Lisa R.W. Richardson is a Mental Health Counselor Licensed in Florida, a Professional Counselor Licensed in Connecticut, and have a Master’s in Art Therapy from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut.
I was motivated to apply for the Art Therapy graduate program after working with At-Risk-Youth in an afterschool art program. The student’s stimulated my curiosity to know additional ways the creative process can be helpful to emotional and cognitive development. Specifically, I wanted to learn how I could support and encourage our children to use art making as a tool for self-expression towards self-actualization. My hope for our youth was for them to improve their ability to manage their emotions and behaviors while gaining technical skills.
My Art Therapy training included learning the theory of developmental stages, psychopathology, theoretical approaches to counseling, multi-cultural understanding, ethics, and research. I completed a thesis based upon my research of the assessment tool Draw a Person in the Rain as it relates to the ability to cope with perceived stressors, which was published in The Arts in Psychotherapy 37 (2010) 233-239. My training included internships at community mental health facilities, and a hospital where I was able to apply the theoretical knowledge of using art materials, and art making as a therapeutic tool.
Metamorphosis ~ Imagine that you could be a caterpillar one moment and a butterfly the next.
How I work
As an Art Therapist I observe the manner in which the individual, or group elects to express and create, as well as facilitating therapeutic processing of the resulting artwork. I work with the family, or individual to gather current, and historical information in order to create a comprehensive plan for treatment.
Populations I have worked with include adults with chronic and persistent mental illness; children who experienced/witnessed domestic violence; adults with developmental and physical disabilities; adults and children living with with autism, anxiety, depression; and children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.
Spirited Away Art Therapy located in Venice, Florida is committed to promoting healing, spiritual growth and the wellness for the benefit of an individual.
Please click here to read more about Art Therapy.
Contact me to schedule a consultation to see if therapy could be just what you need to help you manage your symptoms today.
