My best friend since grad school, Gioia Chilton (also an artist and Art Therapist), and I made our mark in the Art Therapy world by developing Positive Art Therapy, an approach that integrates Art Therapy with Positive Psychology, the science of wellbeing, and happiness see our textbook here.

Creative Wellbeing Workshops (CWW)  In 2010, Gioia and I formed a company, Creative Wellbeing Workshops, which uses creativity to help people and organizations experiencing high levels of stress.  This includes doing traditional Art Therapy with private clients as well as training frontline providers, non-profit organizations, and corporate teams on how to manage stress, reduce burnout and compassion fatigue and be happier.  We also teach on the topic at the George Washington University Graduate Art Therapy Program.

Mandalas – I kept up a limited art practice over the years but returned more actively to it in 2005 when my brother ‘T’ (short for Theodore) died of cancer.  I started making small circular mandala drawings to cope with my grief. Then after years of making these mini-mandalas, I was asked to illustrate The Miraval Mandalas Coloring Book for Miraval Resort in Arizona, where I ran workshops on wellbeing, creativity, and using mandalas for meditation and meaning.

Artist/Art Therapist – I wear my artist and art therapist hats in tandem and probably always will.  I am also still in the desert. live part of the month in Tucson (with my husband KC and a couple of cats Benzo and DeeDee) and the other part in DC with my twin sister Jenny, and Jenny’s two boys, Chris and Ian, my mother Lee, and my stepmother Xenia.  I would say that all of them, except for the cats (some would challenge this), are also artists in their own ways even though they might not agree.