Inner Canvas Counseling

What a beautiful magazine photo collage image to enjoy viewing today! It may be cloudy outside, but the artwork inside is lovely!

It’s the 1st day of February, the month of 🥰LOVE🥰, and some of the artwork at Inner Canvas is already focusing on the important topic of self-love as it relates to our emotional wellbeing. Take a look at these incredible self-love goals:

❤️“I intend to do more things that make me forget to check my phone”
🧡“Practice kind words in conversation with myself”
💛“I am going to smile when I look in the mirror”
💚“Share my true feelings and ask for what I need”
💙 “I am finally going to organize my desk”
💜“Plan a get-together with a good friend”
🩷“Meditate, stretch, and use my journal”

We hope it is a month of self-love for you too!

What a beautiful reminder! 💛

It’s cold outside! Time to consider some winter-specific self-care. ❄️

Wishing everyone a wonderful day today!

I’ll just put this nice reminder here. 🩷

You don’t ever have to apologize for feeling sad.
You aren’t being too sensitive.
You aren’t imagining things or being overdramatic.
You’re being true to yourself by honoring your emotions, and that is never something you have to feel ashamed of.
Whether you have a need that isn’t being met, an old wound that’s been reopened, a person in your life who is making you feel small, a painful memory of something from the past, or an emptiness from the loss of someone you care about—there is always something underlying our sadness, and whatever it is, it’s important and valid.
Whatever it is, it deserves to be expressed and felt .

~ Daniell Koepke ~

Artist Credit : Wyanne Thompson

Art therapy ponderings… reflecting on our creations allows for an increased awareness of self. These are great questions to ask your work for greater clarity or insight! ☺️

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” -Anais Nin
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Inner Canvas Counseling is 5 years old today!
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This vision of my business and private practice work had been 15 years in the making when I took the brave step to grow in a new professional way. It has been an incredible journey, and I am immensely grateful for all of the love and support I have received from friends, colleagues, and family in this process. I am equally as grateful for the many clients that have come through the door these last five years that have been willing to trust in this journey and see the benefits of art therapy for themselves.
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Our art can be such a powerful source of energy and insight leading to overall healing and personal transformation.
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I’m looking forward to so many more fantastic years of providing this meaningful work to individuals in the Fargo-Moorhead and surrounding communities.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and also anyone who has been mothered. 😊 Please take the time to mother you today!

Adding fiber arts to the week with artwork inspired by 💛

As the weather cools down and we look forward to more cozy creativity indoors, felting can be a fun activity to try! Check out some of the beautiful work made at Inner Canvas Counseling in the last week. 💛

Wonderful overview of this amazing work! The only thing this article got wrong: art therapy IS covered by insurance plans, especially if the art therapist has additional licensure. 😊

How Making Art Helps Improve Mental Health With depression and anxiety on the rise during the pandemic, more professionals may adopt art therapy as a treatment

Sometimes it is okay to try doing things a different way - just like “razzmatazz” is doing over here. 😊

Just a good day to have a good day. 😊

Looking forward to seeing everyone for their appointments starting in the new space tomorrow!

It’s official!
We’re moving!

Ashley, the art therapist, and her clients will be packing up their paintbrushes the end of May so that a transition to the new home of Inner Canvas Counseling can come in June!

Starting in June 2022, the new address for Inner Canvas Counseling will be 3909 4th St E in West Fargo.

Inner Canvas Counseling receives phone calls and emails each week from individuals wanting to know more about becoming and working as an art therapist… the education and licensure requirements, the accredited schools, the supervision, etc. The American Art Therapy Association has always been great resource for this, and now a special series will be available also. Please share!

Journey to Art Therapy - American Art Therapy Association The American Art Therapy Association is pleased to launch a new virtual series entitled Journey to Art Therapy!

This is the season.

This is the season when college acceptance letters are flying up on Facebook.

This is the season when you see happy faces in prom photos.

This is the season when you hear about a kid winning all the awards.

This is the season that can break a lot of parents, especially of teenagers who have yet to find their footing, their people, their place in this world.

