Art Therapy

in York County and Central PA

Testimonials

“I consider myself very blessed to have had Karen Stabley as my Art
Therapist. She taught me to trust in her ability to see the big picture;
my job was to complete each assignment as thoroughly as possible, and
to believe in her expert ability to guide me through this journey. Continue reading

Light in the Darkness

I have been loving Jan Richardson books lately. She is an artist, a poet, and ordained minister. In one of her newer books, “Circle of Grace”, I was struck by a poem entitled A Blessing for Traveling in the Dark.

“But this is what I can ask for you – That in the darkness there be a blessing. That in the shadows there be a welcome. Continue reading

Soul Collage

I mentioned in a previous blog that I was excited about an art therapy technique called SoulCollage. SoulCollage was created about 30 years ago by a psychotherapist named Seena Frost. She was interested in combining creativity, insight, and healing for her clients who felt they were not creative.

Art therapists have used the collage process in their practice for years. Continue reading

Stop and Listen

Another therapist told me about this quote and I started thinking about how we listen. Invariably we want to give advice and make a person’s problems go away. Very often this is not what the person needs. Sometimes one of the most powerful tools to help another person is to just listen without judgment or the intent to solve their problem. Continue reading

Eight Reasons Doodling is Good For You

~ Exploration. Doodling creates the same brain patterns that helps us innovate and improvise. It can ignite spontanity and creative ideas.

~ Concentration. Doodling improves the abilty to focus and concentrate. (Students who doodle in their notebooks often retain more information because they are untilizing both hemispheres of their brains).

~ Memory. Doodlers retain more information. Continue reading

Pockets of Peace

Let’s talk about anger. As tensions rise in the political arena, we are seeing how easily anger and frustration an be ignited into violence. I see this on a daily basis within families as well as my teenage clients.

Anger often stems from a feeling of powerlessness and a perceived lack of control. Continue reading

Is Art Therapy For You?

Ever wonder what art therapists do? Art therapists are trained as psychotherapists with master’s degrees in expressive therapy. We utilize art materials to help individuals and groups express feelings nonverbally. Art therapy is one of the most effective ways to overcome psychological blocks that prevent individuals from reaching their goals. Art therapists utilize the drawings of their clients in several different ways. Continue reading