Art for Wellness

Engaging in artistic activities can help those living with a chronic illness to channel their thoughts and feelings in a constructive way, reducing anxiety and promoting mindfulness.

Art

Art can have a significant impact on mental wellbeing by offering a creative outlet for self-expression, stress relief, and emotional processing. Engaging in artistic activities like painting, drawing, or sculpting can help those living with a chronic illness to channel their thoughts and feelings in a constructive way, reducing anxiety and promoting mindfulness.

The immersive nature of art encourages focus and helps quiet the mind, offering a sense of control and accomplishment. Additionally, observing or creating art can stimulate the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, boosting mood and fostering a sense of joy. Whether practiced individually or as part of a community, art can also strengthen social connections, enhance self-esteem, and serve as a therapeutic tool for navigating life's challenges.

Weekly Online Classes

Take some time for fun and join the drop-in virtual sessions to help improve your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. The Kidney Wellness Hub is pleased to offer, in partnership with Kutenai Art Therapy Institute, a welcoming space for you to participate in. These drop-in sessions are designed for anyone and no prior art experience is required to join.

Use art as a non-verbal way to express complex thoughts and emotions you may find challenging to put into words. Art for Wellness can help you gain insights into your emotions and experiences, be calming, and release stress or anxiety. Plus build your social connections with other participants in these weekly sessions. Although no specific materials are needed, these classes offer participants the opportunity to play and experience various artistic mediums for self-expression, emotional release, and personal growth. Participants can experiment with painting, drawing, sculpting, and more to enhance their wellness journey.

Check below for any upcoming classes and sessions.

Art for Wellness Instructors

  • Millie is KATI’s Academic Co-Dean and Supervision Chair. Millie graduated from the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute in 2001 and completed a MA in Counseling in 2008. She has additional training in Integrated Body Psychotherapy and systemic family therapy. She is a Registered Canadian Art Therapist and a Registered BC Clinical Counselor. Areas of special interest and work experience include ending violence against women, trauma resolution, palliative care, grief and loss, mental health and addictions, child and youth mental health and family systems. Millie brings a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach to her work both as a therapist and educator. She is particularly interested in the integration of somatic experiencing, body awareness and mindfulness with art therapy practice. She currently has a part-time supervision private practice.

  • Juanita Kiff, BSc, DKATI, RCAT, is an avid painter and clinician who offers mental health and substance counseling and art therapy services primarily focused on Indigenous populations.item descripti

  • Daniella embodies the roles of a nurturing mother, an artist, and an art therapy intern. With colours, textures, and storytelling, she channels the potent healing and inspiring capabilities of art. Her aspiration is to gently guide individuals on a journey of emotional revelation, offering solace and cultivating growth through the therapeutic prowess of creative expression.

  • Brooke Henderson is a second-year art therapy intern at the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute and holds a BA in psychology. Brooke is also a trained actor and singer and has been in the industry for more than ten years. Brook's area of interest is helping artists break through psychological and mental barriers to their creativity by using art as a tool for self-expression and somatic processing. Brooke hopes to hold space for others to share and explore their experience through art making.

  • Lex is a second year, art therapy intern at Kutenai Art Therapy Institute. She enters the therapeutic space as an artist herself, always striving to create environments that allow for connection, to the process, materials, community, self, and the unknown. Central to her approach is an attempt to infuse an element of magic into each step of the journey. Engaging with play and experimentation along the way to assist stories, beliefs and ideas to come alive in the form of artistic creation.

Current Art Classes