Frequently Asked Questions

Can you tell me more about the Next Top Spiritual Author Competition?
What is your philosophy as a mentor?
What is animal assisted therapy?
What is joy?
Is everything I say confidential in counselling?
What is your theoretical orientation?
What is art therapy?
How do I become an art therapist in Canada?
Is the profession of art therapy ‘recognized’ in Canada?
Do I have to do my own art therapy in order to become an art therapist?
How do I specialize in sexual abuse/assault counselling?
What professional associations do you belong to?
What are your fees?
What are your fees for counselling?
What are your fees for distance counselling through the Distance Support Program?
What are your fees for consultation?
What are your fees for supervision?
What are your fees for workshops?
Do your fees slide?
How does your sliding scale work?
What insurance information do I need?
Do you have any comments that people say about you?

My philosophy as a mentor has always been to support those I teach, supervise and consult with to the point where they far exceed any success that I have been able to achieve for myself. This is why I wrote the Program to Activate your Business Consciousness, so that you may have easy access to information that took me decades to discover because I had to learn through experience. I am hopeful that this course can help you learn through my accumulated decades of experience in private practice and therefore greatly accelerate your journey to success.

Dr. Duanita currently works in her studio with two canine co-therapists and enjoys dog assisted therapy as a specialization.

She and her husband came in for crisis counselling during one of the most difficult times in a domestic adoption process. The baby had just been born and just a little bit early, before any official paperwork had been processed. Though everyone’s intentions in the situation were that the couple was to be the child’s adopted parents, the little one’s early birth and a stay at the hospital all made for a very complicated and highly anxious situation.

As the woman and her husband talked Angel instinctively moved beside her and leaned up against her leg. In her note of gratitude to Angel the woman wrote about how significant this act on Angel’s part was to her. She spoke about how she felt herself ground through the weight of Angel’s body against her leg. He spoke about how comforting the warmth from Angel’s soft, furry body felt to her at a time where she felt she was going crazy with anxiety, despair, fear and concern that her much desired baby girl might not come to her.

She then spoke about how during all of the scary times in the whole process (in the hospital; in bed at night worrying that something might happen to prevent their adoption from going smoothly) she would remember this particular moment she had shared privately with Angel during her time in counselling. It was this kinetic memory of grounding through Angel’s body that she would rely on to keep herself from going crazy with worry and fear through the birthing process of their adoption.

Once the happy ending occurred and their new adopted baby was safely home with them this woman remembered the profound gift that Angel had given her and wrote to thank her for guiding her through the darkness of that part of their journey.

Everything said in sessions is confidential with the following three exceptions:

Eclectic. I draw on elements from the humanistic (Rogers, Adler), cognitive/behavioral, psychodynamic (Jung), and transpersonal psychology (Groth) schools of thought depending on the situation and client(s) that I am dealing with.

Art therapy is a way of working with the creative process of art making in healing on a physical, mental and/or emotional level. Engaging in a creative process can be inherently therapeutic. The images produced are often helpful in communicating emotions and experiences. No artistic skill is required to participate in art therapy. For more information about art therapy please visit the American Art Therapy Association website.

In order to become an art therapist in Canada you must first get a University Undergraduate degree. Students that apply to art therapy programs come from either a background in counselling or a background in the arts.

Once you go to University and graduate with your undergraduate then you can apply for art therapy programs. Completion of most programs results in getting your Masters Diploma in Art Therapy. It is very important to note that in Canada the only program that actually offers a Masters Degree in Art Therapy is Concordia. There are many University degree programs, however, that offer a specialization in art therapy.

In British Columbia there are many graduate programs in art therapy to choose from depending on where you live, for example, the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute (Vancouver), the BC School of Art Therapy (Victoria), the Adler School of Professional Psychology (Vancouver) and the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute (in the interior of BC).

This is a question that many people ask because the profession is considered a relatively ‘new’ field in Canada. Working with art for purposes of healing, however, has been around for a long time.

Because art therapy is relatively “new” in Canada, there are relatively very few ‘job jobs’ that have the title “Art Therapist”. Most art therapists working in the field have been hired on another degree (like an MSW or MA). The art therapists that graduate with a graduate diploma in art therapy usually go the route of developing a private practice. Also, most art therapists need to get approved for client insurance programs either on another degree they hold or by getting an ‘exception’ granted since most Canadian insurance companies have yet to update their lists for the kind of therapists that they provide coverage for in order that they include expressive therapies like art therapy.

