Today launches Art Therapists on the Grid: Art Therapy Meets Social Media Conversations, a weekly interview series this summer featuring a variety of art therapists and how they use the power of the Internet and social media in relationship to sharing their work with others, professional development, nurturing creativity, cultivating community and more!
It is such a pleasure to kick off this series with Carolyn Mehlomakulu, LMFT-S, ATR, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor and a Registered Art Therapist. In her private practice based in Austin, Texas, Carolyn works with children, teens, and families to overcome struggles like depression, anxiety, and trauma. Carolyn graduated from the MFT and Art Therapy program at Loyola Marymount University in 2007. She started the Creativity in Therapy blog in 2012 to share about art therapy and creativity with other counselors, therapists, and art therapists.
I invited Carolyn to contribute to this interview series as an opportunity to share more about her intentions, reflections, and tips about blogging as a way to inspire and help other art therapists new to or interested in this type of digital connection. Carolyn also shares some of the challenges and benefits she has experienced as a blogger.
Listen to our interview here:
You can also read about Carolyn’s blogging experience in The Art Therapist’s Guide to Social Media coming in October:
I started blogging during a transitional point in my life and career. At that point I knew that I wanted to start a private practice soon and thought that blogging would help establish my professional identity online, as well as demonstrate expertise as an art therapist. I was also at a point where I had completed my ATR and was feeling more confident in my abilities as an art therapist, so I liked the idea of sharing knowledge and teaching others through a blog. As a student and early therapist, I had often wanted more resources for new art therapy ideas. Of course there are a lot more resources now (both online and books), but creating the blog was still a way to give to others what I had been wanting in the past and found lacking. Another benefit of the blog that helps me stay motivated to keep working on it is the ways that it keeps me connected to my identity as an art therapist and encourages me to keep learning and developing my skills. Coming up with new ideas for the blog means that I need to keep learning, read books and blogs for ideas from others, talk to my colleagues about their art therapy approaches, and try new things with my own clients. I also mention sometimes on the blog that I often need a project or challenge to prioritize my own art-making. Consistently blogging means I am frequently making art and trying new techniques so that I can share examples and experiences on the blog.
Creativity in Therapy is a great resource– I hope you will check out Carolyn’s blog here and subscribe to her future posts…Thank you to Carolyn for sharing her experiences here!
Learn more about Carolyn’s work and connect to her online here:
Stay connected for a new interview next week!
The Art Therapist's Guide to Social Media 
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