All About Art Therapy—Guest Blog by Zara Drapkin
Somatic Therapy San Francisco
When is it a good idea to meet with an art therapist?
Great question and so many answers immediately come to mind, which speaks to there being so many different scenarios that are good routes to art therapy. For instance, when one feels blocked or stuck in ways that don’t serve them; when words are not enough, or folks struggle to communicate through words; when folks experience trauma; when folks are seeking out identity work, or when folks are struggling with chronic health /pain symptoms. The list goes on and on, but these all immediately jump out to me. Long story short, art therapy is an incredibly effective intervention for many different presentations.
Why did you choose to be an art therapist in Berkeley?
Berkeley is where it all started for me! I moved to Berkeley in the early 2000s to start college at UC Berkeley. I created my own major there exploring the use of art therapy for marginalized populations. Through my studies, I began to immerse myself in the art therapy community in the east bay and quickly became enamored. In 2019 when I finally took the leap to start my own practice, Berkeley was the obvious choice. I’ve been in the same cute old Victorian home/now office building ever since- though, in 2022, I upgraded to a larger office in the same building and got my dream office with a fireplace, sink for art making, space for groups, etc. I feel pretty rooted in at this point.
What kind of treatment do you provide?
The treatment I provide is trauma informed, integrative, interactive, process based and relational. My work is rooted in mindfulness, narrative based work, and social justice. My framework is LGBTQIA+ affirming and strengths based. I have formal training in many different modalities and bring an art therapy lens to these different modalities. I offer focused trauma therapy, attachment based therapy, somatically oriented therapy, mindfulness based therapy and internal family systems therapy.
Do you have a specific approach when working with clients?
My approach is collaborative and unique to the individual I’m working with. I feel well resourced as a clinician and able to tailor my approach to the individual I’m working with based on their goals, style, and openness. In the beginning of our work together we often “try things on,” finding the modality that best fits their needs and then proceed. I don’t have a cookie cutter approach to my work and instead design the path ahead working collaboratively with the person in my office with me.
Is art therapy only available when all other options have been exhausted?
Absolutely not! While I often have folks presenting for art therapy because “everything else didn’t work,” I also work with many folks who have never been to therapy before and greatly benefit from art therapy from the get go. The way I work- using different modalities with art therapy layered on- means the art therapy portion of the work deepens the somatic, theoretical or cognitive part of the work. Therefore, I find art therapy useful at any point in a persons’ healing journey.
What can a client expect to leave with after working with you?
A greater sense of self, self awareness and self compassion; more insight into one’s’ inner world; ways to challenge problem saturated stories and a releasing of stored trauma stuck in ones’ body or psyche. Additionally, folks leave with a sense of developed skills and resources to manage future stressors or challenges.
How long have you been working as an art therapist?
I’ve been working as an art therapist since 2016.
Who are your favorite types of clients to work with?
Folks who are motivated to do the inner work, and are collaborative and curious. I love working with creative folks and folks who embrace an integrative approach to healing. I have a deep passion for working with folks who have complex trauma and struggle with chronic pain/ chronic health issues.
What happens during a first appointment with you?
After the legally mandated spiel, I usually provide a series of art therapy prompts that invite the person to reflect on personal strengths, presenting issues and goals for therapy. The directives I use allow the individual to “try on” art therapy and see the ways in which deeper insight can be gained through image making.
What do you wish more people knew about art therapy?
A very common misconception is you have to be artistic to benefit from art therapy, but this is SO far from being true. My mantra for art therapy is “stick people are people too,” meaning the quality of the art really doesn’t matter. What matters is the process that brought you there and the meaning of what you created. Art therapy isn’t about the final product, it’s about the process.
How can people learn more and contact you?
Check out my website at www.zaradrapkin.com, and/ or following my private practice instagram page @zara_drapkin_psychotherapy. To listen to some of the podcast interviews I’ve done, or get information about groups/ retreats I lead, check out my linktree - https://linktr.ee/zaradrapkin
What's one fun thing about you that most people don't know?
I grew up playing competitive soccer and was the captain of my soccer team. My nickname on the soccer field was “gnar zar” as I was a very fast player (mid fielder) who was always able to be on both ends of the field and finish / make unexpected goals. I haven’t played competitive soccer in over a decade, but this past year I put on cleats again and kicked a ball around!