VERIFIED ACCOUNT
VIDEO THERAPY
Christine Parton
BA, DKATI (RCAT)
Registered Art Therapist, Play and NatureTherapy
PRACTICE NAME Fireside Art Therapy
ADDRESS
447 A AvenueKaslo, BCKasloV0G 1M0
About
Welcome to my growing practice, Fireside Art Therapy, where I invite you to (gently) examine the armour you carry in this life, and with compassion support you to untangle knots, express buried feelings and gain insight into the tasks a healthier and more connected life.
I use a combination of art and play therapy, Jungian and existential approaches, parts work (IFS), attachment theory and developmental psychology to create a safe, contained and supportive space for your own self-exploration. This could look like building nervous system regulation skills before going deeper, experimenting with materials when there is no "wrong way" to do it (battling that inner critic), getting in touch with your inner child, or exploring family history and/or current dynamics that feel prickly and unbalanced.
I love the power of stories, fairy tales, and dreams to influence our growth and learning as well as reveal aspects of our inner life to us in amazing and symbolic ways.
As a trauma-informed and client-centered therapist, each session will look different based on your needs and our growing therapeutic connection. I will support you to address patterns and behaviours that you feel are blocking you from reaching a place of more peace, health and success. I am also inclined towards unconventional approaches, such as tarot, astrology, and family constellations, if you choose to lean that way too.
For children, I take a psychodynamic approach, wherein my clients can use the creative and accepting therapy space to release frustration, sadness and grief address missing developmental pieces, gain mastery, build trust and connection and be witnessed as they create and explore within safe and clear boundaries.
I work online, in-person from my studio in Kaslo, BC, as well as in nature - this may look like an outdoor art-making session, time spent silently co-regulating with trees and the Earth, or a walk in the forest, (or facilitating this process virtually/from a distance). There is also nothing like a therapeutic bonfire for providing mental rest, emotional insight, and spiritual connection!
There is no wrong way as you bravely step into increased self-awareness and healing, just learning and opportunities for growth. Many emotionally supportive skills are gained slowly, through practice over the course of a lifetime, and I will meet you with a compassionate heart for as long as needed.
I work with children aged 3 and up, teens, parents at every stage of their parenting experience (including the empty-nest part), families, and adults. Grief, anger, anxiety, depression, separations and life transitions are areas of particular focus in my practice - but knowing that all of these elements are a part of the human experience, I an here to listen and support every part of you that shows up in the therapy space.
Together we'll start to make sense of the complexities that make us each unique, while leaving space for the edges where mystery, uncertainty and intangible beauty exist. There is much wisdom to be gained from facing (and even befriending) the shadows, but we shouldn't always have to do this work alone.
I hope the light of Fireside Art Therapy can provide company and support in the periods of darkness that visit us all.
Summary
Education
Centre for Expressive Therapy (2023)
Kutenai Art Therapy Institute (2016)
University of Ottawa (2002)
Experience
Practice Start Date: 2017
Association
Canadian Art Therapy Association (2014)
License
Canadian Art Therapy Association (2017)
Expertise
Client Focus
Children
Adolescents
Adults
Families
LGBTQ
Treatment Types
Humanistic Psychotherapy/Person-Centered Psychotherapy/Rogerian Psychotherapy
Compassion-focused Psychotherapy
Addictions Therapy
Career Counselling
Grief Counselling
Feminist Psychotherapy
Gestalt Therapy
Jungian Psychotherapy
Narrative Therapy
Existential Psychotherapy
Art Therapy/Music Therapy/Psychodrama/Dance Psychotherapy
Play Therapy
Somatic Therapy
Clinical Issues
ADD / ADHD
Depression
Anger Control
Anxiety Disorders
Assertiveness
Autism
Grief & Bereavement
Bipolar Disorder
Body Image Issues
Borderline Personality Disorder
Child Abuse & Neglect
Child Sexual Abuse
Children of Divorce
Chronic Illness
Eating Disorders
Mid-Life Transition
Panic Disorders
Parenting
Post-Traumatic Stress
and many more
Services
Individual
Group
Workshops
Canoe Therapy
