Art Therapy
Art therapy offers another way to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences through creativity. You don’t need to have artistic experience or know what to say to get started. Sometimes, making something with your hands can help you express what’s difficult to put into words, notice feelings you haven’t fully understood, or look at a familiar problem from a new perspective.
As a Registered Art Therapist, I incorporate creativity into therapy in ways that support your individual needs and goals. Art therapy can be used on its own or alongside talk therapy, giving you different ways to explore your experiences, build self-awareness, and find new ways of moving forward.
What Is Art Therapy ?
Art therapy combines the creative process of making art with the therapeutic relationship. It offers a supportive space to explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences through both the process of creating and reflecting on what you make.
During art therapy, you might work with collage, paint, markers, colored pencils, clay, or other materials. Sometimes, you may have a clear idea of what you want to create. Other times, we might use a guided art activity to explore a particular feeling, challenge, or goal.
The focus isn't on making something beautiful or creating art that others will admire. Instead, we’ll pay attention to what the process brings up for you, what you notice as you create, and what meaning the artwork may hold for you. There is no right or wrong way to participate.
Art therapy can offer opportunities to:
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Explore thoughts and feelings that may be difficult to put into words
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Increase self-awareness and understanding of emotional patterns
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Develop coping skills and new ways of responding to challenges
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Explore difficult experiences in a supportive, manageable way
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Build confidence and self-trust
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Practice problem-solving and flexible thinking
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Improve focus and become more aware of the connection between thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations
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Find ways to manage stress and anxiety
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Recognize personal strengths and feel more empowered
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Who benefits from Art Therapy ?
Art therapy can be helpful for children, teens, and adults. You don’t need to consider yourself creative or have any artistic skill. You simply need to be open to trying a different way of exploring your experiences.
Art therapy may be especially helpful when you have trouble finding the right words for what you're feeling, feel disconnected from your emotions, or find that talking about a difficult experience is challenging. It can also offer a different perspective when you feel stuck in familiar patterns or want to explore an issue in a new way.
In my practice, I may use art therapy to help clients explore anxiety, ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence, trauma, chronic health challenges, relationship difficulties, or life transitions. The activities we choose will depend on your needs, preferences, and goals.
What Does an Art Therapy
Session Look Like ?
An art therapy session often begins with a verbal check-in so we can talk about how you’re doing and what feels important to you that day. From there, we may spend time creating art, using a specific activity or prompt, or exploring something that comes up naturally during the process. We’ll leave time to reflect on your experience and discuss anything you noticed or would like to explore further.
Some clients prefer having a specific activity to guide them, while others enjoy having the freedom to create whatever feels right. There is no single way to do art therapy, and we can adjust the process to fit your comfort level and goals.
For example, a teen experiencing panic attacks might create an image showing where they notice anxiety in their body. This can help them become more aware of physical sensations, explore how anxiety affects them, and practice responding to those sensations with greater understanding and self-compassion.
Someone navigating recovery from substance use might create a visual representation of their life before and during recovery. Reflecting on the images can help them recognize changes they’ve made, reconnect with their reasons for pursuing recovery, and identify strengths they can draw on when challenges arise.
Someone grieving the loss of a loved one might choose to create a quilt in honor of that relationship. The process of selecting materials, colors, and images can offer a meaningful way to remember their loved one, express feelings that may be difficult to put into words, and make space for the many emotions that can accompany grief.
These are just a couple of examples. We’ll choose activities together based on what feels relevant and useful to you. You can also talk about your experiences without making art; creativity is an option, not a requirement.
My Training as
an Art Therapist
I completed my master's degree in Art Therapy at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, where I trained in both studio art and psychology. My graduate internships included work in a county jail, a teenage substance use treatment program, and a children's hospital.
After moving to Los Angeles, I completed my supervised clinical training in a domestic violence shelter and also worked on an inpatient behavioral health unit at a local hospital. These experiences helped shape my understanding of the many ways people experience and cope with life's challenges.
I am a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California. I draw on my art therapy training alongside talk therapy and other therapeutic approaches, tailoring our work to your needs and preferences.
You can learn more about the profession and art therapy training through the American Art Therapy Association.
Curious About Art Therapy ?
You don’t need to be artistic, know what you want to create, or have the right words to begin. If you’re curious about using creativity to better understand yourself, I invite you to reach out for a complimentary 20-minute phone consultation. We can talk about what you're looking for and explore whether art therapy might be a good fit for you.
