Hi, my name is Karen Fraser Gitlitz. My pronouns are she/her/hers. I’m a professional Art Therapist and a member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association. I live and work in on the Saanich penninsula on Vancouver Island, BC, the traditional lands of the W̱SÁNEĆ people, including the W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip) and SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) First Nations.

For over 15 years, I served as a parish minister with Unitarian Universalist congregations, supporting people through life’s most profound moments, creating welcoming, inclusive spaces for dialogue across differences, and working for social and environmental justice. After a brain injury changed my life, I found healing through the arts and time walking outdoors. These experiences led me to pursue a Diploma in Art Therapy from the WHEAT Institute/Life as Medicine. Now, I create spaces and experiences for others to heal, grow, and find their own strengths through creative expression.

I believe that engaging our creativity can open up possibilities for insight, healing, growth and transformation, helping us move through life transitions and finding ways to thrive even in difficult situations. Through the act of making, you can explore emotions, release stress, and connect with deeper parts of yourself as well as that which is larger than you. No art skills are needed—the focus is on the process, not the product. Recognizing that healing is both personal and collective, I am dedicated to fostering a practice that is anti-racist, anti-colonial and trauma-informed. I reserve space for two sliding scale sessions per week.