What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy uses art to therapeutically explore and process emotions, grow self-awareness, develop social skills, solve problems, reduce anxiety and increase self-esteem. Art therapy can provide people with an opportunity for healing and personal growth.
If you have a hard time expressing your emotions through words, art therapy is worth a try. You do not have to have any art skills to participate in art therapy.
What is Special About Art Therapy?
Art is a visual language which means it can give people ways to express emotions in a non-verbal way through images, colour, and metaphors. This is helpful for those who have a hard time expressing themselves verbally like children and neurodiverse folks.
Often personal stories, metaphors and images are easier to talk about because it gives us a little bit of distance from the personal pain attached to events, memories and our stories. Unpacking our experiences and emotions through this way is helpful because it is a less direct and therefore more gentle way of processing sensitive experiences.
Art can help us connect with our subconscious which holds information about how an interaction or experience may be affecting us under the surface, in a way that causes us pain.
What Issues Can Art Therapy Help With?
- Self-esteem
- Body image
- Emotional dysregulation
- Poor communication and social skills
- Difficulty expressing/accepting feelings
- Problem-solving
- Poor boundaries
- Stress
- Grief and loss
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Neurodiversity (ADHD, Autism) symptoms
- Difficulty in having fun creating art (“Artists’ Block”)
- Connection to your spirituality
- Family dynamics eg. divorce
- Social isolation
- Aggressive behaviour (anger outbursts, bullying)
Have More Questions About Art Therapy?
The information above just scratches the surface of what Art Therapy is and it’s potential to help. If you are curious to learn more about how art therapy, let’s chat over a free 30 minute consultation.
About Me
Hi there, my name is Katlyn Lim. Nice to have you here.
I am a Professional Canadian Art Therapist living with my partner and two cats. I am naturally very curious, which fuels my creativity and my love of art. I love playing games (board, card, video, etc) and having fun with others. I love being outside nature bathing when I have the chance.
I believe in the transformative power of art because I have discovered this during my own personal journey. I am a person with big emotions. They would often feel like a raging fire within me which can feel overwhelming. When I was younger I had a hard time finding a place where I could process my emotions with support. I would often hide my emotions but that didn’t help me get them back to a steady, manageable burn. It took me a long time to realize it wasn’t about hiding my emotions but more about how to allow space to process them so that they may burn at a lower steady level.
Art has always been one of the supports that has helped me calm my emotions. When I have made art to express my emotions while being witnessed by others in a supportive space it has been even more powerful for my healing.
My desire is to provide a safe and nurturing space where other individuals with big flames can express themselves creatively, being witnessed in their struggles and find healing through art. I value compassion, creativity, hope and empowerment. Whether youʼre seeking one-to-one therapy, joining an art therapy group, or simply curious about what art therapy can offer you, I am here to support and empower you on your journey to emotional well-being.
My Approach
I offer a trauma-informed, person-centered approach to art therapy for individuals and groups. This means how I hold space in a session is by listening to the client, making interpretations of their art with them, allowing the client to lead what they would like to work on and talk about. I am always learning and love for the art therapy sessions to suite what you would like as the client. I see each person as a unique individual with their own life experiences and story.
I often use mindfulness and breathing exercises with clients who experience anxiety or emotional dysregulation. When working with adult clients I offer plenty of freedom and spontaneous art directives to allow relevant unconscious content for the client to come up. I believe in the ability of the unconscious to show us inner conflicts which when processed can help us learn and grow. Often the way the subconscious can come up is through art, dreams and stories. Depending on the populations and client needs, I use techniques ranging from structured to spontaneous art making in the art therapy space.
My Experience
I have experience working with pre-teens (ages 8-13) in a school setting, seniors with dementia, young adults in university, and adults online.
Some areas I have experience in are …
- lack of freedom and enjoyment in making art (also known as artists’ block) often due to pressures from attending art university or working as a professional artist
- Anxiety and depression
- Learning self-compassion
- Neuro-diversities (Autism and ADHD)
My Credentials
Kutenai Art Therapy Institute
Art Therapy Diploma
Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Alberta
Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree, Majored in Drawing
Grant MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta
Fine Arts Diploma