art therapy

As a professional art therapist I am trained in both art and therapy. My background includes the study of human development, psychological theory, clinical practice, spiritual knowledge, multi-cultural and artistic traditions and using art for healing. I have worked with people of all ages and have provided services as part of a clinical team, in mental health environments, outreach settings and schools, with individuals and groups, workshops and professional presentations.

Art therapy helps clients, through their visual imagery, embrace their creative process. The practice involves imagination and play while learning new coping skills and forms of communication. Working with art media and a trained facilitator, unarticulated material and feelings, such as anger, fear and sadness, are expressed leading to a deeper level of self-knowledge and enhanced self-esteem. Conflict and distress can be reflected upon in a supportive, nonjudgmental environment helping to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.

Benefits of art therapy:

• Releases tension and anxiety
• Builds self-esteem
• Facilitates deeper understanding of one’s own symbolic language
• Reduces effects of trauma
• Treats mood disorders
• Addresses anxiety related disorders: stress, social anxiety, panic attacks, phobias
• Body experience disorders
• Impulse Control Disorders: addictions