GOLEM Expressive Arts

GOLEM Expressive Arts Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist, and IFS therapist seeing clients online and at her creative space in Burnaby, BC

10/05/2026

Who is with me?!

Let’s hop on that fall bus!Hi everyone! On this gloomy, rainy day, I’d like to share some thoughts about this toughest s...
09/29/2026

Let’s hop on that fall bus!

Hi everyone! On this gloomy, rainy day, I’d like to share some thoughts about this toughest season transition of the year.

The shift from summer to fall can be particularly challenging, especially when it’s abrupt. Spring typically brings more light, warmth, longer days, blooming, and movement. Fall, on the other hand, demands something different: darker mornings, shorter days, colder weather, and a sense of nature’s cyclical closing.

So, perhaps the first step is to embrace the fall season. Fall is inevitable, and fighting it internally won’t make the days longer. Instead, I find it more beneficial to work with the season. Look for beauty deliberately—notice reflections in puddles, migrating birds, fog, wet leaves, and that unique fall light. Collect something small from it: press a beautiful leaf into a book, take a photo, or simply let yourself notice your surroundings.

Then, plan for the ride. Know yourself and what helps you get through fall and winter feeling your best. Maybe it’s a good coat to keep you dry in the rain, staying active with swimming, or increasing your light exposure. Perhaps you need more movement, more connection, or even some sun in the middle of winter if you know you need it.

We can’t control the season, but we can prepare for it, pay attention to it, and maybe even find a few things to love along the way.

What helps you make the transition into fall?

09/25/2026

Happy Friday, everyone! I’m sharing here a glimpse into my love-hate relationship with Vancouver rain: I complain about it, and then I cannot stop photographing it.

Anyone else?

A little advice on how to compliment your Virgo expressive arts therapist.One of the things I love most about my work is...
09/18/2026

A little advice on how to compliment your Virgo expressive arts therapist.

One of the things I love most about my work is that I don’t have to choose between being a therapist and being an artist. Over the years, the two have become increasingly woven together in my practice. I have a counselling room and a working art and pottery studio right next to each other, and I love being able to move between conversation and creative work depending on the person, the session, and what we are exploring together.

The studio, for the record, is never quite this clean.

A little advice on how to compliment your Virgo expressive arts therapist😂One of the things I love most about my work is...
09/18/2026

A little advice on how to compliment your Virgo expressive arts therapist😂

One of the things I love most about my work is that I don’t have to choose between being a therapist and being an artist. Over the years, the two have become increasingly woven together in my practice. I have a counselling room and a working art and pottery studio right next to each other, and I love being able to move between conversation and creative work depending on the person, the session, and what we are exploring together.

The studio, for the record, is never quite this clean.

08/07/2026

One of the reasons I appreciate Internal Family Systems (IFS) is that it gives us a kinder way of understanding ourselves.

Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” it invites a different question: “Which part of me is here right now?”

Over the years, I’ve come to recognize many different parts in myself. The one that listens. The one that creates. The one that reflects. The one that doubts herself. The one that teaches. They all have something to contribute, and none of them tell the whole story of who I am.

The same is true for the people I work with. We are all more complex than any single label, emotion, or role. Learning to become curious about our different parts often brings a little more understanding, a little less self-criticism, and a little more choice.

Which part of you has been showing up lately?

07/31/2026

Away for a couple of weeks in Germany and Latvia, and now I’m home.

It’s always good to change the scenery for a while, but it’s just as good to come back. I’m looking forward to getting back into the studio, seeing clients again, and settling into my usual routines.

Here are a few snapshots from the trip. ✨

I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been craving a little less screen time and a little more real life.Not every sum...
07/14/2026

I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been craving a little less screen time and a little more real life.

Not every summer memory has to be big or expensive. Sometimes it’s a coffee on a park bench, getting lost in a museum, reading outside until the light fades, or finally doing something you’ve been meaning to do just because it sounds nice.

I came across this list and thought it was worth saving. Maybe one or two of these ideas will find their way into your summer too. If they do, I’d love to know which one.

06/30/2026

“The gym is my therapy.”

We’ve become so used to hearing phrases like this that we often stop questioning them. There is truth in them, of course. Exercise, creativity, nature, meaningful relationships, and good food all contribute to our wellbeing. They help us regulate, restore, and support our mental health, and I hope they are part of your life.

At the same time, they don’t do the same job as psychotherapy. If my back hurts, I could take a cooking class instead of seeing a physiotherapist. I might enjoy myself, learn a new skill, meet interesting people, and even feel better for a while. But if I really want to understand why my back keeps hurting and help it heal, I’d probably see someone whose profession is treating backs.

I think our mental health deserves the same respect. If you’re struggling with anxiety, burnout, depression, trauma that keeps resurfacing, or relationship patterns that leave you feeling stuck, it makes sense to seek support from someone whose profession is mental health. That doesn’t mean you stop going to the gym, making art, swimming, or spending time with people you love. It simply means you’re giving your emotional wellbeing the same thoughtful care you would give any other part of your health.

I say this not only as a therapist, but as someone who has been in therapy myself. Therapy has never replaced swimming, pottery, friendships, or time in nature for me, and I would never want it to. They each have an important place in my life. The point isn’t to choose one over the other. The point is to let each one do the job it was designed to do.

06/22/2026

Last week I wrote that therapy feels like work because it is. Change is hard. Looking honestly at ourselves is hard. Learning new ways of relating to ourselves and other people is hard. There is no way around that.

As I was reflecting on that post, I found myself thinking about the courage it takes to keep showing up. Most people don’t come to therapy because life is easy. They come because something hurts, because something no longer works, or because a part of them still hopes that things can be different.

Every time someone walks through my door, I know there are many parts arriving with them. There are parts that are hopeful, parts that are skeptical, parts that are exhausted, and parts that would rather be anywhere else. And yet, somehow, they keep showing up.

So today I simply want to acknowledge that. Thank you to the parts that keep coming back to the work. Thank you to the protectors that have carried so much responsibility for so long. And thank you to the vulnerable parts that are slowly learning it might be safe to be seen.

Therapy is hard work. But before growth, healing, insight, or change, there is something even more fundamental: the willingness to show up.

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Burnaby, BC

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm

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