Please find the update below, around in-person sessions closing and moving to online only.
(This will be a temporary measure until we are out of the woods with Covid-19)
After much reflection, and giving close attention to the daily updates from our national and provincial governing bodies, I have made the difficult decision to close all in-person sessions after today, March 25, 2020. With the rise in community transmissions, it is increasingly more difficult to ethically have clients in the studio; sanitizing art supplies is quite difficult, and I just cannot guarantee that everything & every surface is continually disinfected to a degree needed to keep everyone safe.
Ethically, I also am not looking to disrupt my clients’ therapy any more than I have to, so I am offering moving sessions to my online platform. I recognize that it does change the session to the degree that we won’t be in the same room together, and any art materials will need to be sourced at home. However, I have many clients who meet me remotely, and so, I have a lot of experience holding sessions this way. The art materials need not be extensive or elaborate, and we can get creative on how we navigate that challenge. Plain paper and simple drawing/colouring tools are often more than enough. I have a list of basic materials that if you have already, would be lovely to have on hand during sessions if you wish to make art. Please get in touch if you’d like me to send you that list.
I have contacted my current clients directly, and I post this here as a way to make sure everyone is informed and on the same page. I know that many of my clients are sharing the rise in anxiety with the current situation we are in; tolerating a place of unknown is difficult for humans, and I encourage you to have compassion for yourself and others. Supporting your mental health through this is vital, and we all need to make sure we have those supports in place.
Please let me know if you have any questions or wonders; I welcome your thoughts and any needs you wish to share with me.
I hope this finds you well and rooted,
Nikki Featherstone (she/her)
~ Art Therapist, DKATI, RCAT
Haven Art Therapy Studio
RCAT: #248-R-19
ACTA: #1375
~ Nourish Your Spirit 