Sarah Abusarar, MA, BSW, RSW, EXAT

Sarah believes that creativity is the path towards any kind of change. When thinking outside of the literal reality, we are able to escape from black and white thinking and find alternate ways of dealing with our problems. As a result, Sarah uses the Expressive Arts as a tool for therapy. She is a Registered Social Worker, an Expressive Arts Therapist, and a Feminist Counsellor. While she works with all age groups, her passion is working with children and youth using Expressive Arts Therapy. Sarah believes that in order to connect well with children and adolescents we need to go inside their world. This is the world of imagination. Through the arts, we are able to see the world from a different, more beautiful lens, giving us a broader perspective of our problems and thus helping us to make sense of our obstacles.

Sarah believes that many of our problems are structural and so she works from an anti-oppression lens by empowering people to become agents of change through personal healing. Her life experience of living in four different continents as a child has given her sensitivity to the needs of diverse populations. Sarah has done extensive research on the use of the arts with children experiencing war-related trauma. This has led her to work with refugee and newcomer children. It has also led her towards offering grief counselling to children (including the grief of losing a home, a pet or one’s identity).

Sarah's education in the field of feminist counselling focusing on women (and those who identify as women) and children has given her strong skills in incorporating Expressive Art Therapy  with children who themselves  are survivors of violence or who have witnessed gender based violence at home. Sarah holds an understanding that children who have experienced deep distress often find it a challenge to express their emotions in words and as a result she uses the arts with children to explore their feelings.

Sarah understands that children are extensions of their parents and so she provides therapy for both children as well as for their parents. The therapy sessions could be one on one with a child, one on one with a parent or joint family therapy. She also provides sessions where she teaches parents how to play or make art with their children as part of strengthening communication and building parent child bonding. 

Languages: English, Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian. Intermediate knowledge of Arabic language but a deep knowledge of the Arab culture.