Art as Therapy

Express, explore, and transform through the healing power of creative expression.


The Power of Art in Healing

Art therapy harnesses the innate creative capacity within each of us as a pathway to healing, self-discovery, and growth. As a trained art therapist, I provide a safe, supportive environment where you can express thoughts and feelings that might be difficult to put into words.

The creative process involved in artistic expression helps to resolve conflicts, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem, and achieve insight. You don't need any artistic skill or experience to benefit from art therapy—the focus is on the process of creating and what it reveals, not on making "good" art.

Through various art materials and approaches, we can access different parts of yourself, including those that may be outside of conscious awareness. The artwork created becomes a powerful tool for exploring your inner landscape, recognizing patterns, and developing new perspectives and possibilities.

Benefits of Art Therapy

Emotional Expression

Art provides a way to express and process complex or difficult emotions that may be challenging to verbalize. Through creative expression, you can safely release feelings of anger, grief, fear, or confusion, and begin to make sense of your emotional experiences.

Trauma Processing

Art therapy offers a gentle, indirect way to process traumatic experiences. Creating art can help access traumatic memories stored in non-verbal parts of the brain, allowing for integration and healing without requiring you to recount your trauma narrative directly.

Self-Discovery

The creative process can reveal unconscious thoughts, beliefs, and patterns. Art therapy helps you develop greater self-awareness and insight, uncovering aspects of yourself that may have been hidden or overlooked, and fostering a deeper understanding of your authentic self.

Symbolic Communication

Images and symbols can communicate complex experiences and meanings that words alone cannot capture. Art therapy provides access to the rich language of symbolism, allowing for deeper exploration of your inner world and connections to universal human experiences.

Integrative Healing

Art therapy naturally addresses the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. The creative process engages multiple aspects of yourself simultaneously, fostering integration between cognitive, emotional, sensory, and spiritual dimensions of experience. This integrative approach can lead to more comprehensive healing and growth than approaches that focus primarily on verbal or cognitive processing.

The Art Therapy Process

What to Expect

Art therapy sessions are tailored to your unique needs and goals. A typical session might include:

  • Check-in & Intention Setting

    We'll begin by discussing how you're feeling and what you'd like to explore in the session. This helps establish a focus or intention for our work together.

  • Creative Exploration

    I'll guide you through a creative process using various art materials and approaches. This might involve responding to a prompt, exploring a specific theme, or engaging in spontaneous creation. No artistic skill is required—the focus is on authentic expression, not technical ability.

  • Reflection & Processing

    After creating, we'll spend time with your artwork, exploring what emerges and what it might reveal. I'll provide a safe, non-judgmental space for you to reflect on your experience and the meanings that arise from your creative expression.

Art Materials & Approaches

Different materials and approaches can access different aspects of your experience, and we'll work together to find the ones that best support your therapeutic goals and personal preferences. We may work with a wide range of art materials and approaches to support different types of expression and exploration: drawing, painting, collage, mixed media, clay & sculptural materials, or the medium of your choice.

Begin Your Art as Therapy Journey

Ready to begin the artistic exploration process? Schedule an art as therapy session today.