Art Therapy               My Philosophy                Stop Motion 
                                                                                         Art Therapy
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"We are all in the same boat". As humans, we all suffer and the gem in this, is that we are never alone with our suffering. It is through the compassion of others and compassion towards ourselves that can reveal the beauty hidden deep within the suffering. The storm always passes.

   Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem.

     By expressing yourself through art, an art therapist can help you see things about yourself that you otherwise may not have comprehended. Art therapists can help you process emotions and feelings that you are struggling with, so you can begin healing. 
      Since art therapists are trained in the arts and, obviously, in therapy, they are capable of guiding you through the process of creative expression.  They are also quite capable of providing insight into your creations and helping you understand certain aspects of yourself that maybe you didn’t know existed, whether good or bad.
       

It is this idea of self-exploration that can often lead a person to some insightful conclusions about themselves. Don’t be surprised if the effects of art therapy lead to a general sense of relief and overall better mental health. Again, it’s therapy, but with a completely different ingredient than most people are used to, art.


      It’s important to note that you don’t need an art therapist to reap the benefits of art therapy. If you go into art as therapy and learn about the basic concepts and ideas that it represents, then you can learn a lot about yourself through your own isolated creative expression. 
      It’s something you can do on your own to just relieve stress, discover yourself in new ways, etc. It’s also something you can do with other people. It’s truly a beautiful thing when you’re sharing art in an open, friendly, loving environment with other people that are on the same wave.


AATA (American Art Therapy Association  2014) All rights reserved.
http://www.arttherapy.org 
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    My approach to counseling and art therapy is rooted in the formation of a strong therapeutic relationship. I follow the needs of each individual client. Integrating client centered, gestalt, and transpersonal approaches, I allow space for the therapeutic process to unfold as our relationship develops. I use grounding techniques that often involve mindfulness practices and psycho-education.  
     More definitively, I offer empathic presence and contained space for the client to gain awareness and work through issues that arise during the art making as well as talk therapy process. The imagery often awakens insight and has the tendency to open up blocked emotions and levels of creativity that may have never been explored. This can be overwhelming for the psyche at times but if safely guided through, well worth the excavation. 
     I believe we all have, within the wisdom and courage to transform and become more fully who we are meant to be. We all have the potential to discover and fulfill our souls' unique purposes. Change and movement is an inevitable possibility.


"In the brush doing what it's doing, it will stumble on what one couldn't do by oneself" - Robert Motherwell
   Stop Motion animation, an animation technique that combines a series of photographs to create a continuous film sequence, is an excellent healing exercise for groups and individuals. Stop motion film making requires the creator to slow down, become mindful of each mark-making moment, and allow the layers of morphing imagery to feel active and full of possibility.  
      This process becomes a metaphor for transformation and illustrates the way small shifts generate big picture change.  This dynamic approach to filmmaking integrates many creative arts modalities: visual art, meditation, movement, and music.  It is a directive that relies on both the process and the product of the art making as a way to engage and empower clients.
     
     I offer group workshops utilizing this technique for clients as well as for educational purposes.  I also integrate this into individual sessions according  to what best fits the client's needs.
© Katie Hall, MA, ATR-BC, LMHC. All Rights Reserved.                                        "The artist expresses things grownups are afraid to admit." - Louise Bourgeois