Expressive Arts Coaching and Support
LGBTQIA2+ and neurodivergent-informed support for people working with expression, identity, and change.
What is it?
I'm building a trauma-informed music and expressive arts practice focused on creativity, deep listening, somatics, identity exploration, and emotional expression.STUCK?I've been there too. I'm a firm believer in the idea that we need support that goes beyond the clinical definitions of 'expert' and 'patient' - Support that feels like human connection.
As someone who has my own chronic struggles with my physical and mental health, I have a lot of experience navigating different support modalities. The things that have made the biggest positive impact for me have always been spaces where the practitioners are holding solid boundaries and a container I can relax into, while simultaneously continuing to show up in their humanness with me and not pretending they know everything.As a neurodivergent, queer, non-binary, individual with lots of physical symptoms that have baffled doctors, I've had to learn to self-advocate - And that one size fits all is just not effective for most people. In my experience, real change has come from learning to listen to the often odd and specific things my body and brain are asking for that make up what solutions look like for my specific self. This is so much easier when I have spaces where I feel seen and heard and safe to share the parts of me that feel contradictory or 'don't make sense' that I'm not sure what to do with.DO YOU:- Want to make music, write, create, or express yourself but feel like an imposter or can't seem to start?- Have ADHD, anxiety, trauma, or self-doubt that gets in the way of living your life and need something beyond the commonly prescribed modalities?- Feel disconnected from your creativity, identity, or sense of play?- Struggle with your relationship to gender and/or sexuality?I won't insult you or misrepresent myself by pretending I will be able to fix everything.I am confident, however, in my ability to unflinchingly hold space for the most horrible of your stories, and that i can help you build strategies and find ways to express yourself through support that's tailored to your specific, unique goals and needs - While showing up as a human being and not just as a facilitator.ONE-ON-ONE or GROUP SESSIONS CAN INCLUDE:
Singing & songwriting lessons
Creative expression
Somatic and mindfulness practices
Ritual (the deliberate celibration or marking of things) and reflection
Neurodivergent and weirdo inclusive strategy building
A lot of ListeningTrauma-informed • Neurodiversity-affirming • Queer-friendly • Kink friendly • Non-traditional relationship friendlyFree 20-minute consultation.
About Me:
Charlie Materi is based in Vancouver, BC and has been a musician and performer for over 25 years. They have trained for several hundreds of hours in mental health skills, clown, dance and music. They completed Expressive Arts Certification in Berlin through the European Graduate school in 2023. They have worked as a personal support worker for neurodivergent individuals, and volunteered for several years with The Alternatives to Violence Project as a facilitator, co-leading groups both inside and outside of the prison system. They have created and facilitated their own work shops, including 'Artists Talk Mental Health', and 'Re-kindlegarten', a kindergarten-esque series for reconnecting adults to play. As someone who has had to navigate a lot of chronic health symptoms, late diagnosed neurodivergence and mental health challenges, they have a lot of first hand experience with a wide variety of therapies, supports, systems and the challenges, benefits and limitations that come with them.They continue to work for PLEA in tri-cities as a group facilitator for trans/gender exploring youth and their families, along side music and performance gigs, and their personal clients.
