Are you in New York and thinking about therapy? You’re in the right place! We’ve got a very qualified and overall awesome therapist, Andrea Juliano, LCAT, ATR-BC. We put together a mini interview so you all can get to know her better. Andrea is licensed and able to see clients in New York. Andrea is licensed to do art therapy, but that’s not all she does! Andrea specializes in anxiety, depression, grief and trauma. Keep reading for more info on Andrea and how she can help you.

Let’s start off easy– where are you from and do you still live there? If not where do you live?

I’m from the South Jersey and Philadelphia area. I now live in Brooklyn, New York. 

What inspired you to become a therapist? 

The short story is; I’ve always loved helping others. Growing up, I was often the listening ear to friends and a sounding board for advice. The long-short story is; growing up, I had a lot of practice expressing and managing emotions while processing my parents’ difficult divorce. I struggled and was seen as a “sensitive” child trying to manage my anxiety dealing with the lack of control in my environment. I found support in creative outlets, athletics, friends and an awesome guidance counselor. My own challenges inspired me to learn more about psychology and the mental health field.

As time went on, I knew I wanted to help others like they have helped me… but how?

How did you decide to pursue art therapy? 

I’ve also always loved making art, but I was unsure what to do with it. I questioned how it would feel to grade students as an art teacher or if I was ready to monetize my art. As an undergraduate student, I came across an Introduction to Art Therapy course. Here, I learned about Art Therapy and how combining art and psychology offered a different perspective to help people heal. As an artist I connected to how artmaking has been therapeutic for me. With my interest in psychology, a desire to help others, and personal experience with mental health, it just clicked. I then geared my studies towards a Major in Psychology and Minor in Art & Design. This led me to the Master’s Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York to begin my career as an Art Therapist. 

How does art therapy work– especially if a client doesn’t love art? 

Where to start? Sometimes, words just aren’t enough. I like to breakdown Art Therapy into two components. One component is the process of artmaking can feel therapeutic. The second component is the product of what you create may help you better communicate your feelings and develop insight.

A focus on the artmaking process itself and material use can serve as the therapy. For example, if a Client is struggling with anxiety and control, watercolor painting may support letting go, releasing emotions, and acceptance of mistakes. 

If the art is product focused, a Client may be working on organizing their thoughts or exploring a certain theme in their life. One example of a product directive is to have a Client draw a road. This may help a Client explore where they came from, where they are now and where they want to go. 

If a Client is not interested in Art Therapy at all, no problem! We can stick with talk therapy. If a Client is open to Art Therapy, but doesn’t love art or doubts their skills, they may benefit from exploring different materials. Art Therapy is all about getting creative on and off the paper. 

Do you only do art therapy? 

No way! I pull from different talk therapy techniques, like CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Solution Based Casework, Motivational Interviewing and more. Art Therapy also has psychodynamic roots, the heart of humanistic theories and can pair well with behavioral approaches.

What is a fun fact about yourself? 

I really enjoy finding different ways to be active. Recently, I’ve been working on my roller-blading skills and tried skiing for the first time this year.

Click here to request an appointment with Andrea now! She has a couple openings left for teletherapy.