Patricia MacAulay BA, BEd, MA, RCAT
Patricia believes in following where our intuition leads us. This approach has taken her across Canada and around the globe in a search to understand herself and the world.
She grew up in a Prince Edward Island fishing family and started her working life as a teacher before moving into social justice efforts that focussed on the rights of our most vulnerable people, including women, children, and people with disabilities. In the early 2000s, she discovered art therapy, a blend of artmaking and therapy. This is a creative and flexible practice that enables people to see themselves, their goals, and their relationships in new ways and safely address any unresolved trauma.
Patricia worked as a therapist in Vancouver, serving a variety of clients – school-aged children, homeless youth, sex trade workers in the Downtown Eastside, and older adults living with the effects of long-term substance abuse. Then, she moved to the western Arctic where she served as Interim Manager and Child, Youth, and Family Counsellor for the region’s mental health and addictions program. She served a variety of clients and concerns, with a special emphasis on recovery from experiences related to violence and addictions. After that, she worked for the local education authority, providing service to school-age children and consulting with service providers and caregivers on children’s needs and issues.
Patricia’s time in the north coincided with an explosion of knowledge about trauma, in general, and the traumatic after-effects of colonization in Canada. She found it to be a challenging and rich experience that has helped her understand humanity more deeply. Along the way, she did additional training in sand tray therapy and in somatic experiencing therapy, two approaches that help people connect with the images and sensations that we carry within our bodies.
Patricia has returned home to her small cottage in rural PEI where she makes art and sees clients remotely.
Patricia is interested in people at all ages and stages. She has considerable experience helping children build their strength and wishes to blend that practice with supporting youth and adults, particularly those who are grappling with big life changes like moving, separating from a partner, shifting careers, or dealing with illness, disability, or other losses.
Patricia also consults on child development and trauma. You can find more on her work at www.threequestions.ca.