A Canadian – Turkish Nilgun Turkcan Ataoglu – PhD, MA, BCT, RDT – a member of Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association- who is a Creative/ Expressive Arts Therapist, a lecturer, and a supervisor. She holds a PhD Degree in Expressive Therapies Program from Lesley University in Boston and MA degree from of Creative Arts (Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Drama Therapy and Dance Movement) Therapies from Concordia University, in Montreal, and has started her clinical work at Mc. Gill University Hospital.
In her 21 years’ clinical multimodal arts therapies (drama, art, dance movement and music) work in Canada and Turkey, she has been working with outpatient psychiatric children, adolescents, adults and elders in individuals and group settings at several centers, hospitals and in her private practice.
Dr. Turkcan Ataoglu has incorporated humanist and a result-oriented approach integrated multimodal arts therapy approach specialized in the fields of traumas (physical, emotional, sexual), life changing difficulties (divorce, migration, job loss, illness, etc.), depression, anxiety disorders (phobias and panic attack), and eating disorders, pains of unknown cause, coping with cancer, attachment problems and personal development.
Dr. Turkcan Ataoglu who lectured undergraduate and graduate-level courses at Psychology department of University of UQAM (University of Quebec a Montreal) between 2007 and 2010 in Canada. Turkcan has presented at several conferences and workshops internationally in Canada, Greece, Germany, and US. She is a member of the North American Drama Therapy Association, the International Expressive Arts Therapy and the American Dance Therapy Association. She is also a Board-Certified Trainer and a Registered Drama Therapist.
Dr. Turkcan Ataoglu is a pioneer in the development of the creative arts therapies in Turkey. In 2010, she founded the first Creative Arts Therapies (CATS) program in Turkey at Sabanci Foundation. Later she rebuilt independent program and founded Creative Arts Therapy Institute in Istanbul, Turkey.
Creative Arts Therapy (CAT) is an evidence-based mental health specialty, practiced by an experienced creative art therapist who uses several art forms such as drama, art, dance & movement, music, poetry, and photography, amongst others. It also incorporates various techniques in order to enhance the expression of emotions and thoughts for long-lasting therapeutic change. People who have increased their self-awareness through CAT are able to actualize their inner potential through their vitality and courage they have gained. Their inner transformation allows them to observe their own lives through a multitude of perspectives.
In May 2021 Dr. Turkcan Ataoglu moved back to Canada and start providing clinical creative arts therapy and training services in Toronto at ‘Arts Therapy Toronto’.
