Why should I choose Art Therapy instead of talk therapy?
Art Therapy combines creative thinking, imagination and image making allow access to your unconscious mind, memory and behavior patterns.. The art therapy experience varies Ð sometimes the placement of a symbol in the sand tray launches an inquiry into important material. Other sessions might encompass quiet collaging or painting followed by a revelatory description of the experience. Art therapy goes beyond talk therapy as art making, dream work, creative process integrates conscious knowing with elusive unconscious material, offering rich integration of the psyche.

What if I can't draw?
You don't need to consider yourself an artist to do art therapy. I use media that the client is comfortable with. Some of the processes I use are collage from magazine pictures and colored paper, decorating boxes, various types of clay to make symbols and shapes, painting, coloring with oil/chalk pastels. There are millions of art making procedures that we do that don't require you to even draw a straight line!

What is the difference between art therapy and creative consulting?
Art Therapy utilizes art making as a part of the process. Although not all art therapy clients make art every time because I also use sand tray and narrative therapy techniques. Creative Consulting is a consultation session during which we focus on a particular issue and use creative problem solving to address specific solutions. It is more outcome focused and is closer in nature to Life Coaching.

What if I don't want to make art?
Many clients go between Art Therapy and Creative Consulting as their needs and interests dictate. Art making is never required. Sometimes being in the art studio stimulates a kind of thinking that clients want to explore verbally or with their imagination and words.

What is a typical session like?
When a client arrives in my studio/consulting room, we usually sit together and talk about what has been going on in their life. Sometimes the client has an idea of what they want to focus the session on, especially if they are consulting on a particular issue. But I always allow some time in the beginning to explore what is in the client’s “here and now.” Once the focus of the session has been established, I will offer a couple of approaches so the client can choose the direction. For instance, if a client wants to focus on problems in a relationship I might offer that they place symbols of all the players in the sand tray or use pastels to give each player a color, shape and texture. From there we explore the imagery, the client's physical response to the imagery and what the relationship looks like from this new perspective. I ask questions and together we create a story or narrative about the situation. After engaging with the creative process we return to the subject at hand and review what has come up. The session evolves organically from here.

How do you work with families or couples?
I work with families and couples similarly to individuals as I described above. The main difference is that al members of the group have a chance to be heard. If art making is involved, we share individually allowing the creator to describe their work and their experience in the group.

What is Creative Sport Consulting?
Creative Sports Consulting is a process where the athlete activates their imagination to increase effectiveness in their sport. We use a mix of traditional Sport Psychology Consulting techniques combined with image making, sand tray, mental visualization and personal narrative. I also employ the TAIS (The Attentional and Interpersonal Style) inventory which helps athletes better understand their strengths and weaknesses under pressure.

Do you use art with athletes?
Sometimes I use art making with athletes. Most athletes create mental images that they can access while training and competing. Art making is especially useful for overcoming fear and blocks.

Why would an athlete come to see you?
Athletes choose to embark upon mental practice training when they decide to take themselves and their sport seriously. Professional athletes spend about 50% of their training time on their mental practice because it saves their body from too much wear and tear. The body responds to the visualization and breathing techniques exactly the same as it does to the actual practicing hence the muscle memory is increased without creating undo exhaustion. I coach athletes in their mental practice sessions to complete exercises which they can practice on their own combined with their regular training.

What is your theoretical approach?
My theoretical approach is eclectic. I employ theories from Jung, psychodynamic, family systems, mindfulness, yoga, gestalt, cognitive behavioral, art as therapy and narrative. I attend conferences and trainings regularly and am constantly adding to my repetitoire.

How long do clients work with you?
The length of time clients work with me varies. I ask all clients to make a six session commitment in the beginning. From there I have a revolving door policy which means that I am always available no matter how much time elapses between meetings. Most clients begin meeting with me weekly for six weeks. Then they meet with me every other week for six months. Then we reevaluate and design a plan to meet their goals and needs.

Do you offer phone sessions?
Yes. I offer phone sessions, email sessions and follow-ups, sessions in my consulting studio and on location. Most clients choose a combination of the above.

Email Carrie directly at: cwicks@artspeaksconsulting.com