ART THERAPY COUNSELING
(sample writing for a graduate school assignment)
At
theresAjoy studios,
artists and clients seeking healing are invited to connect their mind and body through creative expression and art therapy. I welcome clients of all backgrounds seeking therapy to the studio. I have over 10 years of experience facilitating artistic expression in therapeutic environments with children, teens, survivors of domestic violence, persons with developmental disabilities, those experiencing houselessness, and immigrants and refugees.
As a licensed art therapy counselor, I practice art therapy using a person-centered, trauma-informed approach to treatment and goal-setting. I believe in each individual’s lived experience and strive to create a therapeutic space where a person can express all parts of themselves and have their truth affirmed. I see my role in the therapeutic relationship as a fellow traveler, as I strive to balance the power dynamic in the art therapy studio, so clients have control over their own story. Coming from a background in community arts, I believe in the healing power of creative expression in relationship with others--creating opportunities in the open studio to connect with others and heal as a community.
I believe that trauma does not have to define our lived experience. I operate from a strengths-based approach throughout the therapeutic journey to discover with clients their unique strengths that feed resiliency and post-traumatic growth. At theresAjoy studios, empathy and compassion are at the core of treatment. I aim to provide a space for artmaking to enable dynamic expression, uncovering personal truths to empower you to connect with your strengths, and savor moments of joy.
T. Joy Hitchcock
BFA, MA, PLPC
After a 10-year career in art education and community arts, Joy earned her MA in Art Therapy Counseling from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in 2020. She eared her BFA in 2011 from the Kansas City Art Institute, where she specialized in community arts and fell in love with woodworking and fiber art. She is passionate about using craft in her artistic practice and to empower others to connect with their story and creativity through skill-sharing. She lives in St. Louis, MO and operates theresAjoy Studio, selling handmade work, sharing the products of her joyful practice.