InnerSpace Art Therapy

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Canada
Hamilton, ON
InnerSpace Art Therapy

A creative mental health practice to help explore your inner space!

03/03/2026

Often feelings live in your body before your mind can name them.

Drawing with a material in each hand at the same time engages both sides of your brain. This movement can reveal unconscious patterns and implicit memories while helping your nervous system regulate. The way your hands move, the rhythm, pressure, or control, gives a non-verbal window into how your body and mind are organizing and integrating experience.

Bilateral movement isn’t just drawing. Walking, running, rocking, drumming, and therapies like EMDR also use cross-lateral movement to help your brain integrate, calm the nervous system, and safely access implicit memory.

As you move both hands, notice what comes up in your body and mind. There is no right or wrong. Pay attention to rhythm, pressure, and surprises, and let your body guide you.
Curious if art therapy is a good fit for you?

Book a free 15-minute consultation to learn more! 🌞

02/21/2026

Each material has a story to tell. Torn paper can hold rupture. Collage pieces can show rebuilding. Masks invite us to explore who we are. Ink, clay, and paint carry movement and feeling.

It’s not just making art, it is a gentle, tactile, visual dialogue with yourself and often that is where healing begins. In this space the materials do not tell the story for you they hold it. They let it surface slowly layer by layer in its own time and language.

Because media matters. Every texture, colour, and form becomes part of the language of healing ✨

02/20/2026

It’s been a full month in our new studio together so here’s a few things I’ve been reminded of during this time:

- working alongside friends and like-minded humans is the BEST
- a 2kg container of hot chocolate only lasts 3-4 business weeks 😂
- community truly is everything, and we are so grateful to feel at home in our new neighbourhood
- diet coke > flavoured water (any day)
- those 10 minutes we get to hang out in between sessions are some of the best moments of our day
- environment is so, so important and we love seeing people feel comfy + welcome when they walk in the door
- snacks = creative fuel (we’ve upgraded to Costco trips, haha)
- shared spaces also means shared celebrations
- we absolutely underestimated how many mugs we’d need
- it’s MUCH easier to to the hard things when you’re surrounded by support

and lastly,

-building community together is such a gift- I am so grateful for everyone who has supported us on this journey, it’s a vibrant reminder that we were never meant to do this alone 💗

02/14/2026

A scribble might look random, but it can be the doorway to so much more.

In art therapy, we often start by just letting the hand move, no plan, no pressure.

Then we can pause and look at the lines. Shapes and images start to appear, sometimes things you didn’t even notice were there.

Your brain is wired to find patterns. As shapes begin to appear, they naturally connect to memory, emotion, and imagination. Because the movement comes before the thinking, the inner critic softens!

This is such a wonderful way to tend to our brains before we settle into a big meeting, a creative project or an hour of focus. It helps us invited play and flexibility into our minds + bodies.

Fun Fact:

I (Lauren) am an only child + when my parents and I would drive the loooong drive to Florida. I would pass a drawing pad back + forth to the front seat, asking my mom to draw a scribble and then challenging myself to make a picture. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this exercise in grad school! 😅

If you try it out- let me know how it goes!

02/02/2026

The questions we explore in art therapy, like “What do you see?” or “How did it feel to make this?” help us connect with our feelings and our bodies. They also teach us to slow down, notice more, and see the world in new ways.

What we learn + practice in the studio can follow us into everyday life, helping us be more open, present, and curious. ✨

Curious about art therapy?

Book a free consultation today to get matched with an art therapist!

Book via the link in our bio.

02/01/2026

We get so many thoughtful, curious questions about art therapy.

How does it work? What actually happens in a session? Do I need to be artistic?
(No. Truly. No. 😄)

We wanted to create space and time to connect with anyone who’s curious about the work we do and help make art therapy feel more accessible, less intimidating, and more human. There are NO dumb questions, we promise!

That’s why we’re offering a free 15 minute general intake call where you can ask anything, explore whether art therapy might be a good fit, and get matched with the right therapist for you or your child.

Book your free call today!
Visit the link in our bio 🎨

01/26/2026

Meet Cristina!

Cristina is an eclectic art therapist and psychotherapist who works from a deeply client-centred and relational approach. She combines art with evidence-based methods like CBT, DBT, IFS, and polyvagal theory and tailors therapy to each person’s needs.

She works with teens, adults, and seniors, including support for men’s mental health. Therapy with Cristina is collaborative, reflective, and grounded in real life, helping you explore emotions, patterns, and your nervous system in a safe and human way.

No art experience is needed. Creative processes help access what’s hard to put into words and make sense of experiences in an embodied way.

Cristina is currently welcoming new clients!

Visit the link in our bio to book a free consultation ✨

01/22/2026

Being q***r or questioning can come with layers of experience that aren’t always obvious at first. Many q***r people carry deep emotional wounds from living in a world that wasn’t designed with them in mind. Over time, these experiences can become internalized and show up as shame or disconnection.

Q***r folks may also experience body image concerns that don’t align with mainstream narratives. Many are also navigating the tension between wanting to live authentically and knowing that “coming out” doesn’t always feel safe, especially depending on family, cultural, or social contexts. Many q***r people are also neurodivergent, or curious about how they may fall within the spectrum of neurodiversity.

Carly supports q***r people in holding multiple, complex identities with care, so that all parts of you can feel seen and valued. This work isn’t just about acceptance, it’s about belonging.

In q***r art therapy, we use creativity as a way to explore authenticity, identity, and connection, and to imagine a sense of community that truly works for you. You don’t need to be an artist or feel “good” at art. We might use collage, sculpture, music, lyrics, bibliotherapy, writing, or storytelling…whatever supports your expression.

This approach can be meaningful for people of all ages, including adults and youth. You deserve support that honours who you are, fully.

Carly Leyburne (They/Them) is a q***r, nonbinary art therapist with availability for in-person sessions in downtown Hamilton, or virtually from anywhere in Ontario.

Visit the link in our bio to book today! ✨

01/20/2026

I was going to write a bit, sappy caption about the new studio- but I thiiiiiink I just want to let the space speak for itself!

Welcome home, we can’t wait to make art with you!

🏡 ✨

(scroll to the last slide to see how we’re adjusting!)

12/31/2025

*gratitude was the last word before I cut myself off!

Looking so forward to what’s ahead, thank you so much for being here and coming on this journey with us ✨

12/27/2025

Some things are easier to draw than explain ✨

Our January schedules are now open for children (6+), teens, and adults.

We offer a calm, supportive art therapy space where making art helps you or your child explore feelings, release tension, and make sense of what’s going on inside.

No pressure + no art experience needed, with gentle guidance, caring support and all the materials you need, you’ll have a safe, welcoming space to create, play, and explore.

If this feels like a good fit, we’d love to connect 💛

Inquire through the link in our bio, we’ll be in touch soon!

12/24/2025

a year in review, so very grateful for it all ✨

January - slowly outgrowing my first little studio space 🏠

February - trying to figure out if I can make this into … something??

March - 10 days straight of set up & tear down but we made it.

April - workshops and making new friends!

May - getting back into the flow of workshops and groups🌱

June - doing all the awkward things like networking

July - a very merry week of summer camp! 🎨

August - growing + expanding into a second room

September - our very first art therapist meet up (thank u so much for coming!!!!)

October - exploring new spaces 👀

November - soaking up all the messy moments in this space I’m going to miss

December - closing out the year with a lot of excitement for what’s ahead

Address

Hamilton, ON
L0R1C0

Telephone

+19055152449

Website

http://www.innerspacearttherapy.ca/

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