Caro Garofalo, RTC, ExAT

Sex/Gender: Non-binary, Female
Pronouns: She / Her, They / Them
Ethnicity: Chinese, Japanese
Bio

Hi! My name is Carō and I am an Expressive Arts therapist.

Have you ever been curious about the intersection of the arts and therapy? As an Expressive Arts practitioner, I’m happy to explore this with you!

Expressive Arts therapy encompasses all of the following, and more (drawing, painting, dance and movement, theatre, sound). The goal is to express! This work weaves in ideas from somatics, psychotherapy, mindfulness, (etc) and gives you the opportunity to express without solely verbalizing (although that is ok too!). You do not need to be “good” at any of these art forms, or identify with your own artistic practice to participate (although I’d argue that everyone is inherently an artist).

A little about me – I am an immigrant to Canada, My lived experience with being a mixed race person of color has informed the care with which I approach culture, and cultural issues. I have an academic background in the Arts, dance and theatre. I very much enjoy working with children and youth, and have experience working with addictions, grief, self harm, teenagers, LGBTQIA2S+ people, BIPOC, and I am sex worker positive.

I have been practicing for 2 years, and constantly love learning more about brain chemistry, decolonization, the arts, suicide intervention, the work of Deb Dana and Gabor Mate, and how to generally be a better person and better therapist. I believe that lived experiences are just as (in some cases more) important than academic accolades and am passionate about decolonizing institutions and systems, including therapy. It is very important to me to be able to meet you first and foremost as human to human. I don’t believe in a power dynamic between therapist and client. I’m here to help you and offer a non-judgmental listening ear, and safe space to create and express.

Connection, safety, and trust are the pillars of my practice, and I believe that YOU are truly the expert of your life, body, mind and spirit. I am here to help you remember that, to help you feel validated, empowered, supported, and find creative solutions to any problems you may be facing in your life.

If you’re feeling creatively blocked, need support right now, want to explore and create more, are looking for something a little bit different than traditional talk therapy, or maybe you’re just curious – please feel free to reach out to me for a free 15 minute consultation call.

I look forward to hearing from you,

all the best,

Carō

Qualifications
License Number: 2720, 230
License Province: British Columbia, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Alberta
Sliding Scale / Reduced Fee Accepted: Yes
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Languages
English
Modalities
Individuals
Therapy Offered
Telehealth/Teletherapy
Types of Therapy
Expressive Arts, Trauma-Focused, LGBTQ+ Affirming
Issues
Child or Adolescent, Stress, Racial Identity, Burnout, Anxiety
Last modified: May 18, 2023

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