Hi!! I’m Connie Haw (she/her/女)
Registered Canadian Art Therapist
Registered Professional Counsellor (Provisional)
Expressive Arts Therapist
I’m a neurodivergent, second-generation Chinese-Canadian artist, mother, partner, and therapist (among many other things!). I grew up in a small town in Manitoba where my parents [immigrants from China] built a small business rooted in food and community.
Like many children of immigrants, I’ve lived in the in-between: between languages, cultures, and expectations, all while trying to figure out who I was. Over time, I began to recognize that what’s often labeled as tradition, culture, or just “the way it is” can actually be the echo of unspoken trauma, survival, and generational pain.
The arts have always been a safe space for me in a world that often felt confusing and disorienting. Creativity helped me stay grounded through the grief and pressure of acculturation, racial trauma, and the weight of societal systems. It became more than a way to cope. It became my most honest form of expression, a way to stay connected to myself, and a powerful tool for connecting with others.
Today, I support people who are navigating layered identities, cultural tension, and the deep question of belonging. In my practice, I create space for people to explore who they are beyond what society, systems, or family have told them to be. I understand how trauma can be tightly woven into culture and tradition, and how hard it can be to separate your own voice from the ones you’ve internalized. I don’t believe healing is about fixing yourself. I believe it’s about remembering, reclaiming, and rewriting your story.
You deserve space to feel, to question, and to grow. If any of this resonates with you, I’d love to connect.
WORKSHOPS:
Art Therapy Facilitator, YMCA-YWCA Wellness Retreat 2022, 2023
Guest Speaker & Art Therapy Facilitator, CFES Conference on Diversity in Engineering 2022
Art Therapy Facilitator, Central Plains Cancer Services Wellness Retreat for Cancer Survivors and Thrivers 2024
Art Therapy Facilitator, Ritchot Recreation - Nature Art Therapy Workshop 2024
Art Therapy Facilitator, Fort Garry Women’s Resource Centre 2024
VOLUNTEER work:
Board of Directors - West End Cultural Centre
ASSOCIATIONS:
Canadian Art Therapy Association
Canadian Professional Counsellors Association
Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association
Additional Training:
Certificate in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training