After finishing her B.A in Painting and an M.A in Visual Communication, Hanieh has taught art-related topics at the university level for three years in Iran. Teaching the art classes at Tehran International School helped her to notice the hardships that students with different cultural backgrounds may experience through integration and adaptation to a new culture. These experiences help her to discover her passion for going beyond teaching: containing students' emotional experiences, improving students' mental health, and increasing their resilience and coping skills through art. Hence, she was determined to become an art therapist after moving to Canada. Now, she holds a master's degree in Creative Art Therapy from Concordia University. During the past four years, she has done internships and volunteered in various sites and gained many experiences with several populations such as indigenous people, immigrants, children, adults, and seniors, suffering from diverse physical or mental health problems. She uses her knowledge in Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Narrative therapy, Attachment informed and Trauma Informed practices to empower her clients, explore their values and goals in life and work together towards them. Hanieh focuses on the impact of cultural, language and traditional knowledge to help her clients to rewrite their narratives and find new meanings in life. Yet, her client-centred approach allows people from all ages to choose their preferred way to explore and express their thoughts and emotions during the art therapy session. She is passionate about working with children and families who had to live with marginalization and oppression in the society such as people with disabilities, people of color, and LGBTQ community. Currently, she is working as a support group facilitator at Anorexia Bulimia Quebec with people suffering from different types of eating disorders. She has established her Persian Art Hives through an award from Art Hives network to help the Iranian community in Montreal to cope with their collective trauma. Hanieh is passionate to learn more and stay up to date in her profession to make sure that she can deliver her best to her clients at Kiddo Active.
