Catherine Dunlop, PhD, DVATI
Art Therapist
Catherine Dunlop is an Art Therapist experienced in working with children, teenagers, families and adults. Cathie has worked in health care settings (BC Cancer Agency, Surrey Memorial Hospital - Adolescent Psychiatric Unit, Youth Detention Centre - Inpatient Assessment Unit), with community organizations (Ishtar Transitions Housing Society, Clubhouse Without Walls, Coast Hospice Society), and in private practice at the Blue Spark Art Studio. Cathie approaches all her work with compassion, creativity and caring.
Education and Credentials
Post-Master's Advanced Diploma in Art Therapy (Vancouver Art Therapy Institute)
Research project: Archetypes and Imaginal Dialogue: An arts-based inquiry
Professional member of the BC Association of Art Therapy
PhD in Educational Studies (University of British Columbia)
Visual arts training
Full name: Catherine Cunningham-Dunlop
Background
In addition to being an Art Therapist, Cathie is also an artist, an educator, and a program evaluator. Cathie has provided eCoaching services to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for staff stationed in the field who are taking management courses by distance. Cathie also teaches creative expression workshops onsite in the studio and within organizations. She is intrigued by the notion of honouring the sacred in the everyday and creating new beginnings. Cathie is committed to the perspective that art is a way of knowing...and a way of keeping the internal blue spark lit.
Art Therapy
“Art therapy combines visual art and psychotherapy in a creative process using the created image as a foundation for self-exploration and understanding. Thoughts and feelings often reach expression in images rather than in words. Through the use of art therapy, feelings and inner conflicts can be projected into visual form. In the creative act, conflict is re-experienced, resolved and integrated.”
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy takes place in a therapeutic setting which provides a supportive environment for the expression and processing of feelings through art-making. Art therapy is not the same as art class because the focus is on the process more than on the product, and there is the therapeutic goal of connecting to the art in order to enhance understanding of one's inner world.
Art therapy can be helpful for people dealing with:
anxiety
depression
life transitions
grief and loss
critical illness
creative block
lack of focus
challenges affecting self-esteem
the need to communicate an experience that may otherwise be inexpressible...because sometimes there are no words.
What are the benefits of art therapy?
The benefits of art therapy can include:
increased confidence
more secure sense of self
enhanced coping skills
reduced feelings of stress
greater clarity about priorities and possibilities
improved self-care
greater focus with a mindfulness approach
improved quality of life.
Creativity and Creative Expression
“Creativity is not just for artists. It’s for businesspeople looking for a new way to close a sale; it’s for engineers trying to solve a problem; it’s for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way. ”
Changing the world
Sometimes we need a fresh way of seeing the world and that can open up a new way of being in the world. It can even change the world.
The Blue Spark Art Studio offers opportunities for visual exploration and creative expression through art-making, either in individual sessions or in groups.
If you are interested in individual sessions or a creative expression workshop in the studio or onsite in an organization or a community, please email Cathie at dunlopcatherine@gmail.com for more information.