"What is Art Therapy? This is the number one question asked of me. Briefly, as defined by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), "Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client's functioning and his/her sense of personal well-being." The creative process lends itself readily to meeting the individual where they are at in the present moment. My personal style mirrors this. I utilize both the non-verbal and verbal processes to facilitate understanding, awareness and growth. My particular areas of expertise are grief/loss, attachment issues (i.e.foster care/adoption), trauma, mood instability, and disordered personality."