Specialties

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Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

~ Pablo Picasso

Traditional art making has helped people deal with stress and trauma; tell their stories; express difficult feelings; find positive feelings about self; discover talents; as well as find greater peace and meaning in life. Expressive Arts Therapy integrates the arts (such as visual art making, sculpting, mask-making, drama, dance/ movement, music, writing, sand tray, and play) into therapy with individuals, couples, families, and groups to deepen therapeutic work and enhance verbal therapy.

Targeted creative approaches can bring insight and resolution to sensitive and complex issues, which often lie beyond the reach of talk therapy. This powerful creative process can unlock subconscious blocks; promote sensory-integration; lower the stress-arousal system; ignite the imagination to support healing; as well as promote communication, self-expression, insight, mind-body healing from trauma, and personal growth. No artistic experience or ability is required, as there is no right, wrong, good, or bad. The creative art making process holds the key... not the final product! 

Art is about life, about giving life, it is about creating possibilities.

~ Derrick Healy 

Trauma Informed Treatment: Healing from PTSD ( Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) / Early childhood abuse and neglect / Domestic Violence / Victims of Crimes

Couples/ Partner Relationships: Informed by Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy / Gottman Research

Parent-Child Relational Issues/ Attachment informed Treatment

Depression and Anxiety Disorders

Bi-Polar Disorders

Anger Management

Communication skills / Assertiveness

Grief and Loss

Living with chronic pain, illness, disease

Adjusting to Life Transitions / Stressors

Divorce/ separation/ blended families/ family reorganization

Adjusting post-divorce / single and dating post divorce

Parenting / single parenting/ co-parenting

Pregnancy / Infertility / PostPartum

Women’s Issues - Sexuality / roles / relationships / self-worth / empowerment

Filial Play Therapy / Sand Tray Therapy

Self-esteem / Body Image  

Eating Disorders of mild severity

Substance Use Disorders of mild severity

Personal & Professional Growth

Religious/ Spiritual Crisis  

Life purpose / meaning

Most heroic journeys involve going through a dark place - through mountain caverns, the underworld, or labyrinthine passages to emerge, finally, into the light.  

~ Jean Shinoda Bowen