New Pathways Third Space is sponsoring an expressive arts therapy groups for artists, run by Naomi Kessler and Anto Chan.

Therapist Bios:

Naomi Tessler, RP(Q), EXAT

Naomi Tessler, Registered Psychotherapist, Expressive Arts Therapist, M.A. has facilitated therapeutic community arts and expressive arts groups, workshops, and projects globally, supporting mental health, self-empowerment, collective healing, community building, intergenerational trauma, conflict transformation, and social justice through the arts for over 20 years. 

Naomi is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist (theatre/music/poetry/dance), song leader, ceremony weaver, Mother, and queer settler living with bipolar disorder in Tkaronto (Toronto). She's written commissioned plays and leads customized expressive arts workshops or numerous organizations, schools and universities, she teaches in Carleton's Dept. of Social Work, and is a practitioner with Breakaway Community Services Grief Loss and Wellness (GLoW) program supporting front line harm reduction workers. 

Naomi has been a keynote performer and speaker at arts, peacebuilding, and mental health conferences globally.  Guided by her Jewish ancestral wisdom, Naomi brings legacies of resilience into all she leads.

Naomi holds an M.A. in Educational Theatre and Drama Therapy from NYU and an Expressive Arts Therapy certification from The CREATE Institute.

Anto Chan, RP(Q), EXAT

Anto is a Neurodivergent, Chinese-Canadian Expressive Art
Therapist, Qualifying Psychotherapist, Early Childhood Educator, Spoken Word Performance Artist, Facilitator, Mentor, Producer and Writer. He has run groups for organizations YWCA, university of Toronto Mississauga and Toronto Public Library. Also independently for the Asian, Male & 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. He has performed at the Montreal, Toronto & Guelph Fringe Festivals, Verses
Festival of Words and released his full-length Live album "InnerGenerational" at the Replay Storyfest. In 2022, he founded the Canada Council for the Arts funded project "InnerGenerational", a community that fosters a safer environment for 2nd generation Asian artists to evolve in their crafts through infusing performances with ancestral storytelling, facing wounds with creativity & artistry. His life work is centred on holding space for expansion, intersectionality, and self-love through the page, stage and community. He currently works as an expressive art therapist at Calm Nexus Markham & in the GTA, and can't wait to bring his unique, playful & curious style of engagement to The Artist Within group!