FAQs About Expressive Arts Therapy in Oregon

If you have worked on solving this issue on your own and you haven’t felt that you’ve been satisfied with the results, it may be time for counseling. If feeling seen and heard is important to you when addressing your issue, counseling can provide that for you. If you are facing something totally outside of your experience and just don’t know where to start, counseling can help. Really, there are so many reasons why people choose to seek counseling, from crisis situations to self-exploration and everything in between.

Before the first session, you will complete an intake packet. When we meet for the first time, we will start out the session by going over the packet to make sure you get any questions you may have about anything in there answered right away. Then, we’ll spend some time talking about what you would like your life to look like following therapy and creating goals so that we both have a clear understanding of what we are working towards. We may do this through a combination of talking and using expressive arts modalities such as image making, movement, or creative writing to help us along in that process.

Expressive arts therapy is an approach to mental health therapy where we incorporate different types of creative modalities into our sessions as part of the therapy. We can use movement, sound/music, writing, image-making, and so much more. In expressive arts therapy, we focus on the benefits of the process of creating, not on the products that you make. Expressive arts can you address many concerns such as anxiety, personal identity, depression, phase of life concerns, and so much more.

Expressive Arts Therapy is for anyone who wants to try it. Maybe at some point in your life, you tried to draw or paint a picture, sing, or dance, and someone told you that you weren’t doing it right. Many people have that experience and being told you aren’t good enough can cause a lot of damage. The truth is, we all have creative potential. Expressive Arts Therapy provides you with a place to honor and explore that part of yourself and grow as a person. You do not have to identify yourself as an artist or have special training as an artist, musician, dancer, or any of the other creative fields. Creativity is an insightful tool into your inner workings.

While having a bunch of supplies to choose from will give you a lot of options, it isn’t necessary to go out and spend a bunch of money. To start with, having some basic things like paper, a pencil, maybe some pens or markers is enough. If you have a musical instrument or other favorite art supplies you like to work with, please feel free to have those handy as well. As we spend more time together, I may demonstrate some different materials and/or offer suggestions for materials that I have qualities that I think you might find helpful in your process, but what you purchase is always up to you.

I offer session lengths of 50, 90, and 110 sessions.

I recommend that people start off with weekly appointments. This frequency encourages greater accountability for the work that we are doing. This focus can help support you in feeling better faster.

Oh, I wish there was a quick and simple answer for this one, but the reality is that it depends on a lot of factors. The frequency of sessions does make a difference. As I mentioned above, I recommend starting with once a week. Your level of participation and focus matters too. If you make a commitment to yourself and this process, that can have a huge impact. You will be encouraged to take what you are learning in sessions and start applying it to your life. The more you are able to do that, the faster you will see results. Many clients see improvements in an average of about 6 to 9 months.

Therapy looks different for each person. At the beginning of our time together, we will make a plan for what you would like to work on during therapy. As part of that plan, we will outline your goals for therapy and what accomplishing your goals looks like to you. Every few weeks or so, we can refer back to your goals to gauge how we are doing. That way, we have a clear way to measure your progress and we can see if any changes need to be made in either your goals or the way that we are working to help get you better results.

I do not take insurance. If you have a flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA), it may be possible to use that money to pay for sessions. Your HR manager at your job should have information on that for you. Superbills can also be an option to receive partial reimbursement from your insurance company.

I can provide a superbill to you upon your request. You would submit that to your insurance company according to their instructions. I don’t work directly with any insurance companies. You as the consumer actually have more power to get the answers you need from them than I do as an independent therapist.

All sessions are conducted via telehealth. Before each session, I send clients a secure link to their client portal account.

I specialize in working with women in the mid-life who are struggling with anxiety. However, if you are an adult with anxiety who resonates with what you’ve read on my site, reach out. We may still be an excellent match.

Therapy is an investment in yourself and I want to make sure that you are getting what you need out of it. Every few weeks, we’ll do a check-in to talk about how you are feeling about your progress. During that conversation, we’ll look at your goals and make sure that they still feel relevant. We’ll talk about what feels like it is working in your sessions and what might need to change. Most of the time, we can address those concerns by just making a few small changes to what we are doing. If you need something that I am unable to provide, I will be happy to work with you to find the name of a resource or another provider that may be a better fit.

I offer a 15-minute phone consultation to give us a chance to check in and make sure that this is the right fit for your needs. I want to make sure you are matched with the person that’s going to be the right fit for you. If I’m not that person, I’ll do my best to give you a few names of people or resources that may work well for you. You can click the button at the bottom of this page to schedule your consultation.

I currently see clients on three weekdays and do not offer evening or weekend sessions.

If you're having trouble finding an open spot, it's likely because all current times are filled. You’re welcome to send me a message to express interest—when a spot opens or my availability shifts, I’ll do my best to reach out.

I’ve designed my practice around sustainability, creativity, and real human presence. That includes building in time to rest and restore so that I can show up fully in the work. I appreciate your understanding.

No, I do not offer supervision.