Art Therapy in Portland, OR
Start your creative journey toward healing and clarity
Maybe you’re here because…
You’re curious about using art to process stress or transitions
Talk therapy hasn’t always felt like the right fit
You want to explore your identity, values, or relationships
You don’t consider yourself an artist, but you’re open to trying something new
You process things in non-linear or visual ways and want a space that supports that
You want to try expressing yourself through stories, metaphors, symbols, or images
Or maybe you’re just looking for a space where creativity, expression, and reflection come together in a way that feels more natural to you.
Through art therapy, you can find meaningful relief, growth, and even moments of delight and joy. When we engage the creative parts of the brain alongside our thoughts and emotions, it can open up new ways of understanding who we are, what we’re going through, and what we need to move forward
You’re ready to follow your intuition and create something meaningful.
Art therapy (and yes, even if you aren’t an experienced artist) can reconnect you to your intuition and inner wisdom. Making art gives you a way to listen to yourself without needing to find the perfect words. This creative embodiment can help you feel more present, clear, and connected to what matters.
You’ve tried talk therapy and you wonder if art therapy can help with the things words can’t quite express.
Maybe you already color, paint, craft, or doodle and wonder why these activities help you feel more grounded? Whether you’re a teen, young adult, or later in life, research shows that art and art therapy can help regulate the nervous system, support emotional processing, and strengthen neural connections, improving problem-solving, and maintaining memory and cognitive flexibility over time.
Curious about what working with an art therapist looks like?
Sometimes the art therapist can provide a grounding or regulating activity to support emotional regulation, other times the art can provide a container for emotions or stories that feel too big or too complex to put into words. Art therapy can create space for insight, healing, and connection at your own pace.
There’s no right or wrong way to make art in therapy. Your therapist will meet you where you are, and you’ll decide together how creative work shows up in your sessions. An art therapist will invite you to use things like pencils, markers, pastels, paint, and collage materials to explore past and present experiences, thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and to imagine possibilities. Whether you choose to engage through talking or making art is always up to you.
If we’re meeting in person, we provide the materials you’ll need and no special supplies or skills are required. However, we offer both in-person and telehealth options depending on your location and comfort level. If you meet with an art therapist virtually, we will suggest supplies that can be used at any skill level.
Art Therapy Can Help You With:
Processing grief, trauma, or stress
Exploring identities
Reconnecting with creativity or inner voice
Understanding yourself beyond labels or diagnoses
Untangling complex emotions or relationships
Making sense of life transitions
Expressing what feels too big or unclear to say out loud
Tapping into your intuition and self-trust
Creating space for healing that isn’t always verbal
Danielle Maveal (she/her), Art Therapy Intern
Meet Your New Art Therapist, Danielle!
My work supports people returning to their own knowing, the kind that gets buried under years of cultural messages, coping strategies, and all the ways life asks us to forget who we are to make it through.
As a fat, queer, neurodivergent person, I’ve lived in a body and mind that often aren’t understood. I know what it’s like to be told you’re too much, or not enough, or somehow both at once.
I’m currently earning my Master of Science in Art Therapy at Lewis & Clark College, where my clinical work focuses on relational trauma, fat liberation, and affirming care for people whose bodies, identities, or ways of being are often misunderstood or excluded.
