Westcoast Expressive

Westcoast Expressive I'm Lora, Registered Art Therapist, Master Therapeutic Counsellor sharing how to use your creativity as medicine for your mind. Hi!

Offering Individual Art Therapy, Clinical Supervision & Workshops. Connect @ the Studio or Online

More info on my website! I'm Lora, Registered Art Therapist, Counsellor and Artist. I offer Individual Art Therapy and Therapeutic Art Classes at my Studio in Courtenay, BC or Virtually.

September is full of change, but we often notice it only in hindsight.This month, instead of drawing what is finished or...
09/01/2026

September is full of change, but we often notice it only in hindsight.

This month, instead of drawing what is finished or fully formed, try drawing something in transition.

A leaf changing colour. A flower going to seed. The light arriving differently. Even a feeling that doesn't quite have words yet.

Sometimes drawing change helps us become a little more comfortable with it.

Waiting for my first client of the day, watching the leaves tumble down around the studio. 🍂There’s something about this...
08/24/2026

Waiting for my first client of the day, watching the leaves tumble down around the studio. 🍂

There’s something about this time of year—the light changing, the air shifting, everything quietly turning.

It feels fitting that my practice has evolved to mostly support people who are navigating their own places of change: new chapters, endings, becoming, finding their way back to themselves.

Maybe that’s why I love these in-between seasons so much. They remind us to pause, notice what’s changing, and wonder what might be next.

Questions to sleep on.Not everything needs an immediate answer.Sometimes a question needs a little time to wander around...
08/18/2026

Questions to sleep on.

Not everything needs an immediate answer.

Sometimes a question needs a little time to wander around inside us. To come to bed. To sit quietly beside us. To be listened to rather than solved.

So tonight, try putting a question under your pillow.

Not because you expect an answer by morning, but because you’re giving it somewhere to land.

What would your question be?

Sleep on it. See what comes.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more protective of my peace.Not through big, sweeping changes, but through small shift...
08/18/2026

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more protective of my peace.

Not through big, sweeping changes, but through small shifts.

I started paying attention to where I felt most myself. I learned to step away from places where I didn’t feel missed. To seek out the people I didn’t have to edit myself around. The spaces where I could be quiet, skip the small talk, go deeper, and not have to pretend the noise or crowds weren’t a lot.

I learned I could take the mask off in those spaces and still feel like I belonged.

Maybe that’s what peace looks like for me now. Knowing what works for me, and being okay with needing it.

If this resonated at all, wherever you find yourself on this journey, stick around. I’d love for this to be a space where you can be yourself too.

I opened my fall calendar today and thought I’d tell you a little bit more about Westcoast ExpressiveTucked among the tr...
08/15/2026

I opened my fall calendar today and thought I’d tell you a little bit more about Westcoast Expressive

Tucked among the trees is a big, warm yurt that I’ve made into a space for making, talking, wondering and simply being.

Slip your shoes off when you arrive, grab a cup of tea and settle into the lounge, surrounded by books and little things to spark your imagination. In the cooler months, there’s a fire crackling away, and plenty of room to stretch out, move things around, make a mess, or gather around the big art table and see what unfolds.

There’s no expectation that you arrive knowing exactly what you need or where we’re going. We can start with a conversation, a piece of paper, some paint, a handful of materials—or simply take a little time to settle in and see what wants to emerge.

I’ve expanded my hours this fall, which means I have a few more spots available for individual art therapy clients. There are also group offerings here at the studio, along with clinical supervision for art therapists.

So if you’ve been thinking about starting therapy, joining a creative gathering, or making a little more room for yourself this season, the fall calendar is now open.

I’d love to see you here.

So… what exactly is a Living Tome?I’ve had quite a few of you ask after seeing my book, so here’s a little more about th...
08/13/2026

So… what exactly is a Living Tome?

I’ve had quite a few of you ask after seeing my book, so here’s a little more about this idea.

A Living Tome is a book that grows with you. A place to gather what matters — stories, memories, recipes, images, things you’ve learned, things you love, the ordinary moments you want to remember.

You craft the book by hand, and then slowly, over time, fill it with pieces of yourself.

No two will be alike. No two could be. Each one grows uniquely with the person who makes it.

This fall, I’m bringing Living Tome into the studio and inviting a small group to make theirs alongside one another

Monthly, we’ll wander through six chapters — Origins, Collections, Ordinary, Connections, Legacy, and the Vessel that holds it all.

We’ll explore where we’ve come from, what we want to hold onto, what we’re drawn to, the life we’re living now, the people and places that shape us, and what we want to carry forward.

There’s something lovely about making something with your hands that can hold a little piece of your life — something you can return to, keep adding to, and perhaps one day pass on.

And you don’t need to be an artist to make one. Just a curiosity to record a life.

More about Living Tome: Legacy Book Project and registration at link in bio or my website.

Or, if you’re curious, ask me. I’d love to know what you’re wondering about.

08/13/2026

Tonight’s the night to watch rainbow meteors tumble to earth. Watching beauty feels necessary and needed. All you have to do is simply look up:)

We talk a lot about nervous system regulation these days.But have you ever actually looked at yours?This one is mine.I u...
08/12/2026

We talk a lot about nervous system regulation these days.

But have you ever actually looked at yours?

This one is mine.

I use drawing sometimes to explore what’s happening in the nervous system because, honestly, words don’t always quite capture what it feels like to be us in a particular moment.

This is how mine showed up on the page.

A little messy. A little wild. Lots going on.

And somehow, seeing it outside of me made it easier to notice what was happening inside.

That’s one of the things I love about art therapy. We don’t need to to lead with words. Sometimes we can simply make a mark and see what it has to say.

08/11/2026

I have a soft spot for a good upcycle.

Partly because I love making things, and partly because I’m ridiculously picky. 😆 I rarely find exactly what I’m looking for, so somewhere along the way I learned to just make it myself.

Like this little tracking journal. The perfectly sized one I couldn’t find anywhere. (That story is for another day)

There’s also something I love about taking an idea right back to the beginning and getting my hands involved. Paper. Board. Thread. A few simple materials and a little figuring it out.

So tonight, I made exactly what I needed from what I already had.

And honestly? So satisfying.

08/10/2026

Furnishing the studio is bit of a treasure hunt.

Finding pieces with a little history, making the space cosy, and creating somewhere you can kick off your shoes, curl up, and feel completely at home. Nothing precious so we don’t worry too much about getting it right and allow the messiness of life.

If you felt yourself exhale with a bit ahhh… I hope you come join me by the fire this fall

Address

Courtenay, BC

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9:30am - 12pm
5:30pm - 9:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 3am
Thursday 9:30am - 12pm
5pm - 9pm

Telephone

+12507265158

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Westcoast Expressive posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Westcoast Expressive:

Shortcuts

Share

Category