Welcome to my professional website. I'm an Associate faculty member and Coordinator of our Expressive Arts Therapy Program at Adler Graduate School in Minnetonka, MN. I'm also the Director of Assessment and Online Learning for all our programs at AGS. I have over 20 years of experience working as an art therapist, mental health counselor, school counselor, and supervisor. I've spent most of my career working with children and young adults with different abilities. Some of my accomplishments include developing positive school programming for youth, developing personalized expressive arts therapy groups, training school personnel in student mental health issues, and mentoring new counselors. 
"Wellness is a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being, in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live life more fully within the human and natural community. Ideally, it is the optimum state of health and well-being that each individual is capable of achieving" (Myers, Sweeny, & Witmer, 2000, p. 252).

​Myers, J. E., Sweeney, T. J., & Witmer, J. M. (2000). The wheel of wellness counseling for wellness: A holistic model for  treatment planning. Journal of counseling & development, 78(3), 251-266.
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​Wellness Through the Arts, LLC was established to support and strengthen families and schools through education (workshops, professional development), community service, and wellness services. I provide individual and group expressive arts opportunities for children and adolescents. Supervision is available to new practitioners and students obtaining their ATR in art therapy.

Building Strong Communities

Strong families and schools are the foundation of healthy communities. My goal is to promote personal healing, growth, and wellness of individuals through the use of encouragement and the creative arts. Wellness Through the Arts, LLC was established to support and strengthen families and schools through education and self-exploration services rooted in art and wellness.

Wellness occurs on a continuum throughout one’s life, problems people have are natural and normal. Counselors assess people in several areas to see what is hindering them from meeting their maximum potential of wellness.  Wellness counseling is done through a developmental lens and cultural context, with the end goal of empowering others to resolve their problems independently.​ Check out my services or explore the arts!
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Creative Arts can be done at any age!
For Adlerian scholars, the goal of encouragement is not simply to change behavior but to instill courage and confidence to change; therefore, Adlerian practitioners assert that their focus is more on modifying individuals' motivation than on modifying behavior (Sweeney, 2009).

Sweeney, T. J. (2009). Adlerian counseling and psychotherapy: A practitioner's approach. Taylor & Francis.

Teaching Future Counselors and Expressive Arts Therapists



​As an educator, my goal is to provide my students with a relational learning environment that promotes engagement, encouragement, and creativity. By understanding each student’s strengths and integrating fun learning tools in my classroom, I am able to tailor each student's educational experience to meet their different learning styles. I believe that through an environment rooted in encouragement, all students have the ability to reach their maximum potential. These skills are then applied in practice, bringing the same encouragement to clients that was learned in the classroom. Please visit the following link to learn more about my instructional philosophy.