About Gloria Mahin, MA, LPC, ALPS, REAT, NCC, AADC, MAC
I am an expressive arts therapist with a specialization in ecopsychology and depth psychology. My work is rooted in the belief that our creativity is a wellspring of our deepest sources of wisdom and organically guides us toward growth and healing.
I earned my master's degree in in 2006 in Expressive Arts Therapy and Mental Health Counseling at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the main educational centers for Expressive Arts Therapy in the country where many of my professors were innovators in the field. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, and I have worked with children, adolescents, adults and families in community, school, and hospital settings. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Theatre from West Virginia University and have studied multiple forms of ethnic and transformational dance. In 2013, I earned the title of Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association. I was invited to present at the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association annual conference in 2009, on my work on veils in dance therapies, in 2013, for my development of a map of dance practices that contribute to ecocentric development, and in 2019 on Culture Therapy. I also presented on the topic of transpersonal experiences with nature at the International Ecopsychology Society Conference in Uruguay in 2017.
I currently live in Appalachia under the jubilant spell of waterfalls, thunderstorms, and ursus americanus.
I earned my master's degree in in 2006 in Expressive Arts Therapy and Mental Health Counseling at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the main educational centers for Expressive Arts Therapy in the country where many of my professors were innovators in the field. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, and I have worked with children, adolescents, adults and families in community, school, and hospital settings. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Theatre from West Virginia University and have studied multiple forms of ethnic and transformational dance. In 2013, I earned the title of Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association. I was invited to present at the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association annual conference in 2009, on my work on veils in dance therapies, in 2013, for my development of a map of dance practices that contribute to ecocentric development, and in 2019 on Culture Therapy. I also presented on the topic of transpersonal experiences with nature at the International Ecopsychology Society Conference in Uruguay in 2017.
I currently live in Appalachia under the jubilant spell of waterfalls, thunderstorms, and ursus americanus.
What is expressive therapy?
Expressive Arts Therapy has emerged in the past several decades as an innovative approach toward health in our contemporary society. Combined with traditional talk therapy, the arts can be incorporated into sessions to explore issues and themes and help create new healthy patterns in your life. Previous arts experience is not required, and the emphasis is on both the creative process as well as the product. Through intermodal artistic expression, inner resources are identified and strengthened to overcome obstacles and reach toward one's greatest potential. Couples and families use the expressive arts therapies to develop relationship skills and improve interpersonal dynamics. Children and adolescents naturally use creativity to express themselves, and in a therapeutic relationships, are provided with tools and opportunities to build resilience and meet the challenges of their life circumstances.
BOOKS
The Creative Connection: Expressive Arts As Healing by Natalie Rogers
Art as Medicine by Shaun McNiff
Poesis: The Language of Psychology and the Speech of the Soul by Steven K. Levine
ARTICLES
"Expressive Therapies: History, Theory, and Practice" by Cathy Malchiodi
"Person-centered Expressive Arts Therapy" by Natalie Rogers
"Could the Expressive Arts Therapies Help Your Child?" by Banana Splits, Children's Support Group
WEBSITES
International Expressive Arts Therapy Association - www.ieata.org
Lesley University's Expressive Therapies Division - www.lesley.edu/gsass/56etp.html
BOOKS
The Creative Connection: Expressive Arts As Healing by Natalie Rogers
Art as Medicine by Shaun McNiff
Poesis: The Language of Psychology and the Speech of the Soul by Steven K. Levine
ARTICLES
"Expressive Therapies: History, Theory, and Practice" by Cathy Malchiodi
"Person-centered Expressive Arts Therapy" by Natalie Rogers
"Could the Expressive Arts Therapies Help Your Child?" by Banana Splits, Children's Support Group
WEBSITES
International Expressive Arts Therapy Association - www.ieata.org
Lesley University's Expressive Therapies Division - www.lesley.edu/gsass/56etp.html
