Therapy Approach

Art gives us access to alternative pathways in the brain, and help generate new solutions to difficult problems.

When we become stuck, often the tools and methods that helped overcome problems in the past are no longer working. Tapping into our creative source is one of the most effective known methods to discover and implement new ways to be. This is not something you need expertise to do. As an art therapist, I am trained as both therapist and creative witness and guide. I will use art in your treatment to help draw the inherent energy and wisdom within you, so you may explore, integrate, and heal.

See what art therapy can look like.

*All artwork images are shared here with the consent of their makers*

We now know there are many experiences that can constitute trauma beyond acute encounters with its early definition: Abuse, Childhood neglect, Mental health or substance use, Separation from a loved one, Poverty, Oppression, Racism, Discrimination, Violence, Terrorism, & War.

Trauma informed care centers the unhelpful experiences that derail us, whatever they may be. We focus first on what you have endured rather than the symptoms they effect, and channel the strengths that have kept you alive to heal and build resilience.

The principles of this model are Safety, Trustworthiness & Transparency, Peer support, Collaboration, Empowerment, and Humility& Responsiveness.

We are all interconnected, and strive to live lives while tangled in hidden systems of inequity. Whether you consider yourself to be privileged or marginalized, the reality is we are all born into oppressive social structures, and this effects our ability to thrive. What can we do about this? Feminist therapy recognizes systems of power, and the harm they cause, centering transparency, empowerment, and the importance of the interpersonal as paths to freedom. 

Our first experiences with connecting, needing, and being tended to by others 

profoundly impacts our development and the way we relate to others later in life. 

Depending on our experiences, our temperament, and that of our caregivers, we grow up to be people who express ourselves and attach to others in a variety of helpful or unhelpful ways.  

There can be thoughts, feelings, behaviors and often interpersonal patterns that we have learned to ignore, avoid, or amplify in a way not aligned with who we are and what we need because of early experiences.  

By understanding ourselves through our attachment style, we have the opportunity to practice and learn new ways to be that engender more of what we are seeking and need from others in order to thrive.