Hi, I’m Chelsea (they/them)

I'm a Registered Art Therapist (ATR), educator, and facilitator of creative experiments and rituals designed to ignite healing and authentic self-expression. For two decades, I’ve worked alongside individuals reclaiming joy, trust, and confidence in their bodies and lives.

Rooted in trauma-informed social justice and liberation frameworks, I specialize in supporting queer, trans, fat, and other beautifully complex people who have internalized harsh messages about their worthiness.

Together, we unpack, unlearn, and reimagine what joy and authentic expression can look like, resisting oppressive systems that seek to dim our light by reclaiming our power.

Growing up fat, queer, nonbinary, and neurodivergent—without role models or language to understand my experience—I internalized harmful narratives and believed the problem was me.

I became a master at contorting myself to fit in, silencing the parts of me that were in pain and believing that if I could “fix” the parts of myself that didn’t belong, I’d finally be happy. But over time, I realized none of us are broken, or problems to be solved; our systems are.

That realization changed everything. It became the foundation for my work and continues to shape how I show up: with a deep commitment to understanding the roots of what prevents us from truly knowing ourselves and each other.

I’ve dedicated my career to building safer, more welcoming spaces where people can be fully seen, heard, and valued. One foot planted in the work of challenging the systems that keep us small, and the other in nurturing the deep, intimate connections that remind us we’re not alone.

My Background

My roots in this work go deep.

For years, I supported survivors of sexual and domestic violence in hospitals, courtrooms, and crisis centers. I also worked in LGBTQ+ and Multicultural Student Services in higher education, organizing for equity and social change.

In every space, I witnessed how often systems fail to offer care, safety, and gentleness to the people who need it most, and I began to understand that healing is both personal and political. Reclaiming our bodies and our joy after trauma is an act of resistance that honors our right to safety, choice, and self-expression.

Here is a snapshot of how I have put my creative exploration, trauma-informed care, and commitment to collective liberation to good use:

Credentials & Experience:

  • Registered Art Therapist (ATR) with a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Art Therapy

  • Over 20 years of experience providing individual and group arts offerings in clinical and community settings

  • Experienced Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) practitioner and social justice educator

  • Former Director/Instructor of a university art therapy program training future art therapists

  • Trained full-spectrum birth doula, holding space across life’s thresholds

How I Show Up

A glimpse into the values that guide my work, these are the commitments that ground every offering.

  • I honor each person’s inherent right to define their own identity, needs, and life path. I support individuals in making empowered choices that reflect their lived experiences, cultural contexts, and embodied wisdom. I recognize that self-determination is foundational to healing, agency, and well-being for all bodies.

  • I practice ongoing self-reflection and critical awareness. I actively work to recognize and interrupt racism, ableism, fatphobia, anti-Blackness, xenophobia, white supremacy culture, transphobia, and other interlocking systems of oppression. I approach this work with curiosity, accountability, and deep respect for the wisdom, resistance, and resilience within the communities I serve.

  • Healing is not an individual endeavor, but a collective one. I am committed to creating spaces that are rooted in mutual support, relational accountability, and interdependence. Through community-focused and peer-informed practices, I nurture resilience, strengthen solidarity, and co-create spaces of care that honor the needs of the whole person.

  • I am dedicated to clear, honest, and consistent communication. I strive to ground my services and relationships in integrity and care. I work to build and maintain trust with my communities by being accountable, listening deeply, and ensuring that information, resources, and support are accessible, reliable, and relevant to their needs.

  • I honor the complexity and diversity of people’s lived experiences by staying flexible and responsive in my approach. I welcome creativity as a tool for healing and liberation, and I embrace innovative, culturally grounded, and evolving practices that reflect the changing needs of my communities.

What does art have to do with healing?

Creativity and art making can help us slow down, tap into the truth, and express what words can’t always hold.

Healing art isn’t about talent or making something pretty. It’s about expression, curiosity, and creating space to be real. You don’t have to be an artist to work with me, just open to the possibility that something inside you wants to be seen and acknowledged.

Athletic man performs forward lunge yoga pose outdoors

Justice, Power & Practice

If you’d like to know more about who I’ve learned from, who I’m accountable to, and how I understand and address power, privilege, and oppression in my work, I’ve put together a deeper look at my social justice lineage and commitments.

This invitation is here for those who want to understand the roots of my approach and how I strive to show up with integrity, care, and ongoing accountability.