Art Therapy
FOR ADULTS IN MASSACHUSETTS
Art is a guarantee of sanity.
- Louise Bourgeois
Art therapy is just what it sounds like: a type of therapy that uses artmaking as a tool in the therapeutic process. Using art within therapy can be particularly helpful if you’re having a hard time identifying how you feel, or if you find yourself intellectualizing or “talking around” what’s bothering you. It often gives people a way to tap into feelings that might otherwise be hard to articulate. Art therapy also has physical benefits. Because it’s a sensory process, it can help us to relax our nervous systems. This allows us to feel more connected with our bodies, release tension, and externalize our experiences. Art therapy is a particularly helpful therapeutic method for people who have experienced trauma. It can help us work through our therapy at a comfortable pace and positively reconnect with our own bodies.
Often, people assume that art therapy is only helpful for those who consider themselves artists, or who identify as “creative types.” But you don’t need to have any experience with art for art therapy to be helpful for you. I have extensive experience in making the art-making process accessible and creating space for people to explore. Art therapists like myself believe that everyone is inherently creative. We believe that engaging that creativity promotes healing and change. Exploring your creativity may also offer you a new way to connect with and communicate about yourself— and what you hope to get out of therapy.
I aim to make creativity accessible and I integrate art therapy into my work with people who are interested in using the creative process to gain insight into their experiences and as a way to imagine and create change. I believe that art provides us with a unique opportunity for insight when we explore complex experiences and emotions. How art therapy is used within therapeutic work, including the types of art materials and processes, depends on the goals and needs of each person, group, or community. I’m especially interested in the ways art materials and mediums can support people in culturally-resonant practices, and the way art can facilitate communication and collaboration.
Art therapy is helpful for communities as well as for individuals. Community art therapy moves beyond an individualized focus to help communities use art to identify their needs and strengths, build relationships, empower themselves, and even engage in activism. I facilitate individual and community art therapy because I believe that healing takes place at both levels. Learn more about my experience facilitating community art therapy.
HI, I’M LAUREN.
I’m an artist, therapist, educator, and activist. I’m a licensed mental health counselor and a board-certified, registered art therapist.
I offer online individual counseling and art therapy. With some of my clients, we stick to “conventional” talk therapy; our time together is conversational and focused on discussion and somatic (body-based) approaches like breathing exercises and mindfulness. With others, we integrate art into our process. You can learn more about my approach to therapy on my About page. If you’re interested in bringing art therapy into our work together, we’ll collaboratively explore different types of art materials and processes to find the ones that will work best for you. We’ll also work to find the right balance of talking and art-making.
Get Started
Interested in how art therapy could support you?
Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation call.