Why I No Longer Hate (and now Love!) Teletherapy:

Although teletherapy has become increasingly popular in recent years, before the pandemic I felt strongly about the limitations that it would present to my work with clients, both because an important aspect of therapy is the face to face relationship that forms between client and therapist, and because as a creative art therapist, being in- person allows for a hands on approach and witnessing to the creative process with open access to art materials in my safe, creative office space. I also knew that some clients may feel apprehensive about remote sessions, and that remote therapy is not ideal for all clients, depending on their age, diagnosis, or unique needs.

Fast forward to the third week of March- due to the growing threat of Covid 19, I knew that I could  no longer offer in-office sessions while also ensuring the safety of my clients and my loved ones, so, with some hesitation on my part,  the teletherapy sessions began. While in a few instances my apprehensions proved to be valid, for the most part, with the majority of clients, teletherapy has proven to at the very least offer us a chance to stay consistent during these very frightening times, and in a number of cases, even further the therapeutic process beyond what we were able to achieve together in the office.

Telehealth Creative Therapy with Adults: With my existing adult clients, there was a very short transition period where we navigated working together in this new way, talking head to talking head on computer screen, but what I noticed in most cases almost immediately was that it was a relief for them to be able to continue to receive support from the safety of their homes, and together we identified how we could continue the creative aspects of our work together, even though many of my adult clients did not produce art weekly in my office. Either they would choose their own art materials, or I would send them some, and in addition, we have been able to branch out to their kitchens and gardens and other areas of their home where other types of creative and mindfulness promoting projects could be explored and processed together. In one case, with a highly anxious client who had always been self-conscious in my office, the telehealth sessions began over the phone. Interestingly, the safety of not being face to face allowed him to speak about things that he was unable to share in the office and begin art projects less self consciously than ever before. We have since transitioned to my HIPAA compliant video platform and have been able to both work through some of the initial challenges that he was seeking support for, while also managing the challenges that the pandemic has posed on his life. More clients have also begun to create art and do more photography in between sessions to process together, although this is always a personal choice for each client.

Telehealth creative therapy with Kids: I had initially been very concerned about how effective telehealth would be with my younger clients, especially those who are less verbal and may be highly anxious or have experienced trauma. The very good news is that kids enjoy making art and playing with their therapist, even remotely. They can still learn coping strategies in this way, and are enjoying the therapeutic connection and attention, especially through this very confusing and frightening time in their life. Parents love the structure that these sessions provide, and can also participate in parent-child interactive sessions or 1 to 1 sessions with me based on their individual child and family’s needs.

So how does it work? After we have had an initial free consultation and complete paperwork, we set up our appointment time and you will be sent a link to a HIPAA compliant platform. You find a private corner in your home with minimal distractions, click on the link, and we begin. I look forward to having the opportunity to work together!

Mental Health and Academic Performance

For some children and adolescents, emotional and mental health challenges can cause academic difficulties, and for others, learning disabilities, ADHD, and dyslexia can be the cause of increasing emotional and social challenges. Either way, unfortunately, many children and teens then get caught up in a cycle of feeling bad about themselves, doing poorly at school, and then feeling worse only to perpetuate this cycle.

Art psychotherapy can be a pleasant, non- threatening way to address emotional and mental health issues for children, and it also has the added advantage of facilitating developmental growth in the social, emotional, and cognitive areas, all of which are conducive to academic success. I work from an attachment based, psychodynamically oriented and trauma informed approach, which when combined with the creative process, can support my young clients in both feeling better overall, and as a result, improving their academic performance. Confidence is increased, difficult topics are explored safely through the creative process, and when focus and concentration are a challenge, the art interventions specifically chosen for each child can increase their frustration tolerance which can help with emotional regulation and academic tasks. In many cases, the addition of art therapy alone over time can effect great change emotionally and help the child or teen get back on track academically.

There are some instances, however, when additional interventions are necessary, beyond what can be provided through art psychotherapy and services provided by the school system. In these instances, I recommend Ronnie Silver of Adelphi Educational Services, Inc. Ronnie is a learning consultant with much experience, masters level training in both psych/remedial reading and in learning disabilities, and years of experience teaching in the classroom, as a consultant for schools, a clinician, and in private practice. She provides a personalized approach for each child, whether they are struggling to read, or have begun to struggle later on and need help preparing for the SATs or their college essays, and anywhere in between. Not only does Ronnie help a child learn the subject at hand, whether it’s reading, writing, or math, she helps them learn how to learn. You can learn more about Ronnie here: https://www.adelphitutoring.com.

Art Therapy for Transition and Change

Art therapy allows a person to work through transition in their own time and in their own unique way. 

Change is an inevitable part of life, period, for each and every one of us, no matter how hard we may resist it. Sometimes the change is something really positive such as getting married or having your first child, and of course, the change can be painful such as the loss of a loved one, the end of a career, a devastating illness, or a divorce. While it may seem obvious that the more painful changes require a process of transition, it is also quite normal to struggle with the more positive changes which requires us to make important shifts in order to move forward and grow. 

The creative process facilitated by a trained art therapist is a powerful tool that can inspire and allow us to positively navigate and work through change. As a coping mechanism, art therapy can support a person in regulating their emotions during stressful times, allowing them to both express themselves in a way that isn’t possible with words alone, and also to understand themselves and create plans for the future that is more conducive to their new situation or role. With positive changes such as becoming a parent, and with the more difficult ones such as grieving a loss, we must successfully grieve our old ways of being that are no longer possible or no longer serve us, integrate them, and find new ways of being.

