Artful Explorations Therapy 10/17/23 Artful Explorations Therapy 10/17/23

My Areas of Specialty, by Jordyn Staar, MA, ATR-BC, LPC

Jordyn Staar is an Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor at Artful Explorations Therapy in Philadelphia, PA. Her areas of specialty include Child and Adolescent Therapy, Self Esteem, Loss, and Family Systems.

Hi, my name is Jordyn Staar, MA, ATR-BC, LPC. I’m an Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor. My bio provides a general overview of my background, but I also wanted to share more about my experience and talk about some of my specialties here on the blog.

Child And Adolescent Therapy

As an art therapist and counselor, I have 5 years of experience working with children and adolescents. I’ve worked in an inpatient setting with youth in crisis often displaying more severe behaviors. Working with teens in this setting, I fostered connections and developed trust allowing teens to feel safe to express inner turmoil. When I later transitioned to private practice, that experience helped me navigate change and emerging problems within families. In my 5 years of working with children and adolescents, I helped work through many challenges, transitions, and diagnoses such as Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Divorce, Grief/loss, Family Conflict, Peer Conflict, and more. In my work, I use art therapy, verbal processing, and skill building to help their development. I like to create a space for kids and teens where they can develop their emotional vocabulary and build the confidence to support themselves while fostering healthier relationships with their families.

Self Esteem

A big part of my practice is emboldening my clients to voice their feelings and concerns with friends and family by helping them develop confidence and self-esteem. I start by building a therapeutic relationship with kids and teens, so they can feel safe and allow themselves to be vulnerable as they explore their problems. Together, we explore their feelings and develop the words to better express themselves. As they practice their communication skills and work on their emotional intelligence, my clients set the foundation to become emotionally regulated adults. I hope the children and adolescents I work with walk away with a boost in self-esteem that can lead to feeling a sense of control over their emotions and problems that emerge.

Loss

I believe loss encompasses death, divorce, moving, and even the ending of a relationship. I understand the complexity of the grieving process and empathize that is different for everyone. Grieving can be difficult because using words may be too hard at the moment. Using art therapy is very helpful; the act of creating a visual piece that the client can then choose to verbally process is often experienced as less threatening and more empowering.

Family Systems

I find when working with children and adolescents, understanding their family dynamics tends to play a part in addressing their presenting behaviors. I encourage parents to be part of their child’s therapeutic process. I provide parent sessions to troubleshoot ways to support their child in their home. I help parents get a better understanding of the obstacles they may be facing communicating with their children and work toward creating a better dialogue. Having family sessions can allow both parents and children to feel seen and heard as they express their concerns on equal terms, which helps everyone develop the necessary skills to be capable and comfortable working out problems on their own outside of therapy sessions.

Artful Explorations Therapy 9/12/23 Artful Explorations Therapy 9/12/23

My Areas of Specialty, by Kristen Rashid, MA, ATR-BC, LPC

Hi there, this is Kristen Rashid, MA, ATR-BC, LPC: Art Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and founder of Artful Explorations Therapy. My bio and the art therapy page are great places to learn about me and my work, but today I also want to share a little further about some specific areas of practice that over the years have become my specialties.

Child and Adolescent Therapy

I have 15 years of experience working with children and adolescents in art therapy and counseling. Over that time I have supported kids and teens through many experiences, challenges, and diagnoses including Generalized Anxiety, Social Anxiety, ADHD, Autism, Adjustments, Divorce, Grief/loss, Emotion Dysregulation, Immigration & Acculturation, Adoption, Family Conflict, Peer Relationship concerns, Trauma, and more. Many times families come to me for support to work through and move beyond the cycle of power struggles they find themselves getting pulled into with their child or teen. Other times a divorce, loss, or other adjustment prompts a client to reach out to me. Still other times, a family may reach out due to their child or teen experiencing difficulty with communication or social connection, or having big feelings they don't know how to manage. I’m here to offer an outlet for expression, facilitate healthy change, and offer steady support when things feel stormy.

Anxiety

Many clients come to me with anxiety that preoccupies them, prevents them from full participation at school/work/social settings, impacts their overall emotional regulation, or drives them to engage in perfectionistic or obsessive-compulsive behaviors. I've helped many kids, teens, and adults to process, move through, and manage their anxiety in order to more fully function in, enjoy, and experience their social relationships, better navigate various settings and situations, and learn how to self-regulate.

Adjustments and Life Transitions

Whether it’s adjusting to a separation or divorce, a new sibling being born, the onset of a chronic illness, a career change, a loss, a move, or another life transition, having the space to process these changes within a supportive therapeutic relationship can feel grounding. I work with clients through both the initial adjustment period of a life transition and the time following, helping them to sort through the emotions that are arising as well as the logistics of facing new challenges in their daily life brought on by their new circumstances.

ADHD

ADHD can bring with it challenges in sustaining focus and attention, managing impulsivity, making and keeping friends, staying organized and engaged enough to be successful at school or work, and regulating emotions. I have found that art therapy is especially helpful to be able to target and practice some of these skills as well as process some of the underlying emotional and relational content that someone with ADHD may find relevant to their experience. I welcome neurodiversity and creative approaches, and lean into each client’s strengths to provide support for them to reach their goals and grow.

Family Systems

When working with kids and teens, I always view the client in the context of their family system. I consider the roles and dynamics in family interactions and the home setting, and aim to involve parents/guardians in treatment. Parent/guardian consultations and sessions, sibling sessions, and whole family sessions are offered as relevant to support the children and adolescents on my caseload in communication, conflict resolution, family dynamics, and family support.

Cultural Competence

I’m an Asian-American therapist of color. I value cultural humility and also have lived experience that I bring with me to my interactions with clients. Beyond that, I’ve engaged in continuing education courses and further training that supports a framework of culturally sensitive therapy to develop a therapeutic approach that centers inclusivity, accessibility, antiracism, and cultural humility. I invite you to bring your whole self into our sessions.

I’m seeing clients in-person at our office in Society Hill, Philadelphia, PA. I also offer telehealth as needed or requested. You can find general info about our therapy team and location on our about page.