Masters Child & Youth Care (University of Victoria); BCATR; RCAT; Dip; AT (BC School of Art Therapy); BEd
Heather is a Registered Art Therapist with both the BC and the Canadian Art Therapy Associations, and she has studied Expressive Arts at The European Graduate School in Switzerland. She is a member of the Editorial Review Board for the Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal. Her background includes over 20 years of work with children, youth, and families in a variety of community settings, where art and creativity have been at the heart of her practice. Heather facilitates groups, workshops, and retreats emphasizing art making for personal and professional growth. She has been teaching in the Child and Youth Care (CYC) Programs at VIU since 1999, following particular interests in Expressive Arts, Person-Centered Practice, Humour & Health, and Self-Reflection in practice. Her teaching philosophy is strongly influenced by educator and author Parker Palmer, who writes about the courage of teaching, and art therapist and author Shaun McNiff, who writes about trusting the process. Heather’s passion for self-reflection encourages her to welcome the opportunity for herself and students to embark on a journey of self-discovery recognizing that the more intense the struggle, the more deeply the discovery of how the process will ultimately carry them to a new place. Her master's thesis, Listening to the Self-Doubt Voice: What Do Child and Youth Care Practitioners Experience? has been published into a little book and is available from MoreBooks.