ARTrelief ™
expressive arts therapy & community wellness center
art making for emotional, physical, mental, spiritual & social health
OUR THERAPISTS
Keren Arroyo-Mora, MA, LCAT-P, ATR
keren@artrelief.info
Art Therapy Supervisor
Registered Art Therapist
MA, Mental Health Counselor
Fluent in Spanish
I hold a master's degree in Art Therapy and Creative Development, as well as a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and Art Education.
I work as a therapist and strive to create a calm and energetic environment for my clients, often utilizing humor to encourage reflection without judgment. I specialize in combining art therapy techniques with a strength-based approach to help clients build their resilience. My approach is person-centered, meaning that we will work together to develop new coping skills and increase self-awareness so that the client can live a fulfilling life based on their values.
Over the course of my 12 years as a teacher and two years as an Art Therapist in training, I have gained experience working with primary children (ages 2-18), adults, and families. I have specifically worked with those who have experienced violence or domestic violence, providing individual and family therapy. I also have experience working with adults who are going through mid-crisis situations and addiction. My philosophy is that "the client is the expert of their narrative, and I'm here to support and provide you with psycho-education," informed by my background in teaching and person-centered approach. I am a strong believer in the healing power of art and the benefits of therapy in a person's life. I invite clients to sit with me and work together to find solutions that fit their unique situation.
Robin Beaudoin, MHC-EXT
Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
MA, Mental Health Counselor
I am an expressive arts therapist with an educational background in clinical mental health counseling, expressive arts therapy, and creative writing. Having worked primarily with youth and young adults in outpatient, residential, and (therapeutic) school-based settings, I approach therapy with a systems-level understanding of multiple barriers that many vulnerable populations face in their communities.
The transformative nature of play and expressive arts can challenge large-scale social inequity, but it is most effective in my work both as a tool for processing, coping with, and managing difficult emotions or experiences and as a method for discovery and engagement. I promote client-led and strengths-based approaches to modalities like collaging, zine-making, roleplaying, improvisation, and others and incorporate skills-based therapies like CBT/DBT, narrative therapy, and parts work that pair well with these creative styles.
In addition to the creative arts, I have clinical interests in harm reduction and transformative justice within the therapeutic space and in the context of community, sexual and reproductive health education, neurodiversity, and queer identity. My goals with individuals and families across all ages lie in collaboration and advocacy, promoting equity and liberation, and to always remain a curious and playful campaigner of joy.
I have a masters degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, and a bachelor's degree in Psychology. I enjoy using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques (CBT) as well as narrative therapy techniques to help clients reach goals. I focus on strengths-based and person-centered approaches to work to empower and engage my clients. I have experience working with primarily children and families.
I also have a background in Theater, creating props, creative dance and art as both a performer/artist and instructor. I spent many summers working as a counselor at a theater summer camp and acted as a teaching assistant in my creative dance classes in college. Art, theater and dance have been the tools I used to connect with the world my whole life. I use the arts as tools to help foster connection, self esteem and self expression with clients. I have also worked in a hospital setting, providing art materials to patients as well as helping them create art.
Ivory Rose Blanchette, MA, MFT
ivory@artrelief.info
artLAB Program Coordinator
MA, Marriage and Family Therapist
I am a Board Certified Music Therapist. I received a masters degree in mental health counseling with a specialization in music therapy, as well as a bachelors degree in music technology with a focus in vocal performance. While voice is my primary instrument, I also have experience with guitar, piano, xylophone, world drums, and digital audio software such as Protools, Logic, and Soundtrap. In addition to music, I also have a passion for visual art, knitting, crocheting, dancing, coloring, paper crafts, and more. I have worked with clients of varying ages and diagnoses, in both outpatient and more intensive, in-home settings. I work from a holistic, person-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed lens to meet clients where they are at and provide a supportive space on their healing journey. From a young age, I have learned to utilize music to navigate life’s various challenges, hardships, and trauma and would be honored to pass this knowledge on to my clients. Music provides an excellent space to express emotions from a safe distance, provide expression for emotions you may not have words for, and help create new ways to cope with the stress of life. “When words fail, music speaks.” - Hans Christian Andersen.
Edward Freeman, LMHC-RDT
edward@artrelief.info
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Registered Drama Therapist
As far back as I can remember, I have been a theatre person. Born and raised in North Carolina, I grew up surrounded by the rich Southern tradition of storytelling and shaped by the quirky and hardy world of the theatre. It was a wonderful way to grow up.
As an actor, I have worked in more than 150 theatre productions.
I trained rigorously and acted in New York then trained other actors for several years in New York and back home in Raleigh. When I decided to become a therapist, I knew I wanted the exchange between a client and me to be like acting; I wanted to create a therapeutic experience that opened people to worlds of possibilities and freedom. Some of the things I love the most about being a therapist are engaging with people’s entire physical and vocal presences when we’re in an active space together, animating our imaginations to allow us to live playfully, and delighting in the moments of transcendence when we’re able to grasp universality. The world of the theatre helps us tell our stories and allows us to attune, envision, and experiment with ways of fulfilling our next chapters, ways that perhaps we might not have thought of alone.