When you have an art therapy graduate diploma or degree or specialization, however, you are actually very appealing to employers as a counsellor. Non-verbal skills are really necessary in many settings and having the art therapy training makes you much more employable as a counsellor, especially if this is in combination with another graduate degree. Research in the area of trauma, for example, is now showing that trauma is held in non-languaging areas of the brain which means that non-verbal therapies may be the best to access and heal such deep wounds.

Always remember that one of the very best ways to learn to be an art therapist is to begin to do your own art therapy. Look around for art therapy groups and/or an art therapist to work with where you live. When you do the art therapy yourself, you will get an understanding and experience that far exceeds the academic training you will require.

Regarding specializing in sexual abuse/rape, once again the best way to learn is by actually volunteering to counsel at a place where you will get experience. Wherever you are in the world, just Google up local crisis lines that deal with sexual assault/rape/abuse. Usually they have excellent training programs and then you get to begin counselling immediately as a volunteer and get experience. Another good place to volunteer is at battered women shelters. In both these places you will immerse in the issues with counsellors doing the work around you...and your learning will be accelerated.

I am registered with the British Columbia Association of Social Workers (BCASW); the British Columbia Art Therapy Association (BCATA); the Canadian Art Therapy Association(CATA); and the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). I adhere to codes of ethics of my professional associations, and carry full professional liability insurance through Aon Reed Stenhouse.

Fees may be paid privately, through employers for supervision/consultation, through agencies (for example, Choices Adoption Services), through government programs (for example, Residential Historical Treatment Program (RHAP), Deaf and Hard of Hearing Well Being Program (WBP), Psychological Assessment and Short Term Services (PASTS), through Employee Assistance Programs (for example, Ceridian Lifeworks, Wilson Banwell Human Solutions, Humanicare), through insurance companies (for example, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia), and/or through Health and Welfare Canada- Native Affairs.

Fees for counselling are $175 per hour plus HST. More information about Counselling Services

The rates are $65 Canadian per 15 minute period rounded up to the nearest 15 minute period or $200 per hour. Sliding scale is available. More information about Distance Counselling

Fees for consultation are $200 per hour plus HST. More information about Consultation Services

Fees for supervision are $200 per hour plus HST. More information about Supervision Services

Please contact us for details on fees for workshops.

Yes. The cost of counselling varies depending on whether or not you have insurance and the type of insurance you have. Always call your Human Resources and ask if you have an Employee Assistance Program. If so, ask if it covers a Registered Clinical Social Worker, how much it covers per year, if it is a calendar year or fiscal year, and what the maximum is that they cover per session. This will give you a good idea of your coverage. On my private practice caseload a limited number of spaces are available as eligible for sliding scale.

There are a limited number of sliding scale spots held on the caseload for people requiring financial assistance. It is important to check for availability.

The way the sliding scale works is that you determine what it is that you can afford at the time and you slide it as your circumstances change. The rate is decided at the first counselling session when, after hearing more of your story and needs, you will receive more of an idea about the frequency of visits that you may require. From there, you will be able to determine an amount that can work within your means at any given time.

If cost or location does not work for you, you can be referred to another counsellor in another location or at a different fee scale.

There are 6 important questions to ask your insurance company before attending counselling. Please read the section on Insurance Information for details.

"Duanita is an educator, a clinical social worker, a registered art therapist, an inspirational speaker and a published writer.

Duanita is my mentor. She is a fire cracker. She has more energy than four of me. She is a straight shooter. She is vibrant, intelligent, elegant and funny.

Duanita is an old soul. She thinks outside the box on many magical, symbolic levels.

Duanita has been a therapist for many years. She has worked with children and their families, individuals and groups using many different approaches, including art therapy.

She has experience with children’s as well as teenager and adult issues.

I trust Duanita whole heartedly. "

Articles By Dr. Duanita

An Objective Therapy Space
Animal Assisted Therapy
Creating A Healing Art Therapy Space, Five Considerations
Canadian Journal Of Art Therapy, 'Changing The World Through The Arts'
Conference Proceedings, 7th Annual Hawaii International Conference On Education
Going Into Private Counselling Practice
Why 'Organic Design' For the Work in 'The Role of the Arts in the Transformation of Consciousness'