Mindy Alexander
DTATI, REGISTERED PYSCHOTHERAPIST (CRPO), Registered Canadian ART THERAPIST
MED, BFA, OCT
I have over 15 years experience witnessing the power of the arts as a researcher, educator, and artist. My personal journey of healing led me to facilitate workshops on fostering sustainable happiness, which suggests that what is ultimately good for the earth is also good for humans and all beings. Wanting to dig deeper into how I could enrich and deepen my understanding of happiness and well-being, I completed my art therapy training and earned the Martin A. Fischer Best Thesis Prize for my research exploring my journey of healing from trauma.
I'm a Registered Psychotherapist (#10036) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and Professional Art Therapist through the Canadian Art Therapy Association (#53279760). I'm also a qualified secondary school teacher through the Ontario College of Teachers (#598242).
I'm a Registered Psychotherapist (#10036) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and Professional Art Therapist through the Canadian Art Therapy Association (#53279760). I'm also a qualified secondary school teacher through the Ontario College of Teachers (#598242).
When we heal ourselves, we heal the world. -Mark Nepo
My art
I make different kinds of art, just like we can make different kinds of art in art therapy.
I make pastel drawings on a daily basis, like writing in a journal. It's a way for me to check in with how I'm doing emotionally and to slow down enough to process my emotions. I might scribble to get my anger out, draw a dream I had, or recreate an inspiring image from my daily walk or bike ride. This is often process-based art where the experience itself helps me to sit with or process emotions. The art may also be symbolic or metaphoric, like an image of a bird in flight representing a sense of freedom or playfulness. It can also be an affirmation of where I would like to focus my attention or what I would like to call into my life.
I make pastel drawings on a daily basis, like writing in a journal. It's a way for me to check in with how I'm doing emotionally and to slow down enough to process my emotions. I might scribble to get my anger out, draw a dream I had, or recreate an inspiring image from my daily walk or bike ride. This is often process-based art where the experience itself helps me to sit with or process emotions. The art may also be symbolic or metaphoric, like an image of a bird in flight representing a sense of freedom or playfulness. It can also be an affirmation of where I would like to focus my attention or what I would like to call into my life.
I use photographs as a way of noticing and appreciating the beauty that's around me. I used to take photos of specific colours, but now now I tend to look for what is beautiful or intriguing to me in the moment. Even without a camera, looking with a "photographer's eye" can help train the mind and body to focus on beauty and safety. This is a way of using art to be mindful, to help regulate the nervous system, and to train the brain to focus on more positive aspects of the world around us.
I also make art focusing on aesthetic choices with the final product in mind, be it for for an audience in a gallery, other public space, or my own walls. I enjoy sculptural and installation art. Making art for the sake of it has many therapeutic benefits and is known as "art as therapy". It can be a way of expressing yourself, feeling a sense of accomplishment, and inspiring a sense of Flow. In the way that birds need to sing, I think we are all hardwired for creative expression!
Long-term Care Homes
I facilitate in-person art therapy sessions with residents of a long-term care facility. Sessions focus on
- stimulating the brain by exploring various materials and making choices
- physical relaxation by engaging with potentially calming imagery and art-making activities
- processing grief, dealing with transitions, and exploring one's legacy by focusing on personal values and meaning through the art making.
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Andrea Steinwand and Mindy Alexander led group and individual art therapy sessions culminating in residence wide projects inspired by Marc Chagall's 12 Tribes of Israel and Claude Monet's The Artist's Garden at Vétheuil.
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