My name is Elena, and I am an Art Therapist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor.  I received my Master in Counseling & Art Therapy from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, WI. I have clinical experience in the public school system, a psychiatric hospital, a youth shelter setting, private practice and nursing homes.

I enjoy focusing on kids, teenage girls, and women. My approach is holistic, trauma-informed, and incorporates art therapy, mindfulness, cognitive behavioral, client-centered, and strengths-based models. My areas of specialty include: anxiety, depression, life transitions, adjustment difficulties, self-esteem, anger, spiritual issues, & women’s issues.

 

I know firsthand that it takes so much courage to start the counseling process. My goal is always to provide a safe and supportive environment for my clients to explore their behaviors, thoughts, and emotions, and feel empowered to move toward growth, change, and healing. I truly look forward to building a relationship with my clients – it is my favorite part of the therapy process! If desired, I enjoy using a faith-based approach to counseling. It is such a joy to help clients understand how they are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God!

 

Life can be really messy and beautiful — just like the art process! As an art therapist, I believe art materials and the creative process can be an amazing resource along the journey of therapy. Sometimes, words are just hard to find or understand, and art can be an additional form of expression.

 

You do NOT have to be a kid or call yourself an artist to participate. The art *process* itself is where the magic happens! It is not about making “good” art — this kind of art is from the inside and it is not always going to look “pretty.” I work with all different forms of art media in my office, which can include painting, drawing, collage, clay, stories, poems, and other mixed media materials.

 

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and four kids on outdoor adventures, finding ways to be creative, baking yummy desserts, gardening, and all things related to health, exercise, and nutrition.