​​A life affirming way to tap into essence and move imaginatively towards an embodied sense of self, connection and purpose
  S i n g  t h e  c o l o u r
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 D a n c e  t h e  p o e m

   A c t  t h e  d r e a m 
dRAW heART
Noriko Oka, MA, RCC
​Expressive Arts Therapist
Registered Clinical Counsellor​
Designation of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors​
EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY
Rooted in a somatic, sensory and play-based approach, expressive arts therapy fully engages the right brain.  Shape your world using sound, movement, visual art, drama and writing with a beginner's mind.  From a sense of ease and spaciousness, discover where movement trickles and tickles (laughter is a potential side effect).  Follow this thread and make sense by diving spontaneously into this co-creative, experiential and process-oriented healing arts that can sometimes cut to the heart,  No background in art is necessary...just a sense of curiosity.
​Expressive arts therapy is IDEAL for those seeking a dynamic creative alternative that gets you out of the seat:
  • Engage your body and senses 
  • Be mindful in the here & now
  • Follow your natural flow
Picture

  • Make sense of the world
  • Shape old stories anew
  • Be moved by the image
  • Enhance your response-ability
  • Be surprised
  • Play...with wild abandon
Since 2005, Noriko has ​been fortunate to serve diverse communities ​across the whole spectrum of life in various settings (e.g. child and youth treatment centre, youth clinic, queer community centre, hospice, elderly persons centre, hospital).  She found her way to this field while immersed in her love of art and inspired by the resilient war time stories of Japanese Canadian elderly with whom she was working closely.  The merging of these two elements was an aha moment that set her on a path towards her true calling as an expressive arts therapist.
Photo: Carmina Articona
Blessed to have this opportunity as an uninvited guest to work, play and create within the unceded lək̓ʷəŋən  territory also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt nations.  Cherishing this land and respecting the wisdom of indigenous communities that have continue to endure and thrive.