Kay Collis is a pioneer and major influence in the development of the field of art therapy in British Columbia and Canada. She is the founder of the BC School of Art Therapy, which grew out of her groundbreaking work in treating people with persistent mental disorders through the use of the arts. Kay has provided the expertise to train and inspire hundreds of art therapists over the years, and continues today to teach at the school. She was also a founding member, and first president, of the British Columbia Art Therapy Association (BCATA), formed in 1978. In 1969, Kay was invited to attend the founding of the American Art Therapy Association. She was the only Canadian present, and was the first Canadian art therapist to be registered in that organization.

In 1969, while working in the BC Ministry of Health, Mental Health Programs, Kay began a successful and innovative program of art therapy at the Victoria Mental Health Centre. She brought a unique and humanistic approach to the treatment of people experiencing psychological problems, as well as those with severe mental disorders. Kay provided a non-verbal, therapeutic intervention that recognizes the inherent value and dignity of the individual. Her doctoral research topic explored the categorization of the visual elements of the art of those with schizophrenia.

Throughout the years, Kay has been a significant inspiration and mentor to hundreds of professionals and artists. She has been the subject of radio and television interviews, taught graduate courses and provided guest lectures at universities, and given presentations and training to diverse organizations throughout Canada, the United States and England. Kay is also a respected artist in her own right, having earned a degree in fine art and maintained her own visual art practice. She is currently a member of the Task Group, creating a mandate for the ethical practice and education standards for therapists in British Columbia.

Kay Collis’s leadership, inspiration, guidance and vision, as both a healer and an educator, has had a profound and continuous impact on our understanding and appreciation of art therapy, the arts, mental health and human potential. In her own words: “My belief is that people can learn to heal and to see through the arts. Those people who are mentally ill often don’t have connection with themselves, and it is through art that they can see outside of themselves. Others can find deeper parts of themselves through art, and a deeper connection within themselves and their world.”