What is art therapy?

I get this question a lot.​​ Art therapy is a specialized profession within the mental health therapy field, centered around making visual art as a means to healing. An art therapist honors both the art process and the art product as meaningful components in a client's treatment. Artmaking helps folks readily access the lesser-known parts of the self and safely brings forth rich and complex information. Artmaking in and of itself can support emotional release and lead to a sense of peace. Art therapists go through substantial graduate training to facilitate all of the above and be compassionate witnesses through it all.

It’s a common misconception that art therapy is only for artists. Anyone is a good candidate. Really! Unlike the art classes you may have had growing up, art therapy puts no emphasis on making "good" art.

Art therapy as a profession has been around for over 100 years and has since gained a lot of ground in the mental health field. It offers more of a “bottom up,” accessible, and collaborative approach that classic forms of talk therapy often do not.

Pick your art therapy pathway.

  • Play

    Who said therapy can’t be fun?? Play is powerful.

  • Parts

    An in-depth opportunity to give visual form to your inner critic, among other parts

  • Movement

    Art therapy can stimulate autonomy and encouragement in making change

What does a session look like?

I value meeting each client where they’re at when they walk in the room and adapt my offerings accordingly. My clients know that art therapy will be the central focus of our work, but how this goes down in practice can vary widely. We will often check in verbally and identify what’s most important to explore that day. I might then offer a theme, prompt, or other structure here for easing into the art part. I’ll make sure you are as comfy as possible to create.

After art is made, we will spend time together observing the art and then weave our observations into ongoing verbal processing. Talking about the art and the art experience is so very fruitful and is one of my favorite parts. At my office, I have many supplies for drawing, painting, collaging, and sculpting. Virtually, you can work with whatever you have at home— it doesn’t need to be fancy!

Payment Options

  • I charge $160 for one 50-55 minute session.

  • I reserve limited slots for sliding scale clients. If you are in financial need, this allows you to pay between $80 and $140.

  • I currently accept Providence, Moda, PacificSource, Trillium OHP, and UnitedHealthcare.