Art Therapy

Art therapy, based on the idea that creative acts can be healing, is a form of psychotherapy that uses art as its primary form of treatment. Through creating art and contemplating the art making process, a qualified Art Therapist can help clients of all ages to express emotions in a healthy way, cope with stress and traumatic experiences and to increase their self-awareness. Art therapy requires no previous art experience and can benefit individuals with mental health problems, learning disabilities, neurological conditions, or physical disabilities.

Local experts in Art Therapy

Alyssa Gursky (they/them & she/her)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, Registered Associate

Benefits of art therapy may include the development of non-verbal forms of self-expression, trauma resolution, increased self-esteem, and nervous system regulation/stress management. Art materials can be used in the session, or, prompts can be given to complete outside of the therapy space. I hold the belief that art is like a dream, or a snapshot of some facet of the psyche, latent with imagery, waiting to be de-coded and integrated into one’s daily life.

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Quinn Rivenburgh (they/them)

Art Therapist

MAAT, ATR-BC, LAT, LPCC

Art therapy is a therapeutic modality that focuses on visual and metaphorical tools for healing emotional suffering. It is a way of externalizing the thoughts and feelings which cause pain. It is particularly useful for addressing issues in life that are hard to talk about—like grief, death, loss, trauma, hopes, dreams, and fears. ▵ Art therapy is not necessarily about creating beautiful works of art. It is about attending to the poetry and metaphor of our life stories.

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Erin Berk, LPC (She/Her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

ATR, LPC

Art therapy can be a vehicle , a catalyst which can propel you into accessing feelings and thoughts that may become blocked through our ability to intellectualize or suppress. Children, teens ,adults who want to ' uncover' new insights which can then- be discussed with the therapist--can propel you into deeper parts of yourself through the creative process. No art experience necessary!

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Kelly Paynter (She/Her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, ATR-BC

Art therapy integrates self-expression through various art media, such as drawing and painting, the creative process, applied psychological theory, and the human experience within the therapy relationship. Will I MAKE you do art and draw your feelings? No, only if we decide together that art making is something you’d like to incorporate in your healing process. Do you have to “be a good artist” to do art therapy? Definitely not. We will find out together what type of self-expression feels right

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Beth Ann AKA BA Short LCAT, ATR-BC (they/them)

Art Therapist

LCAT

Art therapy requires specialized training and certification. Art therapy is a human service profession that serves to increase self-awareness and self-esteem, improve social skills and behavior, increase the ability to problem solve, decrease stress, improve reality orientation and resolve emotional conflicts through the process of making art. In Oregon there are two art therapy licenses: Licensed Art Therapist (LAT) and Licensed Certified Art Therapist (LCAT).

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Erin Webb

Licensed Art Therapist

LPC, ATR

Making art reduces stress and helps many teens engage more in therapy. Art therapy helps youth process difficult experiences and communicate feelings, thoughts and memories that are hard to express in words. Art therapy is also used during family therapy to support positive interactions and the sharing and revising of family stories. Artistic talent is not necessary and stick figures are welcome!

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Family Roots Therapy

Licensed Professional Counselor

Our Licensed Art Therapist has experience in using art therapy to help teens explore their emotions, build self-esteem, and heal.

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Nicole Craig (She/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC

As an art therapist, I believe we are all artists who deserve the pleasure of art making. I have used this modality in a variety of ways; helping people process grief and trauma externally, as a means to improve reality testing for individuals with psychosis, as a tool for depression and anxiety, and as a method to increase insight.

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Aaron Finbloom (he/him)

Somatic Practitioner

PhD

I work with Psychodrama and Visioning practices, which help bring a client into dramatic or imaginative representation of inner and external roles. These practices help significantly aid in expression, depth-work and distancing.

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Rachael Patoray (she/her)

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, ATR

My professional training is in art therapy and I am a registered art therapist (ATR). Art therapy is about creating art in a therapeutic setting. The act of art making, as well as the art piece you create, will help you to explore and express yourself in a safe space. Creativity helps you tap-into and explore complex and overwhelming feelings and situations in a non-threatening way.

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Allison Medford (she/her)

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

MA, LMFT, ATR

Master's Degree in Art Therapy, GWU 2010 utilizing creative interventions to support increased self awareness and insight

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Catherine Lazen (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

M.Ed, MSW, LCSW

I provide a wide range of expressive arts therapy options (including Sandplay therapy) for people of all ages who are dealing with loss, grief, PTSD, trauma, chronic illness, relational (couples/family) conflict and more.

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Sarah Hardin

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

Sometimes, words don't suffice. Or we tell ourselves the same stories over and over again, not allowing us to get unstuck from these old narratives. The power of image and of creative expression to get at the heart of a feeling or a problem is immense. If you think visually or are curious about new ways of approaching old problems, art therapy may be very effective for you.

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Celine Redfield

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

MA, LMFT, Certified Havening Practitioner, EFT Master, Practitioner

I use art therapy to help clients to externalize their problems so that they can have different perspective on them and to use the right side of the brain instead of the left. Through use of the art clients gai insights into their bodies and the unconscious process that occurs within them.

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Erica Ochsenreither (she/her)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, ATR-P

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Sam Skye (he/him)

Licensed Art Therapist

ATR, LAT, LPC

I am a master's level art therapist from an American Art Therapy Association approved graduate program.

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Dani Dierking (She/Her/Hers)

Licensed Art Therapist

LAT, LPC, ATR

I am a licensed art therapist with the State of Oregon and I am a registered art therapist with the American Art Therapy Credentials Board. I have been practicing art therapy for over 8 years.

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True Refuge Art Therapy

Art Therapist

Images open a door into psyche and reveal more than words alone, often offering up their own solutions to a client's dilemma. As Mary Watkins writes, 'the image in its specificity lends us the imaginal background to each experience, thus raising the day world onto the plane of metaphorical meanings...[becoming] an eye through which one perceives and senses.'

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Drew Smith (she/her)

Licensed Art Therapist

LCAT, LPC

I'm a Licensed Certified Art Therapist with five years of experience providing individual and group therapy to children, teens, and adults. Prior to completing my Master's Degree in Art Therapy I worked in community arts centers, museums, and classrooms facilitating arts programming in numerous settings and for people of all ages.

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