Color, line, texture, and shape give us the tools we need to unconsciously put our feelings into concrete form, functioning as a visual way to vent our thoughts, feelings, and frustrations, and this process can lead to a better understanding of self, allowing a person to create their best version of themselves and their lives as the creative process opens their eyes up to new possibilities. 

Art Therapy for Back to School ANXIETY:

While going to back to school can be both exciting and slightly anxiety provoking for the average child, for some children already prone to anxiety, including those children who have had negative experiences such as bullying, academic problems, or social isolation in the past, this time of year can be extremely stressful and difficult.

You might notice your child:

*Experiencing increased somatic symptoms: headaches, tummy aches, fatigue, etc., in the absence of an actual diagnosed illness.

*Continually seeking reassurance about everything from their class, their schedules, their peers, their homework, their appearance, and more, or they might regress and become more clingy than they had been in a long time.

*Problems with falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking refreshed in the morning.

*Avoidance of school related activities, peers, homework, discussion related to school, or avoidance of school altogether in extreme cases.

Some first steps to approaching the anxious child include:

*Ensuring enough consistent rest and consistency in routines

*Willingness to address child’s worries and emotions openly without making judgements or denying the child’s concerns, and instead, engaging them in creative problem solving to address their worries.

Sometimes, when these approaches are not enough, consultation with a professional may be necessary. Art Psychotherapy is a fun, pleasant way for a child to express themselves and gain some relief, learn to understand and manage their emotions, increase their self esteem, and experience social, emotional, and cognitive growth. Contact Alisa at Creative Arts Psychotherapy of Westwood to learn more.

Everyday Mindfulness

I have never been able to sustain a daily straightforward meditation practice, and if I am going to be honest, I have not always enjoyed sitting silently in the lotus position. But just like everybody else, it’s all too easy to get swept away by anxious thoughts about the past or the future. Mindfulness, as you know, is about being FULLY present in the here and now without judgement. This state of being frees us from suffering and allows us to make the most of our present and create a more positive tomorrow. 

Meditation does not need to be done in stillness, but should embody loving kindness and compassionate awareness; it is any action which quiets the mind and allows for the flow of awareness to the presence of the present moment.

Art practice has always increased my mindfulness, and for many of my clients a major benefit of our art therapy work together is an increased ability to be mindful, present in their lives, more able to operate from a place of reality based calmness rather than from a place of anxiety and fear about the past or future. Art making is method of increasing a person’s ability become more present, and as a result, to increase their ability to regulate their emotions, but there are so many ways we can increase our mindfulness throughout the day.

For me, in recent years, one of the ways has been cooking. I used to look at cooking as a means to an end, dreaded all of the prep time and especially the cleaning afterwards. But when I slowed down and my perception shifted, I became more able to interact on a different level with the beautiful, colorful ingredients in front of me, the variety of interesting aromas, and even the loads of dirty pots and pans afterwards. Choosing the ingredients, washing them, cutting them, cooking them, presentation, and, SOMETIMES cleaning up is truly a relaxing and pleasurable experience. 

 For me, cooking, along with art, are some of the ways that I regularly integrate mindfulness into my daily life. For others, it could be gardening, a walking meditation, playing an instrument, or even housecleaning, just to name a few. 

6 Common Myths about Art Psychotherapy BUSTED!

Myth #1: Art therapy is only for kids.

While art therapy is a very effective modality for children, it is also an extremely powerful form of mental health treatment for adults, combining both verbal and visual tools to help people of any age (and any level of intelligence, including people just like you and me) attain greater mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. It’s a way of engaging the imagination and sensory centers of the brain for problem solving the many different issues that we may face. 

Myth #2: You have to be an artist to benefit from art therapy.

This is a very common misconception- art made in art therapy does not have to be “beautiful” or even “accurate”. Sure, some clients may benefit from learning to create accurate or beautiful images, but for most of us, that is not the point. There is never a wrong or right way to create, and the more you are able to “let go” and just allow things to emerge, the more you will learn about yourself, your needs, and the sooner you will make progress and move towards your goals for yourself.

Myth #3: If you do art therapy, you have to make art weekly.

While many of my young clients do choose to make art at every session, my adult clients often make art more sporadically. For these clients, engaging in the creative process as needed is an extremely powerful tool to further their therapeutic process and gain clarity for themselves and their needs.

Myth #4: Art therapy is best suited for people who are developmentally disabled, severely mentally ill, or brain injured and can’t express themselves verbally. 

While it is true that art therapy is extremely healing for those populations that cannot easily express themselves verbally, it can also be extremely healing for high functioning people who have no problem whatsoever expressing themselves with words!

Myth #5: An art therapist will look at my art and see things that I do not want to reveal.

It is true that art can give some clues about how a person is feeling and functioning, but only the artist creating the art can ultimately say what their art work means. I never over-analyze a client’s art work- 

their art work will serve a lot of purposes, including being a vehicle to support them in finding meaning and increasing their self-understanding. Any analyzing that will take place will happen as a collaborative effort between myself and my client based on your their own experiences and associations.

Myth #6: Art therapists are not “real therapists”.

Art therapists are graduate level clinicians trained in psychology, psychotherapy, and art. We complete internships and earn licenses in most states similar to other disciplines in the mental health field such as clinical social workers, psychologists, and mental health counselors, and we all require about a year or so of supervised training hours after graduation and need to pass a difficult licensing exam. We are also required to engage in continuing education to maintain our credentials. I am a nationally registered and board certified art therapist, and licensed by the state of NY. Unfortunately, there is not yet an art therapy license in the state of NJ, but NJ art therapists have been working tirelessly for many years with the Office of Consumer Affairs and elected officials to establish an official license.