Rin LaVie • LMHC, LCAT, ATR-BC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed & Board Certified Art Therapist
Art Therapy
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses the creative process to help with exploring emotions, reducing stress, and supporting personal growth. At its core, art therapy integrates active art-making with psychological theory to improve cognitive and emotional well-being.
Art therapists are educated at the master’s level in both art and mental health counseling, and they earn credentials through national certification and state licensure processes to ensure clinical competence. Engaging in art therapy can be especially helpful for navigating experiences of anxiety, depression, trauma, and burnout, providing a non-verbal avenue to express complex feelings that can be difficult to put into words.
The creative process allows individuals to safely explore inner experiences, build coping skills, and foster a sense of empowerment and resilience.
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No artistic skill is required—just a willingness to explore and create.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based approach that helps individuals process and heal from traumatic memories and distressing life experiences. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—such as guided eye movements, tapping, or sound—to help the brain reprocess stuck or overwhelming memories, reducing their emotional charge and impact.
This therapy is particularly effective for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and burnout, as it supports the brain’s natural healing processes without requiring detailed verbal recounting of painful or traumatizing experiences.
EMDR practitioners are trained through specialized programs approved by EMDRIA, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to safely and effectively guide clients through the protocol. Through EMDR, people often experience relief from emotional distress and develop a greater sense of calm, resilience, and self-understanding.
A Blended
Approach
Blending art therapy with EMDR creates a powerful bridge between insight and embodied healing. Art making helps externalize what words can’t express, while EMDR supports the brain’s natural ability to reprocess and integrate difficult experiences. Together, they engage both mind and body—helping you regulate the nervous system, process trauma safely, and access new perspectives through creativity and connection.
Art Therapy & EMDR can help with lived experiences such as:
Trauma &
Complex Trauma
Art therapy offers a contained and safe space to express experiences that may feel too overwhelming to verbalize, while EMDR helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their emotional charge. Together, these approaches support deep healing and nervous system regulation.
Personal &
Professional Burnout
Both art therapy and EMDR can help promote balance by addressing the emotional exhaustion and stressors that fuel burnout. Through creative exploration and reprocessing stuck patterns, you can reconnect with purpose, boundaries, and resilience.
Depression & Negative
Beliefs About Yourself
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EMDR can help shift core negative beliefs by targeting the memories that shaped them.
Art therapy complements this process by providing a creative and expressive way to explore identity, mood, and self-compassion.
Anxiety
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EMDR helps calm the body’s overactive stress responses by reprocessing triggering memories or fears, while art therapy provides hands-on tools for grounding and emotional expression. These practices work together to reduce anxious symptoms and promote a sense of safety and calm.
