Art Therapy in Washington, DC
Art-making can bring something different into therapy. An image may hold several feelings at once. Working with a material can slow an experience down enough to notice it. Something that has been difficult to put into words may become more visible once it takes form.
I am a Licensed Professional Art Therapist and Board-Certified Art Therapist. Art-making and the creative process have been part of my clinical training and practice from the beginning.
You do not need any art experience.
In person in Northwest DC and virtual throughout DC
Request a consultationWhat is art therapy?
Art therapy offers ways of exploring experience that aren’t limited to words.
Sometimes there are things we understand intellectually but experience very differently emotionally. An image, material, gesture, or process can make something more visible that has been difficult to articulate. At other times, making can allow us to stay with an experience differently than we might through conversation alone.
The focus isn’t on producing a finished artwork. What happens in the process of making is part of the therapy.
I don’t interpret your artwork or assume that a particular image, color, or symbol has a predetermined psychological meaning. Instead, we can become curious about what you notice, what associations arise, and what the experience means to you.
What does a session look like?
You might draw or paint, work with collage or clay, respond to an image, or return to something you’ve been making over time. What we do develops from what you’re exploring in therapy rather than following a predetermined art exercise.
Conversation is also part of the work. Some sessions may involve more making and others more talking. Art-making is always an invitation, not a requirement.
Art therapy with children and teens
For children and teens, art-making can offer another way to communicate and explore experience alongside conversation and, depending on age and developmental needs, play or sand tray.
A child or teen doesn’t need to be able to explain everything they are experiencing in words for therapy to begin.
Therapy for Children & Teens →My background as an art therapist
I earned my master’s degree in Art Therapy from The George Washington University and am a Licensed Professional Art Therapist in Washington, DC and a Board-Certified Art Therapist.
I have 15 years of clinical experience across hospital, community, and private-practice settings, including nearly a decade working as an art therapist in a pediatric hospital.
Practical information
In person
Northwest Washington, DC, near Tenleytown
Virtual
Available to clients located in Washington, DC
Sessions
45 minutes
Fee
$225 per session
Insurance
Aligned Art Therapy is an out-of-network practice. I can provide documentation for clients seeking reimbursement.
Considering art therapy?
You can request a brief consultation to tell me a little about what you’re looking for and see whether working together might be a good fit.
Request a consultation