Hi Robyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I was a sophomore in college, I had started feeling lost. For my entire life, all I wanted to be was a pediatrician, work with kids and help them feel better. As my science classes dove deeper and deeper into levels of difficulty I did not feel prepared for I began to wonder if this was in fact my path. It was disheartening and I truly had no idea which direction to go in. I continued taking classes that I loved and enjoyed such as life drawing and figure drawing and mixed media–quite a lot of art classes, actually. Art was my passion. But everyone knows “you can’t do anything with an art degree” so although I loved what I was doing I was still in need of a path.
After breaking my mothers heart by telling her my major would be changed (she wanted me to be a doctor more than I did I think), my sister came to me with a profession she had recently learned about, Art Therapy. She felt it could be a good fit for me and so I did my due diligence and began to research this new potential career. My father continuously told me that I should do something I love and be happy, that was all that mattered. The more I learned about Art Therapy the more I loved it. And so I found my journey and now I had to work hard, continue through graduate schools, yes plural, secure important internships and eventually become a Licensed and credentialed Art Therapist.
I still kept my belief that I was destined to work with children and families and so I navigated my studies and internships towards that population which only solidified for me that this was the right choice. Before I knew it I was working in hospitals, facilities and schools. I was providing individual therapy, group therapy and family therapy. I started to think about how amazing it would be to have my own practice, build something from nothing and help people the way that I want to. What started out as a pipe dream grew and expanded as I worked in different facilities and gained crucial experience. Eventually I started to feel what is known as burn out in the biz. I was being overworked with a large number of clients, I had my role dictated by higher ups with no clinical experience, I was taught and told to do whatever insurance asked of me to make these facilities more money…yes it is a business but not the type that I wanted to be a part of. That was when I took a huge leap of faith, with the support of my husband, realizing this was the time for me to go solo and follow that pipe dream.
I wanted to provide therapy on my terms, utilizing my values, beliefs and ethics. I wanted to provide excellent care at a low cost that people could afford. I wanted to be a therapist that helped others in need without having someone tell me they are “too sick” to be done with therapy or “too well” to stay. I had spent several years of my life learning how to be a strong clinician and I wanted to test those waters and prove to myself that I had what it takes to do this all on my own. And here I am…
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ll take that road and raise you a rollercoaster. There have been many ups and downs on this journey. First, getting started is rough. You definitely feel lost, especially as someone who did not take business classes in college, I was not sure which way to turn first. Thankfully I had mentors that helped guide me and point me in the direction I needed to go. But with every smooth and easy part of the ride came a new flip or loop that I was not prepared to handle. For example, I started with a home office, separate entrance, nothing too big at all. But I soon learned that without being grandfathered in by my town this was not going to happen for me. I had to regroup and look for small spaces I could sublet and afford being that I was just starting out! Not an easy task in itself. I describe my first office as a cute closet. Another example would be when my business started outgrowing me! I was not expecting to go from an individual practice to a group practice but when covid hit the demand for mental health help was so big I needed help! I needed other strong clinicians that I could bring on to accept some of those clients from what had become my waitlist. Even today I still struggle with knowing when to bring on more therapists. The positive is that with every struggle or issue that came my way, either by myself or with the help of others, I was able to figure it out, dust myself off and move forward.
We’ve been impressed with Paint the Stars Art Therapy, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
From a small sketch of a paintbrush creating a star, that I drew while contemplating starting my own business, came Paint the Stars Art Therapy. Paint the Stars is my first baby. I am a mama to two amazing boys but my first baby was this business. I put my heart and soul into creating something that not only I could be proud of but something that others would want to be a part of. We are a group practice composed of all Creative Arts Therapists, super rare! Most of the incredible therapists who work with me are art therapists AND professional counselors, just like myself. And yes, I prefer to say that any employees of Paint the Stars work WITH me, not for me. They are individuals who work for themselves and the greater public.
We, of course, specialize in Art Therapy which is becoming much more well-known but still many need a definition to grasp it. My definition is on the large, beautiful tree of psychology, Art Therapy is a branch off of that tree much like CBT, DBT, psychoanalytic, client centered and many more well-known therapy specialties. We do not need you to talk to help you feel better, to help you learn and process and understand yourself. We need you to show up with a willingness to create and a willingness to get help. In my community I am definitely known as “the local art therapist” which I adore! In my field, I am the owner of Paint the Stars. In my family I’m mom. Many roles for a busy lady, like so many of us working women out there.
Here is what sets us apart from others. First, we provide a unique combination of clinical and creative therapy. Our clinicians are not just offering arts and crafts, we aren’t art teachers with a side hustle (not that there is anything wrong with that). We are licensed and credentialed professionals who can evaluate your needs, help you set goals and create a therapeutic treatment plan that is tailored for just you. Our love of creativity and helping others is a standard we will never give up. As the owner of Paint the Stars, I am most proud of the hundreds, likely thousands of people we have helped in the last almost 14 years. I am so proud that we offer the highest level of care to everyone who knocks on our door and I am MOST proud that we are a group of clinicians who assist people and make decisions based on our own clinical values and ethics, not dictated by insurance or upper management.