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Is there anything you would like to see happen to support and expand the Colorado art therapy community?
(I do not feel I can answer this question because I joined the Colorado art therapy community recently since I have lived here under 1.5 years I am not as familiar with this community yet)
How can art therapy or art be used for social justice?
Art therapy has been used in responding to social injustices. Since art goes beyond words, it can become a voice to enhance advocacy. I am reminded of Wayne Ramirez’s work in responding to collective trauma and the presentation I attended by Elia Khalaf and Deanna Barton (AATA Conference in 2021) facilitated by Blooming Names in response to honoring the lost lives of Black and Brown persons due to police and gun violence. Additionally, we see art therapy become a response for education as a visual to events such as memorials, murals, etc. as a space to bring awareness, voice, and honor.
What originally drew you to the field of art therapy?
I was originally drawn to the field because of the ability to integrate creativity and processing that circumvents language.
Can you tell us about your academic journey?
My academic background encompasses a Bachelor of Arts in Art Therapy from Seton Hill University (class of 2012) and a Master of Science in Art Therapy with a Concentration in Counseling from Mount Mary University (class of 2014). Currently, I am a student pursuing my Ph.D in Counselor Education and Supervision from Walden University. While being a doctoral student, I have had the opportunity to share about art across a spectrum which involves the differences between art in counseling and art therapy. This has given me the space to better connect on when it is appropriate for counselors to refer to art therapists and for counselors and art therapists to co-treat in order to enhance care. There are many reasons I am pursuing this Ph.D. and two include enhancing my supervision skills because I provide clinical supervision to post-grads and another is to improve my teaching philosophy and andragogy as I have been an educator since 2018.
Can you talk about the power of art therapy in your life and your work?
Art therapy enhances my ability to empathize and connect with others. My world view continually expands, therefore, impacts my life perception to better understand multiple viewpoints. In my work, art therapy keeps me curious, inspired, and creative.
Do you see transpersonal elements manifest in your professional work?
Yes, in my life, professionally and personally, there are circumstances that are unexplainable. I notice this most readily show up in the art process and the way a series of events transpire.
From your point of view, what is the most important thing to keep in mind when working as an art therapist?
While there are several important aspects, being present with the person or the folks I am with is most essential. Presence keeps me grounded, focused, and able to utilize my clinical skills most appropriately.
What are some important self-care practices you recommend or practice?
The three things I keep in mind are finding ways to stay curious, stay inspired, stay creative. I think the bridge to these three pieces is different for everyone so my recommendation is to explore different avenues to fuel curiosity, inspiration, and creativity in your life. For me this includes a variety of things and my top few would include playing with creative materials, going to new places for example, a coffee shop and going hiking because it helps me to see the world differently and change my perspective.
Are you working on anything now that you’re really excited about?
Currently I am a Ph.D Counselor Education and Supervision student, and because I love learning I am grateful to be on this path. With this, I am looking forward to my dissertation. Also, I am excited to be collaborating with others on a CE course I’m co-facilitating this January called: research Reframed: Elevating your Story as Evidence, two manuscripts that I am wrapping so hopefully I will see that come to fruition soon, coding for an informal research project, and being on the American Art Therapy Association Research Board, we just launched a research forum to create a research network among art therapists.
How important is it to collaborate with your art therapy colleagues?
Professional service and collaboration has broadened my network which has led to other interests and opportunities. Each person has a different perspective and insight I can learn from, for example art therapists tend to have specialities and resources that differ than mine. Working with professionals outside of the art therapy field diversifies insights and can strengthen practice while demonstrating how art therapy services can be integrated into systems to improve a person’s care.
How have your professional collaborations benefited your career?
My network and connections were part of the reason that led me to an educator role where I have taught in the graduate program at PennWest University and I have been able to co-lead presentations at national conferences and be part of an international panel.
How would you like to see the field of art therapy evolve in the coming years?
I would like to see research become more embedded in the art therapy field and increased publications on art therapy collaborating with other professional in academic journals. Publications impact awareness, understanding, and is advocacy for the field.
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