Creative Arts Therapy at Interactive Discovery
What is creative arts therapy?
Creative arts therapy is a broad category covering individuals trained to employ creative practices for therapeutic purposes alongside verbal psychotherapy. This encompasses various art forms, such as drama therapy, music therapy, art therapy, dance therapy, and more. Each modality involves incorporating elements of the creative process to delve into perspectives, recognize emotions, and ultimately gain a profound understanding of oneself and the unconscious.
What do you actually DO in a creative arts therapy session?
Each creative arts therapist has a unique approach. For instance, sessions may involve discussing thoughts with the use of metaphors, storytelling, and imagery to elucidate experiences. Alternatively, one might engage with a person as if they were present, discern bodily sensations, and create an image to symbolize them. Another session could entail crafting a monologue from the perspective of, for instance, butterflies in one's stomach. For children, exploration might involve play based on metaphors, stories, and imagery. The possibilities are diverse, tailored to individual preferences.
Who is this for? Do I need to be creative to do this? I’m not an actor/artist/dancer. Will I feel embarrassed? Is this for me?
Creative Arts Therapy is for anyone who wants to explore their emotions in an active and experiential way, and who feels a little spark of interest in doing that playfully. While creative expression might feel more innate for children due to their natural inclination for play, this technique is equally valuable for adults seeking healing through somatic work. Accessing feelings in the body, also called somatic work, has been immensely powerful in helping process trauma from the ups and downs of the pandemic. It all goes at your pace, and to your comfort level. In fact, this kind of therapy can be great for people who are a bit shy/introverted, who want to discover their voice, or who want to explore different ways of interacting with others.
Meet our Creative Arts Therapists
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Rebecca Rubin, LMHC, LCAT
Rebecca Rubin, a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, brings over 15 years of experience to her work with individuals, groups, couples, and families in the mental health field. Specializing in complex/relational trauma, depression, anxiety, and family/relationship issues, Rebecca integrates talk-therapy modalities, including psychodynamic, attachment, person-centered, and trauma-informed techniques, with her creative arts therapy background. Passionate about creative arts therapy, Rebecca incorporates visual arts, writing, movement, drama, music, and mindfulness practices. Her approach enables clients to tap into inner resiliency, connect holistically to their experiences, and express the inexpressible.
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Hesper Juhnke, LCAT
Hesper Juhnke, a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist with over 9 years of experience, specializes in working with children, teens, adults, and families across various settings. Her focus includes anxiety, depression, adjusting to divorce, family dynamics, and relationship struggles. Hesper's therapeutic style combines arts and psychodynamic talk therapy, drawing from person-centered, psychodynamic, existential, and attachment-based practices. She utilizes body-oriented modalities like drama therapy and play therapy, along with writing, visual art, movement, and music, adapting to individuals' comfort levels with no prior arts experience required. Hesper helps clients establish new internal pathways and gain fresh perspectives on old patterns.
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Kim Hedaya, LCAT
Kim Hedaya is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and Registered Dance/Movement Therapist specializing in working with children, parents, and families. With a diverse therapeutic approach, Kim combines nonverbal modalities such as play, movement, music, and art with verbal processing to enhance insight and establish a holistic mind-body connection. Grounded in a psychodynamic framework and informed by trauma perspectives, her approach integrates humanistic and attachment theories, incorporating elements of mindfulness, authentic movement, and creative practices. Kim focuses on addressing anxiety, behavioral challenges, childhood trauma, divorce, illness, grief, and loss in children.
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Kelsey Marks, LCAT, ATR-BC
Kelsey Marks, LCAT, is a licensed Creative Art Therapist and psychotherapist in New York with nearly 15 years of experience, has a diverse therapeutic background. Her journey began with a psychodynamic approach, evolving into a person-centered method drawing from cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, psychodynamics, trauma-informed care, as well as art and play therapies. Kelsey specializes in working with children, adolescents, and young adults. Using art and photography to improve communication is particularly important in Kelsey’s work with children. As a mother of two residing in Brooklyn, Kelsey understands the unique challenges of parenting and navigating life’s many transitions.
