Art Therapy
There are things we know that we can't say. Emotions that live in the body before they live in language. Experiences that happened before we had words for them, or that we are so overwhelming that words never quite captured them.
That's where art therapy comes in.
Art therapy is not arts and crafts. It's not about making something beautiful or proving you're creative. It's about using image-making, color, mark-making, and symbolic expression as a way to access what's underneath, the parts of your experience that talk therapy alone sometimes can't reach.
What Art Therapy Actually Looks Like
As a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT), I'm trained to use creative modalities as a genuine clinical intervention, not a gimmick, not an add-on. This is sophisticated, evidence-based work that can be particularly powerful for trauma survivors, people who feel they can't find the right words, and those who want a more embodied, experiential approach to healing.
In practice, this might mean drawing or painting to externalize something that's hard to talk about directly. Using imagery to explore an emotion or memory. Creating something as a way of processing a transition or a loss. Or simply making marks on a page as a way of getting out of your head and into your body.
You choose whether to engage with art therapy. It's never required. And it can be blended with traditional talk therapy in whatever proportion feels right for you.
You Don't Need to Be Artistic
Seriously. The therapeutic value has nothing to do with the quality of what you make. It has everything to do with the process, what comes up while you're making it, what you notice, what surprises you. Some of the most powerful art therapy moments come from the simplest marks.
Art Therapy May Be Right for You If:
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You feel like words never quite capture what you're experiencing
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You have a history of trauma that feels hard to talk about directly
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You're a visual or creative thinker
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You've tried traditional talk therapy and want something different
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You want a more embodied, experiential approach to healing
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You're simply curious and open to exploring
I work with adults and am proudly LGBTQIA+ affirming. Art therapy is available in person in Montclair, NJ. Telehealth sessions across NJ & NY use adapted creative modalities.
Serving adults in Montclair, Glen Ridge, Verona, Bloomfield, West Orange, South Orange, Maplewood and across NJ.