Crista Kostenko, ATR-BC
Art Therapist
I am a Board-Certified & Registered Art Therapist with a deep passion for promoting personal growth and healing through creative expression. With a solid foundation in psychology and art and over 15 years of experience in providing art therapy, I work with clients to harness the transformative power of creativity in processing emotions and thoughts. My approach is client-centered, tailored to each individual’s unique needs and goals, with a focus on helping them discover their inner strengths and use the creative process to foster healing and resilience in their lives.
Benefits of Art Therapy
Art therapy offers a creative approach to exploring and expressing emotions or experiences that may be difficult to articulate with words. With guidance from an Art Therapist, clients use various art materials to connect with their thoughts, feelings, and memories—especially those that feel hard to access or express. The tactile, sensory nature of art-making can be deeply calming and grounding, helping to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Clients feel comfortable within this environment to heal through creative expression.​
Stress and Anxiety
Making art can be incredibly calming and grounding; touching art materials incorporates the senses and can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
Mindfulness and Relaxation
Art therapy can promote mindfulness and relaxation by engaging the body and mind. It offers a calming and meditative experience for clients.
Self-Exploration
Engaging in art therapy encourages clients to engage with thoughts in emotions in a different way, often supporting personal growth and insight.
Emotional Healing
Alongside a trusted art therapist, art therapy can aid in processing and healing emotional wounds, by providing a physical space for it outside of the mind.
Fact sheet from American Art Therapy Association: https://arttherapy.org/what-is-art-therapy/
"Art therapy is a mental health profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship"
Art Therapy Services
I work with clients who experience anxiety, depression, ADHD, grief, and neurodivergence. I believe that art belongs to everyone and I welcome clients of all ages.
Child Art Therapy
The creative nature of art therapy can help children and teens express their feelings by providing a safe space for them to explore emotions they might find hard to articulate but can express through painting, drawing, sculpting, etc. I work with children who are struggling to express their feelings and thoughts. I help them use their innate creativity to process emotions in an appropriate way. They use this creativity to practice coping skills that can last a lifetime. My approach is client-centered and tailored to each child’s unique needs and goals.
Adult Art Therapy
Individual art therapy offers a unique, personalized approach to emotional and psychological growth, tailored to clients of all ages. Whether or not you have previous experience with art making, art therapy invites you to express yourself creatively. Working one-on-one with an art therapist, you are guided through the process of using art materials—not to create "perfect" pieces, but to gain deeper insight into your emotions. This therapeutic process is about self-expression, which can be incredibly powerful in fostering healing, self-awareness, and growth.​
Family Art Therapy
Family art therapy offers an engaging, and creative way for families to improve communication, strengthen bonds, and address challenges in a supportive environment. Designed for families who are looking for new ways to connect with one another, family art therapy uses the creative process of art-making to foster understanding, collaboration, and emotional expression within the family unit.Whether you're navigating a period of change, dealing with conflict, or simply want to find new ways to connect, family art therapy provides a creative way to engage with one another. No previous art experience is necessary—just a willingness to explore and grow together as a family.​
What an art therapy session might look like?
An individual art therapy session would involve meeting one-on-one in a safe, comfortable, and confidential space. I offer a variety of art materials that can create diverse tactile and expressive experiences. To begin the session, I might suggest a short mindfulness activity appropriate for the client that helps them transition and focus on the therapy session. Art therapy, like talk therapy, requires the therapist to get to know the client as a person. In art therapy; however, in addition to asking questions about the client’s life and experiences, I ask my client to use art materials. I pay close attention to how my client chooses materials, reacts to the materials, and handles the materials. I may ask questions about how certain materials feel and if my client is aware of, for example, how tightly they hold the paintbrush, or how lightly they make marks on the paper. I notice and ask about the content of their art work - what they include and leave out. These observations are not meant to be analyzed in secret, but are some ways I can help my clients tune in to feelings and thoughts that might be unconscious or difficult to express verbally. Of course my approach will vary from individual to individual and especially age.
