Welcome! I’m Valerie – a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Expressive Arts Therapist (ExAT), and a lifelong artist. I’m also someone who knows that when life gets heavy, words aren’t always enough. This is where the arts can offer a different way to approach your life.

Art has been my “constant companion” and a powerful resource in helping me navigate life’s ups and downs. It’s this personal connection to creativity that informs my clinical practice. Working together, along with the arts – we can explore your life in an expansive way, to help you connect with your inner wisdom and joy.

Before transitioning into therapy, I worked professionally as an award-winning filmmaker, arts educator and artist. This background allows me to draw from a wide range of arts practices in our sessions together to access curiosity, shift perspectives, and venture into possibilities.

Who can Expressive Arts Therapy help? Maybe you’re feeling “stuck” or overwhelmed by depression, anxiety or perfectionism. Maybe you’re moving through the fog of grief or trying to find your identity amidst a major life change. Maybe you’re wondering, “What happened?” – and are in search of a way back to living a more fulfilling life. Our work together is about co-creating a path toward healing and expansion. My approach is client-centred, relational and trauma-informed. I strive to create a compassionate space where you can imagine, be curious, and gently challenge old beliefs.

A Typical Session: Our sessions together usually start with conversations that are gently guided into working with the arts – using a combination of visual arts, movement, writing, drama, photography, video and sound. You don’t need to be an “artist”! We use these tools to access imagination, discover new perspectives, question, and build connection. I believe that this is important information you can then take into your daily life, and which can positively impact all of your relationships.

Who I Work With: Youth (16+) and adults– individually and in groups – who are navigating issues that include: anxiety, depression, life and identity transitions, grief and loss, trauma, family estrangement, parenting, neurodiversity, perfectionism, body image, health challenges and aging, with an awareness of the systemic barriers that can impact how we move through the world.

I offer sessions both virtually and in-person from my office in downtown Toronto. If you’re curious about how we might work together, I invite you to reach out for a free consultation by contacting me at: vwexat@gmail.com