Here We Are

      Welcome! I am an Art Therapist working with resettled refugees and survivors of violence and war trauma. I've worked in a variety of settings with people from more than fifteen different countries and speaking at least thirteen languages. I have found this work so enriching and encouraging. It has challenged everything I thought I knew about mental health, trauma, healing, and human resiliency. I want to share thoughts, ideas, and revelations about this work with the broader community: I hope to start fresh discussions about mental health and mental health treatment. As the fields of psychology and psychotherapy continue to evolve, I believe there is still a profound deficit in the area of cultural competency and cross-cultural collaboration. As a white woman, I continue to gain awareness regarding the white biases still prevalent in the field. As a clinician I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that my training in counseling and art therapy is not enough to help those from outside my cultural bubble. To work cross-culturally in an effective way, it takes great flexibility and humility about what one knows. It takes motivation to learn about non-western perspectives and cultural practices. It takes really listening to what a client is saying, and asking for clarification if you are confused. Basically it's damn hard work, but the rewards are limitless.
     I titled this blog Art Therapy in the U.S. and Abroad for a few reasons. First, I hope to someday be doing art therapy work overseas, and this blog is in preparation for that. Second, I feel like my work is often happening "abroad" within the United States, even though I have yet to work as a professional outside of this country. By "abroad" I mean in the homes of my resettled refugee clients, which often look, smell and feel like a slice of their country of origin. Third, I want the focus of this blog to be the application of the creative therapies to non-western clients, settings, and communities.
     I hope you enjoy this! And please comment and add your two cents worth -- let's get the discussions rolling!