move forward into the life you are meant for

I am dually licensed in Art Therapy and mental health counseling.  I am able to incorporate the process of art making in addition to my other skills as a trained mental health therapist as I help you to meet your goals. Rather than only having the tool of words, we can use visual art as an additional means of expression. With this greater ability to express ourselves, I know that we can unlock more, get deeper and get there more quickly. Art making has been integral in my own healing journey. In my work with clients I often see great insight come from one art piece, insight that could have taken weeks or months for a person to realize and articulate through talk therapy alone. Art making also alleviates stress, anxiety and depression. Art making can lower stress hormones like cortisol and help you rewire connections in your brain. 

Art Therapy sessions look different for each individual or group. Sessions will typically be a combination of art making as well as processing. Some clients make art in the session, while others feel more comfortable making art at home, and then we will process the finished piece in our next session. Sometimes I  may even ask you to simply doodle or scribble while simultaneously talking. This is utilizing bilateral stimulation, or activating both right and left brain. This allows us to more deeply process old memories and replace them with new, more helpful neural pathways. 

We've all heard the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words". Using symbolism in therapy is extremely powerful. Just like you may take away something your therapist said that particularly resonated with you, after an Art Therapy session, you may take away a powerful image or symbol that will continue to guide you between sessions. Think about symbols that resonate with you. Does anything cone to mind? What might come to mind when you think of an image of a mountain, a tree or water?

Art Therapy lends itself also to the idea of letting go of what we don't want, and moving towards what we do want. We are often very good at articulating and describing in great detail what we don't want. Often when people reach out for therapy, it's in terms of what we don't want. "I want to get out of this relationship". "I want to quit using food or substances to numb". "I want my child to stop doing this negative behavior". Often we have a harder time knowing what we will aquire in it's place. This makes it extremely hard to move away from that old story when we don't know where we are going. Art can be a great way to help us see what it is we are moving towards! I know, based on my clinical work and personal experience, that we have to be able to start to visualize the future we want before we can move toward it. Art can greatly lend itself to visualization and manfestation.

You don't have to create art to work with me, but if this is something that interests you, feel free to ask me more!