Expressive Arts Therapy
Faculty
The Expressive Arts program has a reputation for innovation and leading-edge instruction in expressive arts therapy education.
Our faculty have varied backgrounds that enrich and expand the range of expressive arts. Each of our instructors has a master’s degree in expressive arts or in a related field. Many have completed a Post-Master’s training in expressive arts education and have published their work. In addition to a commitment to advancing the opportunity for expressive arts locally, faculty at the expressive arts program teach and give workshops globally and present at symposiums and conferences around the world.
As a faculty we are committed to evolving and articulating our understanding and teaching in response to the emerging learning and themes of contemporary life. We continue to develop and apply expressive arts in a range of settings including community arts, social practice and social action, ecology and social justice. The diversity of our faculty inspires students to develop a style that is compatible with their own interests in the practice of expressive arts.
Sabette Thompson
Sabette Thompson (she/her) is the Director of the Expressive Arts Therapy program at the Vancouver Arts Therapy Institute. She is an Expressive Arts Therapist and a Registered Clinical Counsellor. Sabette graduated from the Vancouver Expressive Arts program and holds a Masters of Arts in Expressive Arts Therapy with a Minor in Psychology from the European Graduate School.
Heather Dawson
Heather Dawson (she/her) is the Founding Director of the Expressive Arts program in Vancouver and a senior faculty member at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. She is a former faculty at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute and a former adjunct faculty, St. Stephens College at the University of Alberta.
Bonnie Nish
Dr. Bonnie Nish (she/her) is Executive Director of Word Vancouver and Pandora’s Collective Outreach Society. Bonnie has a Masters in Arts Education from Simon Fraser University and a PhD in Language and Literacy Education from the University of British Columbia where she currently teaches in the department of education.
Carrie MacLeod
Carrie MacLeod (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar-practitioner who has worked worldwide with communities, non-profit organizations and educational institutions for three decades. Her socially-engaged work moves at the intersections of conflict transformation, peacebuilding, involuntary migration, decolonial memory practices, performance and experiential pedagogy.
Eric Mulholland
Thank you for taking time to learn more about me and my work. I earned my Masters of Arts in Expressive Arts Therapy with a Minor in Psychology at the European Graduate School (EGS) in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. I also hold an associate mental health license (LMHCA) with the state of Washington.
Giselle Liu
Giselle Liu is a dedicated arts facilitator and interdisciplinary leader, currently serving as Associate Director of Method Dance Society. She holds an MFA from Simon Fraser University and a BA in Dance from the University of Calgary.
Greta Hedley
Originally from England, Greta (she/her) is an Expressive Arts Therapist and Registered Clinical Counsellor. She holds a Masters of Arts in Expressive Arts Therapy with a Minor in Psychology from the European Graduate School and has worked in British Columbia since 2012.
Jamie Norris
Jamie Norris (he/him) is an Expressive Arts Therapist who has been working in communities in the Canadian Northwest Territories for over 20 years. He is an accomplished theatre actor, writer and director who has acted in shows for major BC theatre companies including The Arts Club, Vancouver Playhouse, Belfry and Bard on the Beach.
Jared Ellestad Van Somer
William Jared Penemkin Ellestad Van Somer (he/him) is a proud Tse’Khene man with diverse roots drawing from his patrilineal heritage with the Kwadacha Band of Northern British Columbia and his mother's origins in New South Wales, Australia. Through his work and personal passions, he aspires to bridge gaps, promote healing, and foster understanding among diverse communities.
Jennifer Hamman
Jennifer Hamman (she/her) has a diploma in Expressive Arts Therapy and a Masters of Arts in Expressive Arts Therapy with a Minor in Psychology from the European Graduate School. Jennifer received a BA in Psychology and Contemporary Dance at the University of Calgary, which fostered a love of movement and the creative process of choreographing and performing.
Kelty Jean McKerracher
Kelty (she/they) is a queer settler, expressive arts practitioner, flamenco artist, and lawyer. She grew up in Kamloops, BC, Secwépemc territories, and now lives in Vancouver, BC, on the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.
Lucia de Urioste Bejarano
Lucia de Urioste Bejarano (she/her) is a poet and artist believer at heart. She has been working with children, youth, women and families in community based agencies since 2008 and private practice since 2014.
Melanie Rivers
Melanie Rivers/Tiyaltwelwet (she/her), is an Indigenous portrait artist, instructor, and Expressive Arts Practitioner from the Squamish First Nation. Melanie has 27 years of experience in designing and delivering culturally safe Indigenous health education and policy.
Sabine Silberberg
Sabine Silberberg, PhD, spent 15 years in inner-city HIV/AIDS work in Vancouver, BC, learning about intersectionality through harm reduction work, and about the deep human capacity for resilience. She teaches occasionally in arts-based and therapy degree programs, locally and internationally.
Offering comprehensive professional training programs in art therapy and expressive arts therapy.
Vancouver Art Therapy Institute
#300 – 291 East 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC, V5T 1B8
Phone: 604-681-8284
© Copyright 2025 Vancouver Art Therapy Institute. Site credit.
We recognize that we are on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. We acknowledge that colonialism has made invisible their histories and connections to the land and are committed to continuing education to learn and build relationships with the people whose lands we are on.