While art therapy can be beneficial for almost anyone depending on their goal and intention, we find it especially helpful for two groups of folks:

1) people who strongly identify as creative, and want to weave in creativity into their emotional + psychological growth/healing; and

2) people who live very much in their heads and perhaps don’t identify as creative at ALL, but wish they could access that side of themselves.

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a category that can encompass a lot of different things, depending on who you ask— but for Gaia Center’s art therapist Kaitlyn King, “it’s really about using visual media and creativity as an access route to deeper insights and healing that are often not as accessible through the ‘thinking/talking’ part of our brain.” 

Through metaphor, symbolism, and free association, art therapy helps us transcend the conscious mind to tap into the subconscious mind as well— which is often key for creating opportunity for transformational healing, as well as more lasting behavior change when that is a goal.

As Kaitlyn puts it, “Many of the most impactful or transformative moments I've seen with my clients have come when they didn't start off with an intention to create any particular thing, but were able to just follow a prompt, allow something to emerge on the page, and explore its meaning together.”

If traditional talk therapy hasn’t gotten you where you want to go, we encourage you to explore art therapy, where you can:

  • deepen your relationship with yourself

  • grow your capacity for self-expression

  • get unstuck from patterns that feel confusing or frustrating

  • gain insight into your inner landscape, and language to be able to better share it with others

In addition to a Masters in Art Therapy, Kaitlyn holds an Masters in Relationship and Family Therapy, so she can work with clients both as their primary therapist and as an adjunct art therapist if they already have a primary therapist. Even for folks who aren’t sure whether art therapy is for them, Kaitlyn is skilled in many other areas including LGBTQ+ issues, trauma (including spiritual trauma), EMDR, and relationship therapy.

Interested in learning more about art therapy or scheduling with Kaitlyn? Fill out our contact form here or click the button below.