Patricia Williams, RCAT

Patricia Williams, SW, Dip. ATh., MA, RCAT

Patricia obtained her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology in 2016 and graduated as an art therapist from the B.C. School of Art Therapy in 2011. She became a registered social worker in 2002, trained as a play therapist with the Canadian Association for Play Therapy and completed a Certificate in Visual Arts in 2007. She has a BA in Psychology from the University of Alberta.

Patricia has worked in a variety of national and international settings with diverse populations over the past twenty years. She has provided services within the school system, in private and community agencies, and in her private practice, Heartwork Integrated Art Therapy Services. She has a special interest in attachment and the inherent suitability of art therapy for treating attachment-based issues. Patricia is a qualified teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). She received her training directly from Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer, the developers of MSC, and is interested in how mindfulness and self-compassion can be integrated into the art therapy process.

Patricia presented at the Canadian Art Therapy Conference in 2016 on the topic of cultivating compassion for the earth. She identifies as a Metis woman and her work as a contemporary fused glass artist also reflects her deep love of the natural world, which is a central value of her cultural heritage.  Her many interests include conflict resolution, play therapy, children and divorce, suicide intervention, neurobiology, and eating disorders.