Menu
We know that starting therapy can be scary. We're here to help!
To help you know exactly what to expect, here’s our Guide to Starting Therapy at the CO.
What is Creative Arts Therapy?
Creative Arts Therapy uses drawing, painting, music, movement and imaginative play as tools for expressing and understanding emotions and healing trauma. Creative Arts Therapy is different from regular talk-therapy because it uses a non-verbal approach. It can improve physical, mental and emotional well-being through the process of creating art alongside a trained therapist.
Who do we serve?
Creative Arts Therapy at the CO. is for children, teens & young adults struggling with:
- emotional regulation
- lgbtq+ and/or gender
- trauma
- emotional, physical or sexual abuse
- behaviour concerns
- life transitions like: divorce, death, adoption
- anger problems
- neurodiversity
Getting started with Creative Arts Therapy at the CO.
The first step is to call and book a consultation. On the phone, you’ll speak with our receptionist to find a 30 minute appointment time that works for you & your family. This consultation is free and its purpose is to get to know each other and decide if we’re a good fit, get to know the space and ask any questions you have.
You’ll be greeted by the receptionist or therapist. It’s your choice whether to bring your kids or speak with the therapist privately during the consultation. The therapist will tell you about the “rules of therapy” like confidentiality & privacy. The therapist will also tell you about their experience and skills. Then they’ll ask about your concerns and what kind of goals you have. Because having a rapport with kids & teens is a really important part of therapy, this consultation helps us make sure there is a connection and everyone is comfortable.
After your consultation, if you’d like to start therapy you can set up your first appointment. You can book right away with our receptionist or later online.
For younger children each session usually starts with a 10 minute caregiver & child check-in. Teens & young adults usually like to come in on their own. Our therapists are open to whatever works well for you. After the check-in, the caregiver can wait at The CO. or return at the end of the session.
Once the caregiver leaves, we will often begin by using a white board to write or draw about something good and something not so good that’s happened recently. The rest of the session continues according to the needs of each child. At the close of the session we often do a breathing exercise or a goodbye exercise to prepare children to go back out into the world.
Future bookings can be done with the receptionist or online at our website. At the beginning of therapy I like to suggest weekly appointments to develop a solid rapport and then re-asses based on need after the first month.
After each session we invoice you and payments can be made in-person, online, by cash or cheque.
Meet Angel Bilagot
Angel Bilagot is a registered Psychotherapist and Drama Therapist. She is also a mother to four beautifully rambunctious boys. Angel graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a combined degree of Psychology and Theatre. She completed her Masters Degree at Concordia University, specializing in Drama Therapy.
Angel continued her training in Drama Therapy in New York City, while working as a Therapist at the PTSD Clinic in New Haven, Connecticut. Angel’s professional experiences have provided her the opportunity to work, teach, and develop programs for environments such as the Jewish General Hospital (Montreal), The Canadian Institute for Neuro Integrative Development (Montreal), The Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, and The University of Alberta (Edmonton).