Julia Vlaming is the Owner and Art Therapist for Ottawa ARt Therapy:
Undergrad: BSc Psychology (with honours), Graduate Diploma: Art Therapy, Continuing education: Behavioural Science (ABA, IBI) training, attending ongoing conferences and workshops on Art Therapy and arts in mental health. I started off my career by working with children with autism, and continued to get training and work as a behaviour therapist. I tried to sneak in art whenever possible, and found it to be a great tool for language and skill development, grounding, and communication. I found this lovely city was in dire need of more art therapists, so Ottawa Art Therapy was born! I took on individual clients and facilitated groups for other organizations. I ended up working with clients going through loss, those experiencing anxiety and depression, individuals with terminal illness, women in shelters, those with selective mutism, ADHD, PPD, children with global developmental delays, ASD, Down's Syndrome and those just looking to increase their quality of life through the arts. Many of my groups and individual sessions combine art and music, but they don't have to (if one or the other is preferred). I focus on family and individual goals! I hope to build a community of people who use art to promote mental health (their own or that of others). I aim for life long positive changes! The youngest client I have had was just under 2 years old, my oldest was 80+. Children, teens, adults; everyone can benefit from a therapeutic approach using methods that they can incorporate into their everyday life.
