Without leaps of imagination
we lose the excitement of possibilities.
Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.
Gloria Steinem
The Art Therapy Studio is in a new location
408 West State Street
Ithaca, NY
Emily M Walsh, MA, LCAT, ATR
Licensed Creative Arts Therapist
I earned my master’s degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and Art Therapy from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. (Naropa is a well-respected Buddhist-inspired university which focuses on contemplative education.) I am a registered Art Therapist and have my license (LCAT) to practice in New York.
I have worked in a variety of settings, including community youth centers, residential treatment centers and community mental health clinics. I also previously ran the art therapy group at The Nutrition Center, which is The Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service's Ithaca-based outpatient program.
In therapy sessions, I actively use a range of techniques such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), mindfulness practices and in the moment body wisdom.
I love working with a wide variety of people and presenting issues including life transitions, self-growth, anxiety, depression and trauma. I love working with teens & find that art therapy is an excellent fit for their developmental tasks and need for self exploration and expression.
I have worked in a variety of settings, including community youth centers, residential treatment centers and community mental health clinics. I also previously ran the art therapy group at The Nutrition Center, which is The Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service's Ithaca-based outpatient program.
In therapy sessions, I actively use a range of techniques such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), mindfulness practices and in the moment body wisdom.
I love working with a wide variety of people and presenting issues including life transitions, self-growth, anxiety, depression and trauma. I love working with teens & find that art therapy is an excellent fit for their developmental tasks and need for self exploration and expression.
To find out if Art Therapy may be a better fit for you
than talk therapy, click here:
than talk therapy, click here:
Services
Adults
I offer private psychotherapy using talk and/or art therapy to adults. As a therapist, I am a skilled listener. My job is to support you in a process of uncovering issues, discovering hopes and exploring your way of thinking and feeling. This is done through verbal as well as non-verbal means. Once you understand the patterns and beliefs that have shaped your life, you are in a better position to resolve problems and make healthy changes.
Teens and their families
Young people often find it difficult to express themselves in a clinical setting. Expressing themselves through art can feel less threatening and more natural. The Art Therapy Studio is a colorful, welcoming space that is set up to make expression enticing. This means that they are met where they feel comfortable and competent; which translates to a bright willingness to engage and a sense of enthusiasm for the task.
Adolescents face a unique set of needs based on the major physical and psychological tasks that take place at this age of growth. Developmentally appropriate self-expression is encouraged to help them understand and explore their behavioral issues and emerging identities through the art making process. Aligning strongly with both you as a parent and your teen, I work as a bridge between the concerns and values you convey and a teen's strong need for expression of independence and self.
I offer private psychotherapy using talk and/or art therapy to adults. As a therapist, I am a skilled listener. My job is to support you in a process of uncovering issues, discovering hopes and exploring your way of thinking and feeling. This is done through verbal as well as non-verbal means. Once you understand the patterns and beliefs that have shaped your life, you are in a better position to resolve problems and make healthy changes.
Teens and their families
Young people often find it difficult to express themselves in a clinical setting. Expressing themselves through art can feel less threatening and more natural. The Art Therapy Studio is a colorful, welcoming space that is set up to make expression enticing. This means that they are met where they feel comfortable and competent; which translates to a bright willingness to engage and a sense of enthusiasm for the task.
Adolescents face a unique set of needs based on the major physical and psychological tasks that take place at this age of growth. Developmentally appropriate self-expression is encouraged to help them understand and explore their behavioral issues and emerging identities through the art making process. Aligning strongly with both you as a parent and your teen, I work as a bridge between the concerns and values you convey and a teen's strong need for expression of independence and self.
Events
Groups & Workshops offer a chance to explore self-growth themes through art-making; an introduction to Art Therapy; or lighter ways to use media for self-exploration and expression. Click here for current offerings.
Art Therapists are Masters level mental health practitioners who in New York State are licensed under the same umbrella as Marriage and Family Therapists and Mental Health Counselors.
Just like other counselors Art Therapists must pass a board exam and acquire at least 1500 hours of supervised experience after graduating.
Art therapists specialize in the fields of counseling, psychology, human development, visual art and the creative process.