What originally drew you to the field of art therapy?

In high school I had an incredible art teacher named Kitty Gunty who told me about the field of art therapy. I was already interested in psychology, and I have identified as an artist for as long as I can remember. When I found out about art therapy I never looked back.

Can you tell us about your academic journey?

I spent my freshman year at the University of Wisconsin – Madison then transferred to IUPUI, which will soon be renamed Indiana University - Indianapolis. I received a BFA in Photography with minors in

Psychology and Art History. I almost minored in Literature as well, but a third minor seemed a bit excessive. Along the way I took a handful of undergrad courses at the San Fransisco Art Institute and Notre Dame.

I received my MA in Art Therapy from New York University in 2015. I am currently employed by the University of Colorado, and I am fortunate to be able to take CU courses for free. In the future I want to take courses in military culture, research design, ASL, and Spanish.

I plan to be a lifelong learner. As an art therapist, one of my best teachers has been experience. I haveworked with clients of all ages (young children – geriatrics) from diverse backgrounds with a broad spectrum of struggles. I have worked in inpatient, outpatient, and community-based settings. I entered graduate school 9 years ago, and after extensive trial and error I now know the populations and settings where I do my best work.

Can you talk about the power of art therapy in your life and your work?

I feel incredibly grateful to be in my current job at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, which is located on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Three years after graduating from NYU I experienced burnout and left New York. Ever since moving to Colorado I have worked exclusively as an art therapist. I don’t dread Mondays, I love what I do, and I feel that I gain just as much healing as I give to my patients.

From your point of view, what is the most important thing to keep in mind when working as an art therapist?

This is a somewhat controversial opinion, but I strongly feel that art therapists’ primary professional identity should be “therapist.” When you are in the room with a client it is never about your own art practice or artistic skills. You are first and foremost providing psychotherapy, period. I have seen too many artists enter the field of art therapy for the wrong reasons. You can absolutely maintain your own art practice on the side, but you need solid skills and training in psychotherapy to best serve your clients.

What are some important self-care practices you recommend or practice?

Number one for me is yoga. I have been practicing yoga for 14 years and completed my teacher training and taught yoga in New York for several years. I am currently too busy to teach, but yoga will always be a part of my life. More recently I fell in love with rock climbing/bouldering. I have also started painting regularly again. Finally, I believe every therapist should have their own therapist. I prioritize being on the other side of the couch.

Are you working on anything now that you’re really excited about?

I am fortunate to be able to conduct research in my job, which is something I have always wanted to do. I am collaborating with colleagues in art therapy, neurology, and speech-language pathology to submit abstracts for IRB approval.

How important is it to collaborate with your art therapy colleagues?

So important. I primarily connect with other art therapists by being involved with CO-ATA. The CO-ATA community is incredibly open and welcoming. If you’ve ever wanted to connect with us in a more meaningful way just reach out!

How would you like to see the field of art therapy evolve in the coming years?

I have many thoughts on this, but I will focus on one issue. The lack of diversity in our field is in large part due to the prohibitive financial barriers to becoming an art therapist. It is unacceptable that 80% of AATA members are White and nearly 90% are women.* There are many steps we can take to address homogeneity in our field. For example, we need to establish more art therapy programs in public universities and community colleges. Graduate programs should prioritize allocating funds to need-based scholarships and affirmative action practices. We must re-examine the requirements for post-graduate ATR supervision. Many new graduates shell out hundreds, even thousands, for off-site supervision. The application fees for credentialing, licensure, and board exams are far too high. Much of this largely falls on the ATCB – the national accrediting body for art therapists in the US – and many of us have called for reforms to their corrupt practices.

After paying countless thousands of dollars to graduate from an art therapy MA program, new art therapists are almost always underpaid. Even experienced art therapists are barely paid a living wage. Fewer than 15% of employed AATA members make over $79,000 annually. This is a complex issue to resolve, but some practical steps we can take include title protection, policy advocacy, visibility through strong branches of AATA in every state, and more research supporting our claim that art therapy is a highly effective treatment modality. Our profession was established approximately 80 years ago and there are no excuses for the lack of diversity in our field. Every single individual art therapist has ability to act and demand change.

*All statistics cited are from the 2021 AATA Member Demographics report