Virginia Jahyu, MA, ExAT, OEATA, CCPA

(she/ her/ 她)

Welcome and thank you for visiting my site.  

I am an expressive arts therapist, intersectional feminist, transformative justice facilitator, and Hip-Hop aficionado with a strong interest in arts empowerment, community building, and social justice. I am inspired by liberation healing and am invested in deeper understandings of colonial impacts on mental health and identity. I value the intersectionalities and breadth of human identities, dis/abilities, experience, and creative expressions. 

My work is centred around relationship and using the arts and dialogue as catalysts for personal inquiry, discovery, and growth.

I am one of the founding therapists of the Trauma to Trust Clinic (2018) offered by Vita Community Living Services in Toronto serving adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and dual-diagnosis. Additionally, I offer virtual expressive arts therapy in private practice. I am a collaborator with Life as Medicine (LaM) and serve as the Vice President of the Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association (OEATA).

Since 2007, I have facilitated a wide range of arts-based engagements through workshops, programs, and trainings to explore, play, and deepen our relationship with social justice, mental health, and the arts. I am known for my dynamic, creative and bold facilitation style delivered with a relational and inclusive approach. I use a variety of artistic modalities (poetry, music, visual arts, movement, theatre) to engage and empower individuals’ creative spirit and expressive voice.

I hold a Master's degree in Expressive Arts Therapy minoring in Psychology with a focus on Empowerment Through Hip-Hop.  

In 2019, I was the recipient of the Manuela Dalla-Nora Award recognized for my work in the mental health and disabilities sector.

My passion for the arts, accessibility, and equity continues to guide my work.

I offer my respect and acknowledgment to the original and traditional stewards of this land. I recognize that decolonization is not a metaphor and the impacts of settler colonialism continues to oppress Indigenous peoples and their culture. As a visitor, I will continue to learn and work toward improving relationships between nations and engage in the calls to action for truth and reconciliACTION lead and steered by the voices of Indigenous peoples.