Do I have to make art in session?
No. You and your therapist will work together to determine how much or how little art making you use in sessions.
What is the difference between an art therapy session and a counseling session?
Both art therapy and counseling sessions provide the opportunity for you to explore your thoughts and feelings while working towards goals such as self-improvement, decreasing distressing symptoms, and increasing healthy coping strategies. Art therapy uses the process of making art in session as a way to communicate rather than talking throughout the entire session. Artwork made in session provides a tangible representation of your experiences that can be explored further through imagery and words.
What if I’m not a good artist?
Regardless of artistic skill, everyone can benefit from art therapy. All sessions are tailored towards your needs and no artistic skill is required to participate in art therapy. The purpose of making art in session is to create imagery that will communicate your thoughts and feelings rather than creating something that looks “good.” Your art therapist will guide you through the process.
What ages do you work with?
The practice provides services to individuals ages 6+
Are you LGBTQIA+ friendly?
Yes, Alexandria Art Therapy is a LGBTQIA+ safe space.
Are your services covered by insurance?
Please contact your CareFirst provider to ensure that your clinician is in-network for your plan, determine your co-pay for mental health services and ask about any deductible requirements. The clinicians who are in-network with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield are: Laura Miles, LPC, ATR-BC and Kathryn Harlow, LPC, ATR.
All other clinicians are currently out-of-network for all insurance companies.
At your request, your clinician will provide a receipt of services to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement after paying for sessions out of pocket. It is important that you check with your provider prior to beginning services to determine your plan’s out of network coverage. Alexandria Art Therapy cannot guarantee reimbursement.
Some questions to ask your insurance provider:
What out-of-network mental health services will my plan cover?
What is my deductible? How much must I pay out of pocket before receiving reimbursement?
How many sessions per year are allowed under my out-of-network coverage?
What is the difference between an art therapy session and a creative arts workshop?
Art therapy sessions are ideal for someone who is interested in looking deeper into thoughts and feelings, creating a life shift, or improving mental health. Creative arts workshops are a fun, relaxing experience in which you will learn a variety of creative techniques to use for self-care and creativity. While creative arts workshops are may help to improve self-care practices and teach artistic skills that can be used for coping, they are not intended as a therapy group.
Perinatal mental health questions:
Are you trained to work with perinatal mental health?
Yes, Adele Stuckey, LPC, ATR-BC has completed training with Postpartum Support International to support birthing and parenting people experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
Navigating the perinatal period as a queer couple presents additional stress factors. Adele works with individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community who are experiencing stress related to the birthing and parenting process.
What is included in perinatal mental health?
Stress during transitions, such as fertility treatment, loss / grief related to pregnancy loss; anxiety, depression, obsessive thoughts, rage, obsessive thoughts, intrusive / scary thoughts, overwhelm, "baby blues" lasting longer than 2 week are considered postpartum symptoms.
I don't want to be a Parent and have never been pregnant. Will you work with me?
Yes, Adele works with people regardless of their ability or desire for children.
substance abuse questions:
Do you treat substance abuse for any kind of substance?
Treatment for all substances is welcomed. Primarily, Laura Miles, LPC, ATR-BC sees people seeking help for problems with alcohol, marijuana, and opioids.
Do I have to commit to total sobriety?
Total sobriety is not required for treatment at Alexandria Art Therapy. Everyone's recovery goals are different, and we will work together to determine what yours are.
Are you going to make me go to "rehab?"
Rehab treatment is not required for treatment at Alexandria Art Therapy. Laura’s first priority is personal safety (physical, mental, and emotional) for all clients. If you feel completely out of control, we'll come up with solutions together.
Do I have to attend a 12-Step meeting to be in therapy?
No, this is not required, but we will talk about the benefits of finding like-minded community members that can provide extra support for you during this time. Just like therapy, there's no one-size-fits-all support group.
What if I don't think I have a problem?
Clients coming to Laura for services must recognize that their current behaviors are not working and are motivated to change something about their substance use.
stress / trauma questions:
What is trauma?
Trauma refers to an experiences that is perceived as life threatening, unsafe, or overwhelming. Since the role of perception is so important in trauma, each individual experience may vary widely. Experiences may vary in symptoms, severity, and duration.
Does my trauma have to be recent?
We can focus on traumas and stressors that are recent, or from your more distant past. The important thing is that you are considering focusing on your growth and healing.
Do I have to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
Though a widely used term, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is only one potential outcome and cluster of symptoms associated with trauma. Trauma is unique and can so are it’s impacts. You do not have to have PTSD or suspect you have PTSD to seek therapy for trauma and stress symptoms.
What if I don’t think my trauma is “big” enough?
In the age of social media it can be easy to compare yourself to others around you. This may extend to believing that others “have it worse”. When it comes to trauma and stress it is important to remember the importance of perception, and how personal the impact and symptoms can be. If you feel like you would benefit from additional support and therapy services working with any of our clinicians may be supportive.
For additional questions or to schedule a consultation, please reach out.