Supervision Availability: As an ATR-BC, I am available to provide supervision locally or through approved distance supervision options (i.e. skype, etc) to graduate students or recent graduates working towards their ATR or ATR-BC. Please contact me at shanmcginn@gmail.com to arrange appointments. (Rate: $40 per hour)
Are you interested in receiving Art Therapy in the comfort and convenience of your own home?
For more information regarding private practice services in or around New Jersey, scheduling, and rates please contact me at: shanmcginn@gmail.com
As a visiting Therapist, I provide home-visit art therapy for children, families, couples, and individuals.
I am based out of Woodbridge, NJ in Middlesex County. As a traveling therapist, my clients have been located in Bergen, Middlesex, Union, Monmouth, Mercer and even Ocean Counties.
What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is similar to traditional psychotherapy, except that we add an art-making component. In my sessions, my clients use the process of art making or drawing-directives to facilitate expression allowing the verbal "talk therapy" part of the session to move forward in a highly productive way. You do not need to be an artist to participate in art therapy. Art therapy is not "art class" and therefore you will not necessarily be taught how to become a better artist, nor are you expected to or need to be an "good artist" in order to benefit from this unique style of treatment.
Art Therapy is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight. (See American Art Therapy Association)
I have special interest in families impacted by cancer, couples working through relationship conflicts, and families with children they feel have behavior issues. Please note that when I work with children I require the entire family to participate.
What Can I Expect to happen during an Art Therapy Session with you?
Please keep in mind that all Art Therapists do not work in the same style. My emphasis is more on Psychotherapy than it is on Art-making. Accordingly you may find that I do more traditional talk therapy during my sessions than other art therapist do.
During the initial session, we have a discussion about goals and expectations. Based upon your needs, I may develop art-based "directives" or questions you or your family will answer with a sketch, drawing, or painting. We then discuss, or process, why you created what you did and how that relates to your world. We will make observations about behaviors witnessed during the session and discuss. As you learn more about yourself and your family's style of communication, we can then collectively determine what interventions are needed to encourage positive changes towards healthier functioning.
In some cases, my clients want to focus more on Art-making and the products they produce are very important. They may spend many sessions on one art piece that expresses their talents and skills while processing their thoughts. This is one method that can be effective.
However, in many other cases, we do hour long directives that are aimed to provide greater insight into thought processes, belief systems, and open doors to better understand communication between family members. In these session the art products are never the focus and often we don't save the sketches, sculpture, or paintings, as they are only exercises aimed to inspired discussion and insight.
My Background:
Art Therapy Credentials: ATR-BC. I am a nationally recognized Registered and Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC). This is the highest credential achievable in the field of art therapy.
Additional Credentials: I also am a licensed attorney, have an advanced post-graduate degree, an Ed.S, in Marriage and Family Therapy, and I earned a certificate in Professional Divorce Mediation.
Education:
The College of New Jersey, Ed.S., Marriage and Family Therapy, 2012
University of Miami, School of Law, J.D. 2007
New York University, M.A., Art Therapy 2001
The College of New Jersey, B.A., Fine Arts, Psych Concentration, 1998
Experience:
- Facilitator of Art Therapy with Veterans in an inpatient mental health treatment setting (PTSD, Substance Abuse, Geriatric Care, Long Term Care, Acute Care, and Women's Sexual Trauma).
- Couples and Family therapy at the TCNJ Family Therapy Clinic.
- In-home art therapy with adults, families and children for issues including grief and loss, selective-mutism, anger management, conduct disorder, behavioral disorders, psychiatric illness and more and with individuals and families, lacking any psychiatric diagnosis, but seeking therapy to gain further insight into their lives, careers, and relationships.
- Co-facilitator of after-school anger-management art therapy group with children and adolescents.
- Facilitator of Art Therapy individual and groups on a adult acute psychiatric rehabilitation unit.
- Facilitator of Art Therapy individual and groups on adult outpatient cancer unit.
- Facilitator of Art Therapy and Family Skills Training with families struggling with HIV/AIDS, chemical dependency, homelessness, mental illness and/or physical illness.
- Proposed, developed, and facilitated two art therapy programs in adult, male, maximum-security prison with general population inmates serving life sentences or less as well as with adult male inmates detained on a maximum-security inpatient acute psychiatric treatment cell-block.
Lecture Experience: As a law student I drafted an award winning research paper on the "Art Therapist's Legal Duties to Third Parties". While practicing as an attorney, I was able to present this paper as a lecture to professionals and graduate students at NYU, at the School of Visual Arts Art Therapy Lecture Series, and most recently at the 2010 New Jersey Art Therapy Association's yearly conference at Caldwell College.
I am happy to provide this lecture with updated informations, as well as present other cases studies, provide in services about what Art Therapy is, or provide art therapy workshops or supervision to students as part of college or graduate programs.
