The Heart of Healing

(She/Her/Hers)

Professional Art Therapist | Canadian Certified Counsellor
 

Note: My parents anglicized my name when I was quite young. You may see both Eaman and Amy on my professional affiliations/degrees. I identify with both names, and will often use them interchangeably.
 

Credentials:

• Masters of Counselling: Art Therapy Specialization (MC:AT)
• Bachelor of Arts: Major in Psychology, with a minor Religious Studies

Additional Training/Certifications:

• Brain Story Certification (2021)
• Eriksonian Hypnosis Level A (2020)
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST; 2020)
• Art Therapy and Grief (2018)
• Radical Exposure Tapping: Deactivating the Buttons & Advanced Radical Exposure Tapping (2017)

Accountability:

• Institutional - I am a member of two professional associations and I abide by their codes/standards: 

1. Canadian Art Therapy Association (Standards of Practice).
2. Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (Code of Ethics).

• Community - Accountability can mean different things between individuals and institutions. To bridge the distinctions that can emerge in this space, I collaborate with peers and community members who I trust and respect to check myself:

1.  Evren Salja (E. E. Salja Counselling)

 Professional Experience:

• Settings: 15+ years working in mental health and community organizations providing counselling and art therapy services. I have supported clients in residential, volunteer, educational/postsecondary, vocational/employment, and therapeutic settings.
• Populations/Groups: 20+ years serving immigrant and refugee, neurodivergent, BIPoC, and LGBTQ communities.
• Areas of Knowledge: BIPoC counselling, neurodivergent counselling, career counselling, service navigation/accessibility, communication, stress management, career transitions, anxiety, depression, anger management, body image/self-esteem, identity and life transitions, sexuality and relationships, grief, and trauma.

Lived Experience:

• I am a woman of color (with African, Asian, and Arab roots), who lives with chronic health conditions. I identify as a Third Culture Kid (you can read more about Third Culture Kids here), and English is my second language (although it is a lot stronger than my native tongue now). 
• I have lived on three different continents and in six different cities. I had an immersive international educational experience, where I lived alongside 80+ different nationalities for the majority of my formative years. I have also had the honor of travelling and studying in many other parts of the world.
• With the two areas above in mind, I bring my journey navigating different systems (e.g., academic, medical, professional, etc.) to my practice through my intersecting identities. 
• I connect to my artistic practice through several different mediums, but I am mostly strongly reflect upon my experiences as a spoken word artist.