Art Therapy

I have been practicing in the field of Art Therapy for 12 years and use it as a modality that combines psychotherapy with the healing and transformative aspects of art and the creative process. I additionally teach at Adler Graduate School in the Art Therapy department. Through my experience as an art therapist I aims to help with personal growth and development. The practice of art therapy requires extensive, specialized education, training and experience.

I am a licensed and board certified art psychotherapist. My training allows me the ability to conduct talk psychotherapy, but also allows for art therapy additions as well. Even remotely, art making can be part of our session. Some people identify art making in session as soothing, and enjoy sharing their work at the end of session. Some people enjoy working after session with a specific art intervention, to help continue processing. Art making can be a great addition to our work.

"You’ve lost hold of who you are and don’t know your thoughts and feelings". Art therapy uses creative, artistic practices to address psychological and emotional needs. Not only does art therapy work to support self-expressive practices, but it is a great way to dig into the main goals that brought you to therapy. Art therapy is a unique tool because it can access the subconscious, the part of yourself that you can’t always see, even though you know it plays a significant role in your life.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a quick and effective way to create lasting change. ART does not require you to talk about your painful past in order to heal from it. You, the Client, are in control of what is happening in session. Accelerated Resolution Therapy is an innovated approach building off of EMDR and combining a multitude of traditional psychotherapeutic techniques utilized in... Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Gestalt, Brief Psychodynamic, Exposure, and CBT.

I incorporate art therapy at times in my practice with a combination of narrative therapy in order to help the client express their story.

I was trained as an art therapist at Loyola Marymount University, one of the first and most leading schools for art therapy in the US. I participate in research to build the field of art therapy, and I deeply believe in the healing power of art. Both at LMU and as an art historian, I studied the mechanisms by which humans make meaning with visual works, and I discovered that the connection between our lived experiences and the art we enjoy is an integral part of human evolution and health.

Art therapy is an integrative mental health profession that combines knowledge and understanding of human development and psychological theories and techniques with visual arts and the creative process to provide a unique approach for helping clients improve psychological health, cognitive abilities, and sensory-motor functions. Art therapists use art media, and often the verbal processing of produced imagery, to help people resolve conflicts and problems while working on therapeutic treatment.

I generally follows a client-centered orientation, emphasizing the individual strengths & resources of each of my clients.

You can read my blog on art therapy here! https://www.embodyandmindcollective.com/blog-posts/what-is-art-therapy-its-not-just-for-creatives-by-shaye-mueller

ART is also unique in that it combines the enormous power of eye movements to allow voluntary changes in the client’s mind with well-established therapies like Gestalt, Psychodynamic Therapy and Guided Imagery. Within the ART protocol, the eye movements, along with other ART enhancements, make these therapies work much faster and more effectively. https://acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/what-is-art/

I am a licensed and board certified art psychotherapist. My training allows me the ability to conduct talk psychotherapy, but also allows for art therapy additions as well. Even remotely, art making can be part of our session. Some people identify art making in session as soothing, and enjoy sharing their work at the end of session. Some people enjoy working after session with a specific art intervention, to help continue processing. Art making can be a great addition to our work.

I graduated with my Master of Science in Art Therapy and completed two years of post-graduate supervision to obtain my Registered Art Therapist Credential. I have completed extensive training in the application of specific art materials such as chalk, paint, clay, fiber arts, and other art media and how these materials can facilitate connection to emotions as well as healthy self-expression.

Art therapy is the approach in which I have the most training and experience. Art therapy is a way of delivering and processing therapy within the context of creation. I studied at the Drexel Graduate Art Therapy program, and have received my Board Certification.

You can read my blog on art therapy here! https://www.embodyandmindcollective.com/blog-posts/what-is-art-therapy-its-not-just-for-creatives-by-shaye-mueller

I believe that when we are able to express ourselves creatively through art/music/dance and more, we are able to begin healing. Art can be a great tool when working with kids and teens as well as it gives us a way to connect and communicate with more than words can provide. I personally create and engage in creative activities in sessions with clients to normalize this as a tool. I have over 5 years experience using creative therapies in practice.

I have completed my Master's degree in Art Therapy from Wayne State University and am near completion of the requirements to be an ATR- Art Therapist Registered.

Art therapy is for everyone! Things I hear all the time..."I am not good at art" or "do you draw for me?" You do not have to be "good" at art as art therapy is about the process! I won't judge your artwork as it is special to you and you hold the meaning. All you need are some basic art supplies (paper, markers, colored pencils, pens, anything that can be used to create!).

Art therapy allows you to access parts of yourself in a creative way, unlocking insights through visual expression. Using modalities like drawing, painting, collaging, sculpture, and sand tray, you can give form to complex emotions, unconscious material, past experiences, relationships, dreams, spiritual aspects of self - bringing them to light through the art process. As your therapist, I help you interpret the themes, symbols and metaphors that emerge, deepening self-understanding.

ATR-BC-I am board certified by the Art Therapy Credentials Board and have practiced art therapy for 20 years. ATCS-I hold credentials to be an art therapy supervisor and I mentor future art therapists. With art therapy the narrative approach, trauma focused care and dialectical behavioral therapy are deepened with visual expression. Re:Using various art media you will make art about your experiences.