What is art therapy?

Unlike social work perspectives that understand art therapy as one modality of treatment, a trained art therapist is indoctrinated in an understanding that creative or expressive therapies are deeply connected to the unconscious. Art therapy is a way of approaching treatment based on years of specialized training and integrates the client's nonverbal expression into a deeply therapeutic environment. The art therapist creates a safe space that doesn't rely solely on words. Cultivated and protected, both non-verbal and verbal communication can bring long held, unspoken client beliefs and maladaptive coping strategies to the surface where words can be found in an effective and efficient process.
 
My Theoretical Approach

I believe that our psyche determines our actions and a psychodynamic theory underlies my postmodern client-centered approach. I am always aware of my white male privilege and aspire to cultural humility and look for intersectionality within many psychosocial perspectives. I believe in the necessity of a client/therapist alliance.

My Training

My second masters degree prepared me to be a psychotherapist and emphasizesed counseling. When I graduated from the CAAHEP accredited Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Masters in Art Therapy with an Emphasis in Counseling program in July 2021, I was qualified to apply for an LMHC-A license in the State of Indiana and have since qualified for LMHC in New Mexico. I am currently billable under supervision. My graduate work was over 700 supervised hours of practicum and internships that included Juvenile Detention, an Opioid Treatment Program, and an in-patient unit (IPU). 

I am also a trained artist. I have been dedicated, have exhibited widely and have a history of publication in national venues. My first masters degree is a master of fine arts degree in Arts Administration from Columbia University, a combination of business, esthetics , and law, followed by years on staff at the Metropolitan Museum on Art.