Creative Therapy & Educational Services
Welcome to Nova Scotian Art Therapy Counselling
Creative, compassionate support through art-based counselling and educational services for neurodivergent individuals, families, and communities.
Founder
Gabriella Rizkallah, MEd, RCT-C, CAT
Gabriella Rizkallah is a Registered Counselling Therapist Candidate (RCT-C) and member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association, with a professional foundation in academics, holding a BFA from NSCAD University, a BEd from St. Francis Xavier University, and a Master of Education in Art Therapy from Wayne State University.
Her work centers on inclusive mental health care, creative expression, and support for neurodivergent individuals—while also addressing intergenerational trauma and the complex dynamics within families.
Drawing on her academic background, Gabriella brings a strong educational lens to her therapeutic practice. Her lived experience with learning differences and late-identified neurodivergence offers a deep understanding of how people learn, communicate, and connect in diverse and non-traditional ways.
She specializes in working with the neurodivergent population, including individuals with autism and ADHD, with a focus on women, parents, school-aged children, and teens. As a Lebanese Canadian and mother of three, Gabriella brings cultural awareness and insight into family systems, generational patterns, and the stigma that can surround mental health and help-seeking.
Her approach is grounded, compassionate, and creative—offering a space where clients feel seen, respected, and supported in their healing and growth.
Philosophy
Scotian Art Therapy Counselling, healing is understood as a deeply personal, often nonlinear journey—one that begins with being seen and accepted without condition. This practice exists to honour the full complexity of each individual: their identity, culture, neurotype, history, and way of being in the world.
The space welcomes those who have often felt “othered”—neurodivergent individuals, LGBTQ+ folks, women, disabled people, people of colour, and members of First Nations and Mi’kmaq communities. The work here is not about changing who someone is, but about creating space for who they are to emerge, be witnessed, and be celebrated.
Rooted in a relational, trauma-informed approach, therapy is guided by curiosity, compassion, and respect for difference. There is no one-size-fits-all method. Instead, the process honours each person’s natural rhythms, communication styles, and emotional truths. There is room for messiness, resistance, silence, play, joy, and grief—all of it belongs.
Therapy is not about fixing—it’s about returning. Returning to self, to trust, to voice, to safety. The therapist does not lead, but walks alongside, holding space for the parts that have been silenced, masked, or pushed aside.
This is a space where vulnerability is met with care, where difference is not just accepted but deeply respected. Nova Scotian Art Therapy is not just a service—it’s a commitment to helping people come home to themselves, exactly as they are.