Elly Boer~ Artist, Therapist, Nature Lover

Elly has her Diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute and her Master’s in Counselling from Athabasca University.  Earlier in life, she studied dance and biology at San Francisco State University before obtaining her Bachelor's in Fine Art from the University of California Santa Cruz.  Additional academic pursuits include licensing as a Registered Massage Therapist in California, and 2 years’ study in traditional East Asian and integrative healthcare at the Pacific College of Health and Science in San Diego. 

Elly’s approach with clients is highly personalized and draws from Creative Arts Therapies, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction practices, and Compassion-Focused Therapy.  She often combines creative art therapies, such as visual arts, movement, creative writing, and land art, with tenets of Gestalt, Person-Centred and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction therapies, including activities such as breathing exercises, meditation, mindfulness, visualization, self-compassion practices, and somatic attunement.  Elly understands from her own personal experience, as well as through her work with clients, that an integrated approach of mental, emotional and physical therapies, can bring a fuller and more cohesive sense of being and healing in practice.

In her free time, Elly enjoys the outdoors through hiking, trail running, camping, xc skiing, canoeing, and backpacking. She also cherishes family time with her adult son and 10-year-old Havanese pup, gardening and landscaping, and frequent trips to the coast and California to visit family and friends.

Session components:

• A safe atmosphere and confidential therapeutic relationship

• Engaging conversation, active listening and non-violent communication skills

• Visual art-making (painting, drawing, fibre art, mixed media construction)

• Multi-sensory play and expression (clay and sculpture, puppets, 

• Breathing exercises, meditation, development of awareness

• Self-love and compassion-centred exploration and practice

• Somatic, body-centred attunement and mindful body-scanning

• Relevant psycho-education and resources

• Outdoor and nature-based activities

Areas of experience:

• bereavement, grief and loss

• depression, thoughts of suicide or attempts at suicide

• dark or negative emotions and thoughts 

• traumatic physical experiences

• car accidents

• concussion, chronic physical pain

• lethargy, exhaustion 

• abusive relationships

• communication issues in romantic or family relationships

• separation and divorce

• stress, anxiety, panic, overthinking, overwhelm, rumination

• significant or difficult life transitions

• parenting challenges with children and teens

• emotional eating, binging, bulimia, poor body-image, obsessive or highly restrictive dieting 

• perfectionism, self-criticism, self-doubt, and self-limiting beliefs

• auto-immune and arthritis issues

• artistic and creative blockages

• feeling stuck or lost in life

Current meeting formats:

In-person, online video conferencing, and phone sessions are all currently available. Outdoor and home sessions may be an option.

Elly works with adult, youth and child clients, individually or in family or group sessions. 

Clients with extended health care coverage may be eligible for Registered Clinical Counselling through their benefits, and should discuss this with their provider.