Darja
Milidragovic
Expressive Arts Therapy
About me
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Hi! My name is Darja and I am a certified Expressive Arts Therapist with seven years of experience working in the field. For the last 7 years, I have been conducting individual and group sessions with a variety of students in elementary and high schools in the Greater Vancouver area. I am especially passionate about my work with students of refugee background as this was one of my life goals due to my own refugee experience. In addition, I have also led adult workshops and work individually with clients of all ages through my private practice.
I also spent the last two years working with children at Enable Occupational Therapy, a family-centred rehabilitation practice. In addition, from 2020-2021, I developed and taught a trauma-informed English as an Additional Language program for migrant workers through Migrant Workers Centre; I incorporated the Expressive Arts into the lessons as I believe in the importance of a holistic approach to learning that acknowledges the whole person - heart, body, mind and spirit.
My own journey with creative therapy began when I started drawing and writing as a way to cope with the death of my partner in 2011. I discovered the potential of the arts to help me process my grief and make something beautiful out of a tragic and painful experience. Soon after I applied for the Expressive Arts Therapy Program at Langara College and graduated in 2015. This program required me to face myself more honestly than I had ever done before. As I observed my process in all the different modalities, I encountered my fears, anxieties, and the loud inner critic that had been running my life for so long without my knowledge. As I dug through the layers of how I thought I was supposed to be, I came closer and closer to who I really am and who I still could be.
Expressive Arts Therapy has also taught me how to witness and process some of my most painful and traumatic experiences in more loving and playful ways, and it has allowed me to reconnect with my imagination. In an effort to protect us, our traumas and wounds constrict us to make us feel safe. Once I embarked on a journey of healing and regained a sense of safety within my own body, heart and mind, my imagination had more and more freedom to explore and create, and the possibilities in both the arts and my life began to expand. This is what brings us closer to health, to joy, to a sense of meaning and purpose, and to our vitality. It adds a little more soul and magic to a life that is inevitably filled with both ups and downs, victories and challenges, for all of us.
Since completing my certification, which included many hours of therapy, I have healthier ways of coping and of being. I am able to be less afraid and judgemental and more curious about my wounds, patterns, ways of relating, underlying beliefs, and the list goes on. I also engage with my creativity on a regular basis in order to process my emotions, face challenges, make decisions, and feel more hopeful on days that get me down. Ultimately I believe that if I am to apply my knowledge toward the healing of others, I must always remember to apply it to myself.
I am now more passionate than ever about psychology, the power of energy, creativity, and our potential for transformation, and I believe that growth doesn't have to be all about growing pains; it can be fun, inspiring and interesting as well. While it is painful to let go of old ways of being and living, still, it is often much more painful to stay exactly where we are, no matter how familiar.
If you are curious about trying Expressive Arts Therapy, please feel free to contact me to book a session or to ask any other questions you may have.
Oil pastels and watercolour painting by Darja Milidragovic