Rooted & Alive:
Annual Creative Arts Therapies Conference/ aka CATS Camp
(Summer camp for grown-ups who happen to be creative arts therapists or want to be).
You became a creative arts therapist because you love art.
When did you stop making it?
And when did "professional development" start meaning windowless conference rooms, death-by-PowerPoint boredom, and a box lunch you eat standing up?
There has to be a better way.
(Spoiler: there is.)
Rooted is an alternative outdoor conference for creative arts therapists — art therapists, music therapists, drama therapists, dance/movement therapists, expressive arts practitioners, and students & wanna bes — who are ready to step outside. Literally.
For four days at The SEED Lodge near Georgian Bay, Ontario, we gather on 56 acres of farm and forest to share skills, sharpen our craft, explore nature-based art therapy practices, collaborate across disciplines, eat meals together outdoors, and do the thing we keep telling our clients to do: play.
Come get your hands dirty. Make art. Share your skills and meals together. Learn and most importantly, have fun.
WHAT WE'RE LEAVING BEHIND
Fluorescent lighting
Hotel conference rooms
Terrible carpeting
Death by PowerPoint
Plastic-wrapped muffins
Sitting all day
Name badges on lanyards
Instead: trees, trails, campfires, real food, bare feet, art and actual conversation.
Remember why you chose this work.
You didn't become a creative arts therapist to sit behind a desk. You came to this work because making things heals people — including you. Rooted is four days to get your hands dirty again, share skills with people who get it, learn something that lights you up, and create without an agenda. This is self-care embodied — reconnecting to your practice by reconnecting to yourself.
Share. Learn. Make. Play. & Repeat.
Workshops That Get You Outside
2–2.5 hour experiential sessions led by fellow creative arts therapists exploring nature-based art practices, forest therapy, ecotherapy, land-based creative process, and what happens when we take the frame of the office away entirely.
Creative Inspiration
You’ll make art again. Not for a client. Not for a case study. For you. To remember what it feels like to create without a clinical goal, and to bring that energy back into your practice.
Cross-Discipline Collaboration
Art therapists, music therapists, drama therapists, dance/movement therapists — all in one place, trading ideas, borrowing techniques, and blurring the lines between modalities in the best possible way.
Play. Actual Play.
We talk about play all day in our work. When was the last time you actually did it? Play is a muscle and if you don’t use it, you lose it. Expect campfires, shared meals outdoors, laughter, spontaneity, and the kind of connection that doesn’t happen in a conference centre.
Rooted & Alive Summer Camp is for you if…
You’re a creative arts therapist who misses making art and needs a reason to pick up the materials again
You’re hungry for fresh creative inspiration to bring back to your practice
You want to connect with other creative arts therapists — across disciplines, in person, without a conference lanyard
You’re curious about nature-based approaches and want to learn from people doing this work in the field (literally)
You’re a student who wants to see what this profession looks like — and feels like — outside the textbook
You are a psychologist, psychotherapist, counsellor, social worker, nurse or other health professional who wants to expand their therapeutic repertoire and include creative arts therapies methods in your practice
You’re tired of online conferences and indoor conferences and ready for something that actually feeds you
You need to take care of yourself :)
And yes — CE credits can be provided (TBC)
We’re building this program together.
Come and share what you know.
Rooted isn’t a top-down conference with a pre-set agenda. We’re building it from the ground up with the people who do this work every day. If you have something worth sharing that fits the theme, we want your proposal. You don’t need to be a trained creative arts therapist to apply — if your work lives at the intersection of creativity, nature, and healing, you belong here.
Workshops are 2–2.5 hours each.
We’re looking for experiential, participatory sessions that explore:
Taking therapy outdoors — what changes when the walls come down
Nature-based art practices and land-based creative process
Using natural materials in your practice — earth, water, wood, stone, plants, found objects
Forest therapy, ecotherapy, and the healing properties of natural environments
Integrating the natural world into existing creative arts modalities
Cross-disciplinary approaches that blur the lines between art, music, drama, dance, and nature
Whether you’ve been practising for decades or are bringing a fresh perspective, if your work gets people out of their chairs and into their senses, we want to hear from you.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MAY 15, 2026
Want to volunteer?
A gathering like this doesn’t happen without good people behind it. If you want to be part of Rooted from the inside — helping things run, welcoming people in, and making the weekend feel as good as it sounds — we’d love to have you.
Volunteers receive reduced entry to the camp. Fill out the form and we’ll be in touch with the details.
Hosted at The SEED Lodge — a creative wellness centre nestled on 56 acres of farm and forest near Georgian Bay, Ontario.
Founded by Esther Kalaba, a registered psychotherapist and art therapist with 20 years in the field, The SEED Lodge was built on a simple belief:
We heal when we remember we are always in relationship — with people, with place, and with the land.
It’s also the kind of place where you can eat breakfast outside, wander a trail between sessions, and fall asleep on the grass.
THE DETAILS
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WHEN
July 23–26, 2026
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WHERE
The SEED Lodge Rocklyn, Ontario Near Georgian Bay
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STAY
Semi private and Private Rooms/ Camping/ Off site accommodation
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FOOD
Three vegetarian meals included
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WORKSHOPS
2–2.5 hours each
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PRICING
Coming soon: Be sure to sign up for our mailing list for early bird registration
Frequently Asked Questions
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Art therapists, music therapists, drama therapists, dance/movement therapists, expressive arts practitioners, creative arts therapy students, and anyone working at the intersection of creativity, nature, and healing. You don’t need to be a registered creative arts therapist to attend or present — if this work calls to you, you belong here.
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Yes — continuing education credits can be provided. We’ll share the specific details and accreditation information as the program is finalized. Even summer camp has its paperwork.
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You have three options: lodge rooms at The SEED Lodge (onsite), camping on the property, or day passes if you’d prefer to stay nearby and come each day. Details and pricing will be shared soon.
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Yes. All meals are included — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks throughout the day. Meals are nourishing, seasonal, and served together. Because eating outside with interesting people is part of the whole point.
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Absolutely. If your work explores nature-based creative practices, forest therapy, ecotherapy, land-based art-making, or the integration of nature and healing, we want to hear from you. The theme is what matters, not the letters after your name.
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Each workshop runs 2–2.5 hours. We’ve intentionally kept them longer than typical conference sessions so there’s real space to go deep, get hands-on, and actually experience something rather than just hear about it.
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Near Rocklyn, Ontario — about two hours north of Toronto, close to Georgian Bay. It sits on 56 acres of farm and forest. Close enough to get to, far enough to feel like a different world. Detailed directions provided upon registration.
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Pricing is coming soon. Sign up for updates below to be the first to know when registration opens. Volunteers receive reduced entry.
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That’s the plan. Rooted 2026 is the first one, and we’re building it with the intention of making it an annual tradition. Come help us start something worth repeating.
Let’s make this an annual tradition.
Rooted 2026 is just the beginning.
Sign up to be the first to know as details unfold — pricing, programming, and everything in between.
Step outside. Get your hands dirty. Come play with us.
Whether you’re here to attend, to lead a workshop, or to lend a hand —Join us at Rooted & Alive.