Xu Wang
Xu (they/them) is an anti-oppressive art therapist and counsellor who is committed to decolonizing practices by creating a healing space for BIPoC folx to reclaim and connect with their inner wisdom and creativity. As a queer, half-generation Chinese-Canadian immigrant, Xu has a deep and nuanced understanding of what it's like to navigate complex intersectional issues and experiences. Their therapeutic approach focuses on creating safety, gentleness and compassion as they help clients move through systems of power and thrive in chosen communities.
A bit about me...
I often struggle to encapsulate my lived experience and identity into sentences as I find words tend to reduce the "felt experience" of how I show up in the world. From this place of frustration, I learned to cultivate a place where I can be seen, heard and known. It is through this process of "making space beyond the words" I am deeply connected to my practice as a therapist/healer. As a half-generation Chinese-Canadian non-binary queer person, choosing to heal became more than just about personal growth, it became a life force that supports my existence. Like so many people who share similar marginalizations have come to understand, negotiate and embrace about their identity and stories.
In the therapeutic space, I am a fellow human being, who commits to doing my best in creating that space for others to be seen, heard and known. In holding that space, I move closer to honouring people's pain, realities and resiliencies. For me, I think this is what healing feels like - supporting others to lean into their humanity and being human together.
Art, anti-oppression and transformation...
Art for me has always been about liberation and transformation. Growing up, I saw my grandmother embody these values as she resisted silently through art making within a family and social structure that denied her existence and worth. Through creation, her wisdom transcended the generation and left deep impressions within me to care and value my creativity. Bringing this intergenerational teaching, I hope to inspire intergenerational healing through art with those whose pain is connected to historical trauma and colonial violence. As a racialized person of non-White culture, I practice are beyond the act of making images. It is also an active process of reclaiming lost and forgotten parts of our ancestral wisdoms so we can feel more connected and whole, past, present and future.
Xu is full in caseload and is not accepting new clients at this time.
Online sessions available between Thursdays - Saturdays
Session type:
Individuals, Teens/adolescents, Adults, Queer relationships, Families
Approach:
Narrative therapy, Art therapy, Justice-oriented, Trauma-informed, Anti-oppressive therapy, LGBTQ2S+ affirmative
Specialties:
Complex Intersectional experiences, Queer Relationships, Non-nuclear families, The QTBIPoC Community, Ongoing Trauma + Oppression + Injustice, Blocks in Creativity, Gender Identity concerns
Languages:
English, Mandarin