Heather Caruso

Heather Caruso offers art therapy services to adults, online and in person, serving Guelph, Cambridge, and Kitchener Waterloo area.

Hi, thank you for checking out my profile! I’m Heather Caruso, a Registered Canadian Art Therapist (RCAT) and Registered Psychotherapist (RP), and the owner of Art Therapy Guelph. I’m a mature woman, proud Mom of two boys and two fur babies. I am humble, warm, personable, funny and straightforward. I love love love art. I love making, looking at, and talking about art, always have. Art is my jam! My clients tell me they love that I am down to earth and that they feel supported and accepted.

I graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honors Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a degree in Art History and Studio Art, and from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute with a diploma in Art Therapy. I am a member of the CRPO, the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, and the OATA and CATA, the Ontario and Canadian Art Therapy Association. I have taken many art therapy courses since graduation such as nature, mindfulness, restorative attachment, grief, sensorimotor and trauma art therapy. I have also completed courses in general psychotherapy on anxiety, depression, trauma, attachment, and abuse and art making techniques. I have a certificate in trauma counselling.

Although I am a psychotherapist, my focus in sessions is less on talking and more on using creative artmaking as a tool in therapy. The art is a means for self discovery, exploration, expression, understanding and soothing. It provides a creative outlet that supports people in a way that is gentle, effective, and fun.

My areas of interest are:

• Adults
• Mature women
• Individuals
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Grief
• Life transitions
• Narcissistic abuse
• Perfectionism
• Self Esteem
• Stress
• Trauma
• Post traumatic stress

I have personally experienced and continue to witness art therapy’s gentle transformational powers. During my training to become an art therapist, our instructors suggested we all do our own work. I did and I gained a deeper understanding and acceptance of myself. My self-esteem and self-compassion increased by 100%. Art therapy was liberating and transformational. It changed me for the better. I could see a positive path ahead of me. I feel blessed and grateful to be able to share my gifts with others. My hope is that together, my clients and I will process the darkness of their past and paint a brighter future.

Want more information? Heather offers a complimentary 15-minute chat where you can ask questions about what she does to see if it is a good fit.