professionals with expertise in counseling psychology and fine arts and hold a Master’s Degree or Master’ level Diploma at minimum in addition to supervised Practicum Placements. They abide by an art therapy specific Code of Ethics and must maintain good standing with an internationally recognized association such as the Canadian Art Therapy Association or BC Art Therapy Association.
Where is Art Therapy offered?
Art therap is offered in settings such as schools, counselling agencies, treatment centers, hospitals, correctional facilities and elder care services. At Crossroads Collective in Langley, we offer Art Therapy at our Downtown Langley location.
Art Therapy can help at any age
Art Therapists work with diverse clients and adjust accordingly to the individual’s ability to understand and integrate the concepts brought forward during an art therapy session.
Benefits of Art Therapy for children?
Children will find the therapy studio as a safe space where they can choose which materials to use and engage with difficult topics in their own way. Meaning-making, metaphor, and storytelling are quite natural to children and so they usually need little prompting to engage in art and play. Our Langley Art Therapy sessions assists children in the following ways:
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Psychosocial support
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Assists in coping with physical health conditions such as cancer
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Decreases loneliness and social isolation
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Increases relaxation
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Reduces anxiety and agitation
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Builds interpersonal skills, and increases meaningful and positive interaction with family and friends
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Increases self awareness and supports identity formation
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Builds positive coping skills
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Promotes freedom of choice, sense of achievement, and sense of mastery, thus increasing self-esteem
Art Therapy for Adults and Teenagers
Langley teens and adults can benefit from Art Therapy by finding a new way to externalize thoughts and feelings that had long been stuck or buried, reconnect with inner strengths, and develop alternate responses to old stressors and problems.
Sometimes, adult clients need to unlearn certain expectations of what art making looks like, and often they need help overcoming years of conditioning and value judgments about their artistic ‘skill’ or ‘talent’. The art therapist has the honour and responsibility to guide their client and offer reassurance and validation in this rediscovery of their creative spirit and ability to engage this healing and regenerative part of themselves.
The following are reasons why adults and teens seek the services of an Art Therapist:
- Major life transitions (pregnancy, illness, career changes, loss)
- Depression, Anxiety and Panic Disorders
- Past or recent trauma or abuse
- Substance Use Disorders
- Grief and loss
- Divorce and Separation
- Relationship Issues
- Personal development and Identity Exploration
- Sexuality Conflicts/Questions
- Self Harming and Suicidality
- Mental Health Concerns due to Chronic Pain, Illness and Injury
Published Research and Examples of Art Therapy
Art Therapy for Trauma
Often times talking about traumatic events can be triggering and harmful for clients. Trauma work is particularly sensitive and requires careful pacing so that the benefits outweigh the emotional toll of revisiting the hurt. Art therapy offers a way of accessing the sensory memories through manipulation of art materials and allows the client to externalize the experience. The resulting artwork can serve as a symbolic representation and container of the effects of trauma, thus aiding the person in integrating the experience and feelings into one’s life narrative. This can lead to posttraumatic growth and a re-authoring of an individual’s dominant story into one of resilience.
Art Therapy for Grief
Integrating narrative therapy and meaning making approaches with CBT for complicated grief. The goal is to use art therapy to help the client integrate their loved ones death in their life story. This can be done by helping the client create a story board of their life including the loss and other important events and thus encouraging the client to visualize the continuity of their life after the loss. Another approach would be to help the client process their somatic responses to the loss through body tracings. Giving shape and colour to the sensations that accompany the grief allows the client to develop language around change and progress. Through various art techniques clients can also create a memorial piece using photos or items of significance and process the thoughts and feelings that emerge in a very intentional way.
Art Therapy for practicing self-compassion
Self compassion has been shown to be a protective factor for mental health. ONEBird is a model which combines the practice of Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Art Therapy as a way to reduce suffering.
‘For example, after a brief check-in, a typical session opens with discussion regarding a mindful or self-compassionate concept, and is followed by a direct experience of a related practice. Then a creative activity based on the experiential component is completed. Finally, if appropriate, verbal processing of the image and entire experience is conducted. The approach is similar within both individual and group work.’
We are here to support you along your journey.
We are now accepting both virtual appointments as well as in-person appointments. Click below and schedule your first visit today!
Meet the Team
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adults, Families
SPECIALTIES: Depression and Anxiety, Life transitions, Grief and Loss, Substance Use and Addiction, Trauma, Illness
Ana-Maria Comia, DVATI, RTC
Art Therapist & Play Therapist
Languages: English, Romanian
Whether you are re-taking control of your life and starting over or you are looking to set time aside for your mental wellbeing, Art Therapy can help. I support children and youth with various challenges stemming from parental separation, anxiety disorders, grief and loss and especially difficulties with social inclusion and feeling outcasted.
Art Therapy as well as the other expressive therapies are unique in that they bridge cultural and language divides. I am passionate about helping my clients find their voice through artistic expression and transforming their pain and trauma into something capable of supporting growth and a meaningful future.
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I am a counsellor with over seven years of experience providing trauma informed mental health support to children, youth and adults. My treatment approach combines the creative process and psychotherapy, facilitating self-exploration and understanding.
I have a Masters Level Diploma in Art Therapy from Vancouver Art Therapy Institute which followed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of British Columbia. I am a lifelong student and continue to add to my knowledge base in counselling by attending workshops and courses. My training background and experience includes community outreach, addictions and trauma work and family counselling. I have extensive experience working with children, teens and families and have a personal interest in connecting with families who are newly arrived in Canada as I immigrated here as a teenager from Easter Europe.
Art and Play Therapy is widely used as an auxiliary treatment for depression, illness and chronic pain and trauma. Children and Youth particularly respond well to Art Therapy as it offers a less confrontational approach to counselling. It promotes wellness by engaging your creativity, playfulness and problem solving skills.
I cater my methods to my client’s needs and therapeutic goals. Often, I will introduce a client to a theme that touches on their reason for coming to counselling and I will suggest a directive or a project/activity. My clients use music, writing, play and visual arts to explore their thoughts and feelings. I enjoy teaching my clients new skills but I focus my intention on their enjoyment and growth. Some clients prefer to talk about their process while they are creating, while others prefer to discuss their results upon completion.
The resulting artistic product is the property of the client and retains the same confidentiality protection as the context discussed in a session. It is up to the client how the art is handled, stored or disposed of. As well, a client’s permission is required to share the art with others outside of the scope of supervision.
Here are some specific examples of clients I work with/have worked with in the past:
- Child whose parents have recently separated and is experiencing extreme separation anxiety
- Mother and young (4) child, fleeing domestic abuse and child acting out through aggression towards Mom
- Young adult woman recently moved out from home due to Mom’s substance use, struggling with self-worth and depression.
- Young woman awaiting trial for robbery, with multiple childhood trauma incidents, survivor of incest.
- Autistic child experiencing alienation from peers and loneliness, rejection.
- Autistic adult, exploring their authentic self and wanting to delve into their masking behaviour and repression of their self regulation mechanisms.
- Child who recently experienced the loss of an estranged parent due to suicide.