Because somewhere out there is a girl who desperately wanted to go to the dance but has no one to go with, or a boy who struggles with academics and can't figure out what to do next so he sulks in his room.

Somewhere out there is a student who doesn't want to go to school because they are relentlessly teased or can't keep up with their peers.

Somewhere out there is a child who can't find a place in this strange high school world, who is lonely, who is desperate to fit in when all they feel is invisible.

And as we put up our photos of all the wonderful things happening for our kids, we have to remind them how someone else is feeling crushed, someone feels like a failure, someone else is losing hope.

We have to remind our teens that with every celebration they experience, another kid is feeling left out, rejected, lonely, hurt.

We have to remind them to be kind, to be inclusive, to be respectful of those who don't have much of a highlight reel.

High school should not be the pinnacle of our lives, and there are so many experiences that are overhyped. We all bloom at different times. A lot of kids develop resiliency in high school that carries them for the rest of their lives.

And we should celebrate our kids whenever we can and share their triumphs and joys.

But let's remind them that not everyone gets to experience high school in the same way. Let's remind them that they are a part of something bigger. Let's spend an equal amount of time teaching them to walk in someone else's shoes as we do posting about their achievements.

And while they may not remember twenty years from now who they took to the prom, someone else may remember a kind gesture that carried them through a tough time.

Somewhere out there is a teen who wishes they were someone else.

Let's raise kids willing to do something about it.

This video is really worth the 9 minutes and helps us understand the effects of trauma on the body. The good news is that therapy can support dramatic improvement for individuals struggling with significant stress responses.

Trauma and the nervous system: a polyvagal perspective This video was developed as a basic introduction to a Polyvagal view of how trauma and chronic stress affect our nervous system. If you would like to watch ...

It’s National Crayon Day!
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Today is the day to celebrate the creation of crayons and the joy of coloring!!
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Enjoy!

You can send a message directly to Inner Canvas Counseling.

Colors of Kindness crayons 💕

Vicarious trauma

Vicarious trauma (a term invented by McCann and Pearlman) is the cumulative emotional, physical, and psychological effect of exposure to stories of events characterized by pain, fear, and suffering of others, combined with the strain and stress of everyday life. 

The theory behind vicarious trauma is that the therapist has a profound world change and is permanently altered by the interaction of empathetic bonding with a client. This change is thought to have three conditional requirements: empathic engagement and exposure to graphic and traumatizing material, the therapist being exposed to human cruelty, and reenactment of trauma within the therapy process. This exposure can produce changes in a therapist’s sense of spirituality, worldview, and self-identity.

Symptoms of vicarious trauma might include: Intrusive reactions: Dreams/nightmares, flashbacks, obsessive thoughts, physiological reactions, and re-experiencing. For example, feeling more irritable with clients and colleagues, dreaming about work, feeling hopeless or doubting your abilities.

How to Treat Vicarious Trauma:

1. Take care of your body. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising regularly.

2. Being aware and mindful. Make time to engage in hobbies that make you feel good, practice mindfulness or yoga, spend time in nature, dance, sing, craft or make art, journal, limit media exposure, and consider therapy.

3. Allow yourself to be social. Make time for friends and family, volunteer, consider COVID-safe community involvement.

We have been through an unbelievable two years, and though it has felt isolating, we have all been going through it together. We as human beings are not meant to do this alone. We are not meant to struggle alone. If you feel like you are a provider struggling with vicarious trauma, anxiety, depression, PTSD, chronic stress, and burnout, know you are not alone. If you feel like you need additional support at this time, please reach out. Inner Canvas Counseling is here to help.

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Self-expression through art has the ability to communicate what we sometimes cannot find the words to say.
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Art can also begin to show the healing journey.
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Sharing, with permission, one artist’s self-portrait at the initiation of art therapy services and then one month later.
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It becomes quite profound to see that what once felt so intense, blue, and focused on the past has now shifted to bright and expansive and with the whole body being focused on the future.
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