Cherish Clinic in Burnaby can only accept children and teens below 140lb and 13 years old and their caregivers. This is due to zoning bylaw and some equipements' weight restriction. Children over 12, teens, or adults clients can receive this counselling service at the Vancouver location

Any family with growth-mindset and looking to improve their children's quality of life both physically and emotionally. Labels provide excellent lens to help people understand the historic/neurological/biological reasons for certain behaviours or ways of thinking. Although Christine has a non-pathological view on human conditions, here is a list of conditions Christine has the skills and experience in supporting: ADHD Anxiety Autism Behavioural Issues Communication Coping Skills Depression Developmental Disabilities Family Conflict Gender Identity Grief Intellectual Disability Learning Disabilities Oppositional Defiance Parenting Peer Relationships Personal Growth Selective Mutism Self Esteem Sensory Processing Social-Emotional Skills Stress Trauma

The two therapies originates from different philosophical foundation and have very constrasting therapy approaches. The short answer is: "The difference between expressive arts therapy and art therapy is that expressive arts therapy draws from a variety of art forms, while art therapy tends to be based on one particular art form." - Psychology Today

Expressive Art Therapy is contraindicative for individuals with unmanaged psychosis or having psychotic episodes.

Yes. Christine is trained in ASIST model of sucide prevention, intervention, and postvention. However, if the individual you are supporting is or is about to harming themselves or others, please contact your local emergency services immediately.

Cherish Pediatric Clinic is equipped to meet individual children's physical, sensory, and emotional needs, and these equipments cannot travel easily. Plus, play sessions are often messy and joyfully loud. Christine does provide home or facility visit for consultation services.

Yes! Verbal interaction and responses are not required. Moreover, even for verbal folks, it can still be difficult to use words to describe our thoughts and emotions, and there are many other ways we can express and communicate.

Yes! This form of therapy is perfectly suited to work with any child at any level of abilities.

Yes! The underlying principles of Expressive Arts Therapy upholds a non-pathological view on sexual orientations and gender identities. The therapy facilitates a peron-in environment perspective and is strength-based. There is someone in Christine's personal life whom she is protecting, supporting and advocating on a daily basis. She has a deep personal understanding of the LBGQT+ experience and she works personally and professionally with complex intersectionality. Christine knows how to nurture and validate unique strengths of her unique clients.

Expressive Arts does not define arts in the sterotypical sense. Arts means a creative process. For example, this can be as simple as breathing. Noticing our breath, how we breath, what changes with each breath, without changing anything. The body naturally knows how to breath, and with each breath-in, we breath life into our body. By noticing and honouring this life creation process offer us an unique way of engaging in our bodies and the senses.

If you asked 10 Expressive Arts Therapists what Expressive Arts Therapy (EXART) is, you will likely get 10 very different and beautiful answers. At the core, EXART is an interdisciplinary approach to counselling that involves psychology, sociology, anthropology, biology, history, and more. Instead of a problem solving model, EXART is resource oriented model and it holds a non-pathological view on human behaviours. Although arts is an essential component of the therapy, arts in EXART is defined not in the classical sense, but rather as a creative process through which the clients experience different ways of engaging with themselves and their difficulties. The generalized architure of a session begins with a client sharing their difficulties with the therapist. The therapist facilitates a creative experience, usually phenomologically. Then, the therapist connects that experience back to the initial difficulties. It needs to be emphasized that these activities do not have to happen in this specific sequence. Not all of these components need to happen in one session either. EXART is dynamic and we respond and works with the clients' comforts and their needs at the time.

Yes! Not only is Expressive Arts Therapy firmly based in neuroscience, but the paediatric component also shares many familiar names of psychologist with behavioural science fields. It is worth noting that Dr. Dan Siegle's works and researches are featured and cited prominently and frequently in the course materials.

Cherish Clinic provides social, developemental, and relationship based approach to therapy. Christine does not provide behavioural modifications such as ABA or PBS. For teens and adults working on advanced social developement, Dr. Winner's social compentancy model may be used for assessment, but Social Thinking Strategies and Superflex curriculum will NOT be used. She has an extensive skill tool-kit in supporting austici clients and keeping them comfortable and safe. She has trainning in Relationship Development Intervention.

No. I am a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor (RTC). I am licensed through the Associaton of Cooperative Counsellors Therapist of Canada (ACCT).