Individual Art Therapy
Not every experience has words. Art therapy helps when talking isn't enough.
Individual art therapy is a clinically recognized treatment approach that uses creative expression, drawing, painting, collage, and other mediums, to help people process experiences that are difficult to put into words. At Juniper Blu Collective, our licensed art therapists work with adults and adolescents across Maryland, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, navigating trauma, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and emotional processing challenges. You don’t need to be artistic. The process matters more than the product, and what emerges often reveals things that traditional talk therapy alone doesn’t reach.
How Do I Get Started?
Contact Us
Contact us online and we’ll happily answer any questions you have and guide you through setting your first appointment — and talk about our process for beginning treatment.
Confirm Your Appointment
We will email you a secure link to complete new patient paperwork. At this point, you’ll complete all forms prior to your first session and we’ll review them together.
Begin Treatment
During your first session, we’ll learn who you are and you’ll also learn about us! We’ll talk about your life, your passions, strengths, and the challenges you’re facing.
Balance Begins Here
Why Choose Individual Art Therapy?
Art therapy offers a unique approach to healing and personal growth. Unlike traditional talk therapy, art therapy allows you to explore emotions and experiences through nonverbal mediums — and engage in the act of creative expression that has been known to produce amazing benefits.
Art therapy provides a unique outlet for expressing emotions that may be difficult to put into words. Through the creative process, individuals can explore and understand their feelings on a deeper level, promoting emotional healing and release.
Through art therapy, you’ll be engaged in a more hands-on approach in your journey of self-discovery. By taking part in the creative process, you can deeper gain insights into your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. This self-awareness can lead to personal growth and increased self-understanding.
We all need a way to release stress. While you can always exercise, meditate, or immerse yourself in nature to release stress, you’d be surprised at how the act of creating art can be a powerful stress reliever. Participating in artistic activities can help reduce anxiety, improve mood, and promote relaxation.
Traumatic experiences are not often processed or directly addressed — which is why they tend to continually resurface and shape our lives. Art therapy can be a gentle and effective way to process traumatic experiences. Creating art can help you to make sense of traumatic experiences, reduce emotional distress, and promote healing.
Most often, lack of focus or not being fully present in the moment can cause stress and anxiety. The art-making process naturally encourages mindfulness and requires focus — and this can help you to become fully present in the moment which can help to reduce anxiety and improve overall well-being.
We are all tiny bursts of creativity when we’re young. But for many people, this can fade over time. Art therapy stimulates creativity and imagination and can enable you to explore new ideas and perspectives. This can lead to increased problem-solving skills and a greater sense of innovation.
What Individual Art Therapy Actually Looks Like In A Session
A lot of people imagine finger painting or arts and crafts. Individual art therapy looks very different from that.
Your therapist guides the session based on what you’re working through. They might invite you to create an image of how you’re feeling, represent a relationship visually, respond to a prompt with whatever materials feel right, or simply begin making something and notice what surfaces. The materials used vary. Sessions are led by your therapist and tailored to you.
At Juniper Blu, sessions are conducted over a secure telehealth platform. You’ll work with materials you have at home, which your therapist will discuss with you in advance. Basic supplies are all that’s needed. The creative process translates very well to a virtual format, and many people find working from their own space gives them a sense of safety that supports the work.
Your therapist is present and engaged throughout. The session is not about the quality of what you make. It’s about what the process reveals.
Who Art Therapy Is A Good Fit For
Individual art therapy tends to resonate most with people who have tried talk therapy but feel like something isn’t clicking, or who are processing trauma, grief, or a major life change and find verbal processing re-traumatizing or just exhausting.
It’s also a strong fit for people navigating an eating disorder who are struggling with body image, shame, or disconnection from self, and for those living with anxiety, OCD, or depression who are looking for a more active, embodied way to engage with their experience.
