What is art therapy? Is it some strange, woo woo thing?
Art therapy utilizes the act of art making as part of the therapeutic process. For some, this might be as simple as providing an expressive outlet and providing a “distraction” in order to ease the awkwardness of talking about difficult emotions or situations. For others, the art becomes the language of the client, containing symbols and metaphors for their inner experiences. Either way, the act of art making also provides its own therapeutic benefits. There has been quite a bit of scientific research on the effectiveness of art therapy–especially in regards to trauma, anxiety, and depression. If you’re interested in learning more, I’m always happy to set up a consultation and share more about art therapy and the brain!
What if my child doesn’t want to come to therapy, but I think they need it?
I’ve had quite a bit of experience working with youth who have been “mandated” to therapy, and with time and persistence, I’ve been pretty successful with being able to engage resistant teens. Even though it is often a behavioral or relational struggle that triggers the need for services, I do not believe that therapy should ever be a “punishment,” but rather, it should be a way of helping your child feel better.
It is important to me to make the therapy process a supportive experience, so that when folks are ready to dive a bit deeper and work through their issues, they see therapy as a positive, safe place to do so. I focus my work on building trust and establishing a relationship with my clients, often, this leads to them to feeling more ready to talk about and process their bigger issues and struggles.
A lot of times when kids say they don’t want to go to therapy, it may be due to past negative experiences with therapy or simply the fear of not knowing what will happen in therapy. I often encourage teens to “give it a try” for at least 4-6 sessions, with the understanding that we want to hear their input about whether or not they are willing to continue services.
My teen doesn’t talk to me about much anymore. Will you talk to them and tell me what’s going on?
First of all, I want to acknowledge how difficult and painful this can be for parents. It’s a tough thing when your “baby” doesn’t want to talk to you and won’t accept your help …and it’s a completely typical part of adolescent development.
As a therapist, I must uphold my clients’ confidentiality. This means that I cannot report back the details of individual sessions without their permission (with the exception of mandated reporting of immediate safety risks). Not only is this an ethical and legal policy, but it is an imperative part of being able to build and establish trust with your child. (Kids won’t be as honest or forthcoming if they think I’m going to just run and tell their parents). However, I am able to provide you with parenting consultation based on what has been discussed in therapy.
That being said, it is always my goal to help teach kids how to effectively communicate with their parents and other adults in their lives. A large part of my role is acting as an “interpreter” between teens and parents. This work begins in individual therapy, but is supported and practiced in family therapy sessions.
Will you please get my child to just behave/do their homework/stop fighting?
Even though sometimes it might feel like your child is acting out just to rebel or to spite you, it is very rare for behaviors to occur in isolation of emotional and/or relational struggles. Rather than merely addressing the symptoms (the acting out behaviors), I aim to focus on the root causes of those issues by supporting my clients as they work through their emotional/relational issues. I don’t have any sort of magic wand that makes bad behaviors immediately disappear, but I have seen behavioral improvements in my clients, along with increased self-esteem, better use of healthy coping skills, and stronger relationships with others.