More than just

a creative approach

Person wearing a paint-splattered apron working on an art project, holding a small tool, with a colorful drawing or painting on the table.

Art Therapy is a mental health profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.

Art therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns.

A woman sitting on the floor in front of a large white canvas, painting with colorful pastels or chalk. She has her hair in a bun, is wearing a white shirt and pink overalls, and is surrounded by art supplies including a paint palette, colored pastels, and jars of water. The room features a green sofa, decorative pillows, a wooden shelf with plants, art prints on the wall, and a patterned rug.
A person with paint on their hands, sitting in front of an abstract painting with colorful brushstrokes.

What does “art therapy” look like in session?

Art therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, and reduce and resolve conflicts and distress.

In our work together, we may incorporate art to help achieve your therapeutic goals—using creative projects such as books, vision boards, or affirmation cards to represent and explore meaningful areas of your life. Art can also be used as therapy in itself, supporting stress reduction, nervous system regulation, and the processing of grief, trauma, or attachment wounds through approaches like clay work, process painting, and many other creative methods.

A white cloth with the text 'I ♥ ART THERAPISTS' and colorful paint splatters.

  • Absolutely not. Anyone can come to art therapy.

  • Literally anyone. I work with kids as young as 8 to adults in their 60s. My clients are in different stages of life, therefore, art making looks different for everyone.

  • Half of my caseload is dedicated to working individually with adults who need a creative outlet to process life challenges.

  • This is very client dependent. Some clients love doing art in every session. Some clients prefer to sit on the couch and engage more traditional talk therapy. I am trained in several modalities, not art therapy alone.

  • No. I use art literally and symbolically with clients. I usually voice what I notice in sessions, so there is no secret message I am receiving from your art or the way you engage with it.

  • While you can make art therapeutically on your own, art therapy is conducted by a trained professional. If you meet with an art therapist, they may assign art interventions to do outside of session and bring them back to discuss.