Currently, I am a registered drama therapist and serve on the education committee of the North American Drama Therapy Association. The research I conduct in the field is historiography that attempts to understand perspectives of the past and considers how they have evolved into current mindsets while clarifying modern misconceptions of history. I am well-trained in various acting and physical theatre techniques as well as the Alexander Technique and Fitzmaurice Voicework®. I’m also certified in Toxic Stress Reduction & Compassion Care and am an endorsed practitioner of Rainbowdance®, an early-childhood music and movement intervention created by Dicki Macy of the Boston Children’s Foundation.
Amanda Bysheim, MA, MHC, MT-BC
amanda@artrelief.info
MA, Mental Health Counselor
Board Certified Music Therapist
After several years of experience working with understanding the needs of diverse populations as a researcher, I got my degree in Mental Health Counseling with the goal of improving the mental health of members of our community while maintaining their individuality and self-expression. The use of expressive arts in therapeutic ways has always been of interest to me, and my own experiences as a dancer have me believe in the transformative power of art. I aim to integrate the use of various forms of counseling approaches such as CBT, Narrative therapy, and Motivational Interviewing along with creative tools. I like to be flexible in my use of approaches, trying to find what works best in the moment for my clients and their needs. I also believe in the importance of cultural diversity as a crucial aspect of any approach and the therapeutic value it can offer. My main goal is to come to a deep understanding of the client and their world and help them use the tools and strengths they possess within themselves to overcome challenges.
Diana Lezama, M.Ed, MHC-ATR-P
Provisional Registered Art Therapist
M.Ed, Mental Health Counselor
Aishwarya Shridhar, M.S.
aishwarya@artrelief.info
M.S., Mental Health Counselor
M.A., Social Work: Community
Organization & Development Practice
Fluent in Hindi and Tamil (Spoken Fluently)
I have received a Ph.D. in Expressive Arts Therapy, am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Register Therapist of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Therapy, and Parent and Child Interaction Therapy.
My fascination for how our imagination and creativity can affect our minds, facilitate change and growth, started when I was a college student. I have worked at hospitals, schools, outpatient clinics, and Employment Assistant Programs in Japan and the United States for almost 20 years. For the last seven years, I have focused on trauma treatments using expressive arts therapy with family, children, and youth. Expressive arts therapy can be a helpful recovery tool for people who have experienced traumatic events. I want to support them in developping themselves and helping them engage on their life journey.
I joined the ARTrelief team as a therapist and Clinical Supervisor for therapists and Student Interns.
Mika Watabiki Jones, Ph.D., LMHC
mika@artrelief.info
Clinical Supervisor
LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Ph.D. of Expressive Arts Therapy
Fluent in Japanese
My childhood was filled with creativity. The arts were the constant thread helping me along through the good and the more difficult times in life.
I strive to help children, adolescents, and adults feel safe and empowered to explore their thoughts and feelings. I am open to incorporating any of the expressive arts in my work, play and nature therapy, mindfulness practices as well as "talk therapy". I use a trauma-informed, person-centered and strengths-based approach. Some of my clinical areas of interest include grief, anxiety, self-esteem, and inherited trauma.
I trained and worked at McLean Hospital with adults in inpatient units living with anxiety, depression, and psychotic disorders.
Prior to becoming a therapist, I was an elementary school art teacher for twenty years. Throughout my teaching career, I learned about the healing potential of the arts. I found that children and adolescents often worked through stresses or traumas in their artwork. I have a bachelor’s degree in studio art, a master’s degree in elementary education, and a master’s degree in mental health counseling with a specialization in expressive arts therapy. In addition, I am a visual artist, singer-songwriter, and mother of two. I enjoy decorating and organizing spaces, spending time in the woods and by the sea, painting, dancing, and writing.
In the words of Cathy Malchiodi, expressive arts therapist and trauma specialist, “When words are not enough, we turn to images and symbols to tell our stories. And in telling our stories
through art, we find pathways to wellness, recovery, and transformation.”
Christina Schell, MA, MHC-EXT
christina@artrelief.info
Certified Expressive Arts Therapist
MA, Mental Health Counselor
Throughout our life, we feel a range of emotions, we experience hardship and we think about the internal and external complexities of the world. It’s a lot! It can be challenging to rely on words as our only language when trying to explain how we are feeling. I believe connecting to our authentic self through different forms of creative expression can develop empowerment, personal growth and foster self love within us. As an art therapist and mental health counselor, I focus on the personal strengths you already have along with providing new skills through psychoeducation. My education and training consists of a masters of education degree in Art Therapy/Counseling and a bachelors degree in Fine Arts in Fashion Design. I have experience working with youth and adults within addiction and recovery treatment, inpatient and outpatient facilities. I also have experience working as a fashion and textile designer, seamstress and sewing instructor.