Marnie is a Therapist and Art Therapist, with 20 years experience providing addictions, trauma, and mental health services to individuals of all ages and abilities. Her passion is working alongside people in a collaborative process, and fostering healthy coping through creativity and connection. Marnie’s goal in this collaboration is to help people to identify and understand aspects of their identity, addiction, trauma, illness, and recovery. It is through understanding of the self and the many parts that make up the whole, that we can work together to see what direction we might take, or what are the next steps forward.

Marnie completed a Bachelor of Social Work degree through the University of Northern BC in 2007. For several years after, she worked as a mental health and addictions therapist in remote Northern communities. While engaging in training for an Aboriginal Trauma Certificate, she was introduced to Art Therapy and started bringing it into her work with clients. Marnie enthusiastically shares about the privilege of being witness to the shift this allowed for the people who engaged in Art Therapy in our sessions – this is what made clear to her that it was the direction she needed to take. So with the realization, she did what she never thought she would - and headed back school.

In 2013, Marnie graduated from Kutenai Art Therapy Institute (KATI) in Nelson, BC, with an Art Therapy graduate diploma; publishing her thesis in 2017. As the focus of her thesis, she specialized in Art Therapy for people with addictions. In 2016 she had the opportunity to train in Therapeutic Body-Mapping with Dr. Christine Lummis in New Westminster, BC. Receiving a certificate for Cognitive Processing Therapy – CPT for PTSD training in 2019. In 2023 she completed a certificate in Traumatic Loss Support Group Facilitator training through BC Bereavement Helpline.

Marnie was able to bring her skills and experience into different settings, offering trauma (including CPT for PTSD), addictions, mental health, and art therapy groups to individuals attending treatment, including developing and running Art Therapy programs in multiple centres. At the same time, she has also gained extensive experience facilitating individual and family counselling within community health and hospital settings, and in multi diagnosis inpatient treatment centres.

Marnie’s work with Cedars since 2021 includes in-patient and Continuing Care CPT for PTSD groups, weekly art therapy groups, Discovery Family program, and weekly process groups for Cedars’ Supportive Living. She has much gratitude for the team, clients, and alumni at Cedars - for her, it's a big family of people connecting through recovery. Marnie regularly shares what a blessing she feels to be a part of the Cedars family.