Art can provide a means of communication beyond words, something Krista Stovel has found to be powerful resource within her counselling practice.
Having been passionate about and creating art since her childhood in Revelstoke, Stovel kept her creativity at the forefront of her life throughout her university studies away from home and as she travelled and lived abroad in places like Japan, France and Australia.
When she worked in the realms of media and the arts, she was helping others to create art, whether it was music or various visual forms.
She realized she wanted to start communicating how she was an artist and share how she shows up in the world through her art, focusing mostly on photography.
Returning to her hometown in the late 1990s, she worked in education and employment services. In her 50s, Stovel took a big step towards a career change and completed her Master’s degree in counselling, and is now a registered clinical counsellor specializing in art therapy.
“Not only do I do the work I love, but I have the gift of living this life every day. People can see that you can always make a career change and I could be doing this job for the next 20 years until I’m 80 if I want,” Stovel reflected.
She says her children are proud to use her as an example for hardworking women who never give up on their dreams, at any age.
“It feels like this is just the beginning of my next iteration in life.”
An aspect of her practice that Stovel is particularly excited about is integrating sewing skills into her art therapy. As a child, she said she would sew her clothes and use the medium as a way to create things she could wear to express her individuality.
She continued honing the skill throughout her life, designing and creating clothes for her son’s stage performances and teaching others to create outfits on a dress form without using a pattern, encouraging creativity.
“It’s one of the most beautiful ways to express identity. ‘Who am I?’ ‘How do I want to show up in the world and move towards the future that I want?”
Stovel’s sewing therapy also ties into her passion for sustainability and her interest in climate counselling as a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance.
With the movement towards upcycling, thrifting and reusing, she said using and looking at things in a different way is important to her personal values and useful in identifying therapeutic strategies.
People come to Cedar and Birch Counselling and Art Therapy (named after the street she grew up on and the trees themselves, which symbolize resilience and hope) at many different places in life, said Stovel.
Some are struggling with grief, anxiety or depression and some seeking direction and purpose. She also works with children, dealing with emotional regulation and transitions, utilizing art to pinpoint needs and solutions.
“Integrating art into a session can facilitate self-exploration and understanding,” she said.
“It can help us tell a richer story.”
We can gain more language around the struggle and find ways to navigate it, but also see it from different perspectives. It just adds a richness to the therapeutic process.”
Stovel says one of the strongest beliefs in her work is that each of us has a super power, and hers is creativity.
“I weave creativity into my life every day. It helps me look at problems from a different perspective and gives me the confidence to troubleshoot and find alternatives,” Stovel said.
“My hope for other people is that I can show them they are creative humans by nature and help them reignite their own creativity.”