Elizabeth White Anthroposophical Art Therapist and Art Teacher This interview was originally published in a CAMA newsletter. Elizabeth's path to anthroposophy began before she was born as her parents were already active members of the Society. Her schooling was at Michael Hall in England where she spent twelve happy years. Attending a Waldorf school gave her a strong background in art and creativity. After she graduated grade twelve she went into a healing profession, training as a Radiation Therapist. She was at once awed and inspired by the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Her future husband, who was Greek, was undertaking his postgraduate surgical training at the teaching hospital where Elizabeth worked. They married and moved to Greece where they lived for close to thirty years. Elizabeth worked alongside her husband in his clinic and became fluent in the language and customs of the country. Throughout these thirty years she kept up her interest in art, which she had acquired through her Waldorf education and her father who was an artist. In 1990 her marriage ended, she left Greece and went back to England, finding herself without work and wondering what path lay ahead of her. Anthroposophy was paramount in her life and through a friend she was drawn to Tobias School of Art and Art Therapy. Here she found her two loves, medicine and art combined and thus took the three-year training to become an anthroposophical art therapist. Elizabeth worked for six months at Park Attwood Clinic and then for four years with Dr. Jenny Josephson, an anthroposophical doctor in Forest Row. There came a time when she found herself alone in England. Her mother (whom she had nursed for seven years) had died, one son lived in Canada and the other had settled in Greece. Having no idea if she could pursue her career in art therapy and her spiritual path based in anthroposophy, she made the move to Canada in August 1998. She trusted destiny, feeling that she needed to be near her son and grandchildren in Canada. In no time Elizabeth had gained a circle of anthroposophical friends living in Guelph and felt very at home. In 1999 she began working at Trillium and Halton Waldorf schools, In 2001 she became fulltime at Halton as art therapist and art teacher. Currently at Halton, Elizabeth carries approximately seventeen children per week in art therapy as well as teaching the art curriculum to grades 6,7 and 8. She has also been pedagogical chair at Halton for the past two years and will undertake that position again for the school year 07/08. Elizabeth also works privately out of her home in Guelph almost every night and some weekends. Her three grandchildren in Guelph and two in Greece (where she spends the summers) also give her great joy. Elizabeth speaks in her own words on how it is to work with children and healing through art. “My colleagues at Halton Waldorf School are wholehearted in their support of the art therapy and curative eurythmy programs. Michael Chapitis (curative eurythmist) and I work closely together, discussing each child as they come into our care. On occasions we work with the same child sharing progress on a weekly basis. Most of the children I work with are referred to me by the class teachers or parents. A conversation takes place between the parents, the class teacher and myself where I am informed of the challenges the child is facing. My aim is that each child will have a positive artistic experience, gain nourishment through the exercises in wet-on-wet painting, clay modeling, drawing, chalk pastels or veil painting and ultimately find their path less encumbered by the challenges they experienced previously. An atmosphere of nurturing, love and respect is the key to the children of HWS simply lining up to come! Creating a safe and caring environment for them to explore their artistic creativity and, in some cases simply developing a calm approach to technique, is crucial. The astral world they live in is so predominant in our society that the aim of art therapy with children has to be the building up of the etheric. In pre-adolescent and adolescent children where the astral body is naturally in a state of being born, the structured content of the etheric is also very important.”

Elizabeth White

Anthroposophical Art Therapist

and Art Teacher

This interview was originally

published in a CAMA newsletter.

Elizabeth's path to anthroposophy began before she was born as her parents were already active members of the Society. Her schooling was at Michael Hall in England where she spent twelve happy years. Attending a Waldorf school gave her a strong background in art and creativity. After she graduated grade twelve she went into a healing profession, training as a Radiation Therapist. She was at once awed and inspired by the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Her future husband, who was Greek, was undertaking his postgraduate surgical training at the teaching hospital where Elizabeth worked. They married and moved to Greece where they lived for close to thirty years. Elizabeth worked alongside her husband in his clinic and became fluent in the language and customs of the country. Throughout these thirty years she kept up her interest in art, which she had acquired through her Waldorf education and her father who was an artist.

In 1990 her marriage ended, she left Greece and went back to England, finding herself without work and wondering what path lay ahead of her. Anthroposophy was paramount in her life and through a friend she was drawn to Tobias School of Art and Art Therapy. Here she found her two loves, medicine and art combined and thus took the three-year training to become an anthroposophical art therapist. Elizabeth worked for six months at Park Attwood Clinic and then for four years with Dr. Jenny Josephson, an anthroposophical doctor in Forest Row. There came a time when she found herself alone in England. Her mother (whom she had nursed for seven years) had died, one son lived in Canada and the other had settled in Greece. Having no idea if she could pursue her career in art therapy and her spiritual path based in anthroposophy, she made the move to Canada in August 1998. She trusted destiny, feeling that she needed to be near her son and grandchildren in Canada. In no time Elizabeth had gained a circle of anthroposophical friends living in Guelph and felt very at home.

In 1999 she began working at Trillium and Halton Waldorf schools, In 2001 she became fulltime at Halton as art therapist and art teacher. Currently at Halton, Elizabeth carries approximately seventeen children per week in art therapy as well as teaching the art curriculum to grades 6,7 and 8. She has also been pedagogical chair at Halton for the past two years and will undertake that position again for the school year 07/08. Elizabeth also works privately out of her home in Guelph almost every night and some weekends. Her three grandchildren in Guelph and two in Greece (where she spends the summers) also give her great joy.

Elizabeth speaks in her own words on how it is to work with children and healing through art.

“My colleagues at Halton Waldorf School are wholehearted in their support of the art therapy and curative eurythmy programs. Michael Chapitis (curative eurythmist) and I work closely together, discussing each child as they come into our care. On occasions we work with the same child sharing progress on a weekly basis. Most of the children I work with are referred to me by the class teachers or parents. A conversation takes place between the parents, the class teacher and myself where I am informed of the challenges the child is facing. My aim is that each child will have a positive artistic experience, gain nourishment through the exercises in wet-on-wet painting, clay modeling, drawing, chalk pastels or veil painting and ultimately find their path less encumbered by the challenges they experienced previously. An atmosphere of nurturing, love and respect is the key to the children of HWS simply lining up to come! Creating a safe and caring environment for them to explore their artistic creativity and, in some cases simply developing a calm approach to technique, is crucial. The astral world they live in is so predominant in our society that the aim of art therapy with children has to be the building up of the etheric. In pre-adolescent and adolescent children where the astral body is naturally in a state of being born, the structured content of the etheric is also very important.”