As someone who provides art therapy in Austin, I’ve heard all kinds of strange takes on what people think art therapy is and how it can or can’t help. That means I’ve had to do a good deal of myth-busting in my time. Before you entertain any more of those fairy tales yourself, you might want to read on if you’re sitting on the fence about working with an art therapist to help you through anxiety, depression, stress, grief, trauma, or burnout.

A lot of people wonder what actually happens in art therapy, so it makes sense that you’d be asking the same question if you’re thinking of working with an art therapist to help you transform your anxiety, depression, stress, grief, trauma, or burnout. First of all, make sure you’re looking for someone who’s been authorized by the state of Texas to represent themselves as an art therapist. Next, prepare to be welcomed by an open-minded professional who knows how to put you at ease while you become familiar with your own creative potential for turning your blues into the colors of a sunrise!

So you’ve heard of art therapy, but you wonder exactly what it is and how exactly it can help you. Given that the profession of art therapy is still pretty young compared to the profession of traditional talk therapy, it’s normal to have questions about it.

Just to be clear, art therapy doesn’t fix bad art, art therapy doesn’t restore old masterpieces to their original condition, art therapy doesn’t help artists finish incomplete work, art therapy isn’t just for artists, and art therapy isn’t just for guys named Art! (Yeah, I’ve heard all those erroneous assumptions.)

Let’s read on to learn more about what art therapy REALLY is and how it can help you with anxiety, depression, stress, grief, trauma, and burnout. I provide art therapy in Austin, Texas, and am happy to help you decide whether art therapy is right for you!

So you’re shopping for a therapist in Austin and have narrowed down the field to a few picks who work creatively with their clients and claim to be art therapists. What’s next?

For one thing, you want to make sure that these people really are art therapists. But once you’ve confirmed that the clinicians you’re considering are legally able to hold themselves out as art therapists in Texas, then what? You get to interview them!

Creatives are on every corner in Austin! And on every other corner you’ll find someone who claims to offer services to creatives, or someone who offers creative services to the general public. It’s all a little hard to take in when the term “creative” gets used so often!

And if you’re looking for a therapist in Austin, it can be even more confusing when so many therapists say they work creatively. Is there a safeguard in place for this creative work???

You’ll be relieved to know that if you want creative but legit support in becoming the person you were meant to be—no longer dominated by anxiety, depression, stress, grief, and burnout—yes, there is a safeguard in place to help you select a therapist who isn’t just throwing artistic experiences into sessions and underestimating the need for formal education and supervision to back what they’re doing. It’s all in the therapist’s credentials!

In this day and age, misinformation travels faster than information, which travels about the same speed as a vehicle on northbound IH-35 the Friday afternoon before the Red River Rivalry game between UT and OU. It makes you wonder how much information never reaches its destination or gets there too late.

When it comes to the subject of therapy in Austin, information that’s caught in a traffic jam can make the difference between someone reaching out to find a therapist vs. choosing not to and hoping things won’t get worse. It can be really hard to separate fact from fiction if you’ve never been in therapy before.

Maybe you’ve looked at a few therapist directories online and wondered about some of the profiles you read… But something’s missing—your sense of assurance that therapy, and one of these therapists, will help you get from point A to point B.

So as someone who provides therapy in Austin, I’m stepping in to give you a little info from an insider’s perspective. Read on if you need clarity about therapy; as they say, the truth will set you free!

Stories, legends, and myths. All abound in the Austin area—stuff that’s actually true (like the story of Matthew McConaughey’s au naturel bongo performance), stuff that’s based on truth that then took on a life of its own (like the legend of Janis Joplin’s disorderly but productive escapades at the Pink Palace), and stuff that never was true but gets perpetuated anyhow (like the myth of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar being the inspiration for the layout of the grounds near his statue on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake).

While any curious Austinite can fact-check the stories and legends they hear about the world around them, myths are so believable that they often fly under the radar and are assumed to be true. That’s a problem when the myths stand in the way of people getting their wellness needs met.

As an art therapist who provides therapy in Austin, I hear a lot of myths that need to be busted so Austinites can understand mental health services without all the Hollywood hype! Hollywood is in the business of creating myths, but just remember that fiction is often stranger than truth. 😊

You’re done struggling with the stuff that’s been dragging you down for too long. Anxiety. Depression. Stress. Grief. Burnout.

Life in Austin can be great, but these things have put a serious dent in your pursuit of happiness. So you’ve decided you’re not going it alone anymore…though you’re wondering what to expect from the therapy adventure ahead.

I provide therapy in Austin and can help guide you through the mystery so you won’t have to worry about the unknown. Walking through that door into your therapist’s office (whether it’s real or a virtual one) can take courage, and knowing what’s going to happen inside will prepare you for a successful experience.

Austin’s not exactly shy when it comes to introspection and personal growth. Even though Austinites are pretty savvy about self-help, the idea of working with a professional might be a little bit of a jump—after all, it can be daunting to think about sharing your “stuff” with a stranger.

No worries! All the questions you have about “How does this work?” are normal and deserve answers. That’s where I come in; I provide therapy in Austin and can tell you what I say to clients when they ask me the same questions you have.

Rumor has it there are more therapists in Austin than in Dallas and Houston combined! So while that means you get to be choosy (and who doesn’t want to be choosy???), it also means you get to interview therapists to make sure you pick the best therapist in Austin for YOU.

Most therapists offer a free, brief phone conversation to help you both figure out if you’re a good match. What should you ask during this complimentary consultation call?