Art therapy for kids and adults
CRATE is a Calgary-based art therapy practice that offers group workshops and one-on-one sessions for adults and children focusing on mindful, art-based, and STEAM-focused activities to enhance emotional well-being. Together, we can make it, CRATE.
Why CRATE?
Using artistic exploration to support you in your healing journey, the aim is to help you to build the skills needed to cope with challenges related to:
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Art therapy can help you identify the felt sense of anxiety and regulate the nervous system through art-based grounding exercises and cognitive disruption techniques.
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Mindfulness-based art can help you speak the unspeakable and express internal narratives so you can address your emotions from a new perspective.
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Art therapy offers a safe outlet for the release of complex emotions surrounding grief and invites you to create meaning through creative expressions.
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Therapeutic art provides a method for understanding self-compassion, acceptance, and personally relevant meaning-making.
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The use of mindful-based art can teach you to recognize, understand and manage our emotional states.
Meet Christy
Hi, I'm Christy Herdman. As an art therapist, I see you as a unique soul with the capacity for empathy and self-compassion. I will work with you to help you find your voice, be a catalyst for change in your narrative, and use creativity as a therapeutic tool to help you thrive.
I'm a Certified Art Therapist registered with the Canadian Art Therapy Association and hold a Bachelor's of Arts degree and a Master's Diploma in Art Therapy, who aims to support you in your journey by making it CRATE.
Building Blocks for Lifelong Growth
At its core, CRATE uses a five-point framework designed to guide and represent my uniquely personal approach to art therapy.
Client-centered
Your story is unique to you, an individual; you are a meaning-maker who constructs your understanding of the world through your experiences and memories.
Research-Based
Your creative exploration will incorporate research-based art therapy principles and techniques to help you obtain your unique therapeutic goals.
Art-focused
Visual art exploration will be the primary technique for you to express yourself. The artistic process can help you speak the unspoken—when you might not have the vocabulary to share it verbally.
Therapeutic
Using creativity as a therapeutic tool can help you build resilience, develop coping skills, and act as a cathartic release to aid in the regulation of emotions.
Experiential
My role is to guide you in the hands-on art-based practice to improve psychological stability and be more self-aware.
