WHO WE ARE
The mission of The Wild Expanse is to create accessible therapeutic spaces connected to nature to foster a journey inward through creative arts. We believe in the meaningful and impacting healing process that occurs through connection and creativity.
As a socially just and feminist practice, we commit to uphold the tenets of social justice which include acknowledging and valuing each individual's socio-cultural identity, recognizing how systems of oppression and privilege have influenced each individual including ourselves, and activism to actively address and dismantle these systems.
The Wild Expanse takes place on unceded N’dakinna, which is the traditional ancestral homeland of the Abenaki, Pennacook and Wabanaki Peoples past and present. We acknowledge and honor with gratitude the land and waterways and the Alnobak people who have stewarded N’dakinna throughout the generations.
HOW WE BEGAN
Working as expressive arts therapists together since 2019, we have witnessed a collective experience of disconnection, constriction, and loneliness. We’ve recognized a need for reconnection, play, joy, embodiment, and expanding back into our full selves.
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When thinking of a way to help people reconnect with themselves, we came to the idea of a long weekend retreat where people could come and reinvest in their personal wellbeing. So we created the Wild Expanse.
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The Wild Expanse asks you to bring your whole self, the hurt, the broken, the fearful and stressed parts, as well as the joyful, the fulfilled, the passionate parts, and invites you to connect deep within to the authentic self, expressed through music, movement and art.
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REBECCA GILDEA, MA, MT-BC
As a board-certified music therapist, I aim to empower clients to value themselves and create their own definition and sense of wellbeing.
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I believe each person has the ability to find healing within themselves, and through creative processes, can identify barriers, and develop a healthy self-concept and holistic personal narrative. I believe every person is a creative being, connecting to our deepest experiences and inner wisdom through art, music, and movement.
I received my undergraduate education in music and musicology from Marlboro College and earned an equivalency degree in music therapy from Appalachian State University, going on to complete a masters of music therapy and clinical mental health counseling through Slippery Rock University, PA.
KAY BALDOUMAS, MA, ATR-BC
In 2021, I opened The Artful Well, an art therapy practice in Durham NH, where I guide expression through creative arts as a medium for nurturing the soul, healing the inner self, and for deep self-care.
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Fundamental to my work is creating a safe space for clients to engage in authentic self-expression, opening a path towards self-efficacy, empowerment, and healing.
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I view my role as an art therapist as both witness and ally, accompanying clients as they navigate difficult life experiences and personal struggles.
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I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Arizona State University and completed the Master of Art Therapy and Mental Health Counseling program at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.
SANDRA SNEIDERMAN, LCPC, BC-DMT
When I am facilitating therapy, I believe it is both a gift and my responsibility to create a sacred environment for individuals to feel seen, understood and safe; so the body can begin to ground, open, connect and flourish in the creative process of movement and dance. Deepening our embodiment and coming further into a sensing vs thinking experience is something that helps us awaken to parts of ourselves that may have been sleeping for some time or unearthing parts that were completely unconscious, literally moving us to grow and feel more whole.
I’ve been a practicing therapist since 2010 and was a practicing social worker since 1999. Kindness and safety are at the core of my approach.
I earned my M.A. in Expressive Therapies from Lesley University and undergraduate B.S. in Sociology, Clark, Worcester, MA and the University of Maine, Orono.