People who identify as creative, intuitive, or right-brained often find that art therapy matches how they actually think. So do people who have difficulty expressing emotion verbally, or who tend to intellectualize in session and want a way around that pattern. And for autistic or neurodivergent individuals who prefer a non-verbal or mixed-modality approach, art therapy is frequently a better fit than traditional talk therapy alone.
You do not need a history in therapy. You do not need to be a skilled artist. Art therapy is for people who are ready to do real work in a different way.
Our Art Therapists
Jamie L. Jones
Founder & Psychotherapist
Founded Juniper Blu Collective specifically to support people navigating eating disorders and self-harming behaviors. Over 17 years of experience; clinical approach integrates art therapy, DBT, CBT, and ACT.
View full bio →Other members of the Juniper Blu team are trained in creative and expressive approaches and can incorporate art-based work into their sessions depending on your needs. Your intake conversation will help match you with the right therapist for what you’re working through.
When Words Aren't The Right Tool
Talking about something is not always the same as processing it. Trauma, eating disorder recovery, anxiety, grief, and identity struggles often live somewhere that language doesn’t easily reach. The body holds things the mind struggles to articulate, and the act of creating, drawing, painting, collaging, working with clay or mixed media, can open doors that conversation alone sometimes can’t.
This is not a new idea. Art therapy has been studied and practiced as a clinical treatment modality for decades. It draws on psychodynamic theory, trauma-informed care principles, and an understanding of how the creative process engages parts of the brain that are often bypassed in verbal therapy. What comes out in a session is often surprising, and that surprise is often where the real work begins.
Individual
Art Therapy
FAQs
No artistic ability is required to participate in art therapy. The focus is on the process of creating, not the final product. Art therapy is about self-expression and exploration, not about creating masterpieces.
Your artwork is considered confidential and will not be shared with others without your explicit consent. The focus of art therapy is on the process of creating and exploring your emotions, not on the finished product.
Sessions are conducted over a secure video platform. Before your first session, your therapist will talk with you about what materials to have on hand. These are typically simple and easy to find, things like paper, colored pencils, markers, or magazines for collage. During the session, your therapist will guide the creative work in real time, respond to what you’re making, and integrate the creative process with verbal processing. It’s interactive, not just you making art alone on camera.
Talk therapy primarily works through language and narrative. Art therapy adds a creative, sensory, and embodied dimension to the work. For some people, this opens up material that verbal processing alone doesn’t reach. The two are often used together, and many of the same therapeutic frameworks (DBT, CBT, psychodynamic work, trauma-informed care) apply in both contexts.
Art therapy at Juniper Blu is used to support eating disorder recovery, trauma processing, anxiety, depression, OCD, grief, body image concerns, and personal growth. It is effective for people at various stages of their mental health journey, from those experiencing significant distress to those who simply want a deeper understanding of themselves.
Not at all. Art therapy is for anyone who wants a different way to engage with their inner life. Some people come to Juniper Blu navigating a significant mental health challenge. Others come because they want to understand themselves better, process a transition, or reconnect with something they’ve lost access to. Both are valid reasons to start.
Yes. Many Juniper Blu practitioners integrate creative approaches into broader individual psychotherapy. If you’re interested in a combined approach, or if you’d like to work with an art therapist specifically, just mention that when you reach out and we’ll help you find the right fit.
We Accept Insurance
We accept CareFirst insurance. For other insurance plans, we offer a concierge service to help you access your out-of-network benefits. We work with most PPO, HMO, POS, and federal plans. We do not accept Medicaid or Medicare. Contact us, and we’ll walk you through your specific options.
The Juniper Blu Blog
Looking to be informed, inspired, or uplifted? Check out our latest blog posts for in-depth insights from industry experts discussing all the things you want to know about mental wellness including our expertise in eating disorders, trauma, autism, and support with chronic illness.
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For some people, it starts with a conversation. For others, it starts with a mark on a page. Either way, Juniper Blu is here when you’re ready to begin.