CREATIVE ARTS THERAPY IN MARYLAND + VIRGINIA
You don't have to find the right words first.
Some experiences don't come apart through explaining them. Expressive and creative arts give us another way in, another language to use when talking has taken you as far as talking is going to take you.
I bring creative practice into individual counseling for ages 9 and up, in Lanham and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia.
WHEN TALKING ONLY GETS YOU SO FAR
You can understand something and still not know what to do with it.
You know exactly why something hurt, and knowing has not made it hurt less
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You've told the story enough times that the words have come loose from the thing itself
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Someone asks what you're feeling and everything goes blank
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Your body reacts first, and the language shows up later, if it shows up
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You keep circling the same thought and can't get underneath it
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There are things you can describe accurately and can't seem to actually feel
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You want therapy to be more than fifty minutes of explaining yourself from a chair
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Sometimes the direct route isn't the route that gets us there.
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There are other ways to talk to yourself.
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When conversation gets too rehearsed, or too intellectual, or too big to hold, creative work gives us somewhere else to go. It comes at the same material from the side instead of straight on, and things tend to loosen when you stop staring directly at them.
Here is what I want to be clear about, because it's the thing people worry about most: I am not analyzing your artwork. I'm not looking at what you made to figure out what's wrong with you, and there is no hidden diagnostic meaning I'm reading off the page.
What I'm paying attention to is different:
What comes up while you're making it
What you notice, and when you notice it
What felt easy and what you avoided
The memory or association that arrived out of nowhere
What your body did while your hands were busy
And what you make of all of it
You stay the expert on what your work means. My job is to slow it down enough that you can see it.
THERAPEUTIC CREATIVE & EXPRESSIVE ARTS
Creativity becomes another language in the room.
This is psychotherapy with creative practice woven into it. It isn't an art lesson, and I'm not teaching you technique.
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Some sessions I'll offer you a creative way into something. Some sessions we'll talk the entire time and never pick anything up. What we do depends on you and on what's present that day, and every bit of it is in service of the actual therapeutic work rather than the other way around.
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It's also collaborative. I'll invite; I won't assign.
You do not have to be an artist.
All people are creative beings. Nothing here is graded. Nothing has to look like anything. You don't need to know how to draw or paint or write poetry, and nothing you make needs to be worth hanging on a wall.
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The making is just another way to notice what's already there.
THERE ISN'T ONE WAY TO DO THIS
Expressive work looks different from one session to the next.
Writing and journaling
Prompts, unsent letters, free writing, lists, dialogue, or writing about it from somebody else's side of it.
Role play and drama
Saying the conversation out loud, switching seats, giving a voice to the part of you that hasn't had one.
Imagery and visualization
Guided imagery, symbol, memory, and metaphor — noticing what shows up when you let your mind move a different way.
Movement and body awareness
Gesture, posture, breath, and paying attention to what your body does when something shifts.
Color and visual art
Drawing, painting, collage, or working with color without making anything recognizable at all.
Creative reflection
Music, objects, storytelling, metaphor — whatever helps put a shape around something that didn't have one.
WHAT WE CAN WORK ON
Areas We Support
IN THE ROOM WITH ME
What therapy with me feels like.
Gentle When Needed
A soft place to land when life feels heavy. You set the pace and we take it from there.
Honest + Direct
Thoughtful honesty to help you see clearly, challenge patterns, and create change.
More Than Talking
We explore mind, body, emotions, and environment to create meaningful shifts.
Responsive to You
Your needs, your goals, your story. Therapy flexes with you, because you're not one-size-fits all.
YOUR WHOLE SELF GETS TO COME WITH YOU
Sometimes words are enough. Sometimes we need another way in.
Expressive and creative arts
Writing, journaling, imagery, color, role play, and other ways of getting at something sideways when the front door isn't opening.
Somatic practices
Attention to your body — breath, tension, sensation, movement, and what your nervous system is doing while your mind explains itself.
Brainspotting
Used when it's the right fit, to reach material that sits underneath language.
CBT and DBT
Concrete skills for thought patterns, emotional regulation, and coping, for when what you need is something you can use on Tuesday.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? We're here to help. | REACH OUT →
READY WHEN YOU ARE
How to Get Started
You do not need to know exactly what you want to work on before you reach out. If something feels like it needs to change, we can start there.
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The first step is a free 15-minute consultation. Fill out the contact form and I’ll follow up by email so we can find a time to talk. During the call, you can tell me a little about what brings you here, ask questions, and get a feel for what working together might be like.
