“What I found is that I really loved listening to their stories and learning all about how they used art as a way of processing their pain and expressing themselves and kind of communicating all of that to the world.” Kathryn Mullins, a Resident in Licensed Professional Counseling in Virginia with a Master’s in Art Therapy, joined We Are Everyone to discuss how studying artists and their expression led her to a career in art therapy, the beneficial process of recapturing our own creativity, the power behind redefining the word strength and the importance of expanding access to art therapy.
Show notes:
0:00 Intro
0:58 Kathryn shares a little bit of history about herself and how she ended up becoming an art therapist
2:33 Kathryn talks about some of the things that made her be interested in art therapy and not any other counseling
5:07 Kathryn talks about how working as an art therapist led her to work with patients with eating disorders
7:19 Kathryn also talks about some of the methods for applying art therapy to counseling generally
10:34 Kathryn shares her thoughts when she hears the term mental fitness and what it means in her own terms
13:50 Kathryn shares her thoughts on why people need to redefine the terms mental fitness and mental strength
16:00 Kathryn talks about some of her experiences as a resident and licensed professional counselor and how it has impacted her approach to conversations
19:04 Kathryn talks about how her mental fitness techniques evolved throughout the pandemic
22:35 Kathryn talks about why we should not suppress or forget our emotions but recognize and process them as a reference point and how you can use art to help you do that
23:45 Kathryn talks about how creating art has helped her to be mentally fit and how it has helped her approach and stay in a position where she can help others
26:56 Kathryn shares ways in which you can discover yourself and also let loose of the professional side of things a little bit
28:30 Kathryn shares her advice for applying art therapy especially as it comes to mental fitness and how to continue to strengthen our mental fitness and boundaries
30:14 Kathryn also talks about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are different from you and who will challenge you
31:18 Kathryn talks about the importance of following artists on Instagram and watching films on Netflix about therapy and about art therapy
Books Mentioned:
Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44502018-vincent-van-gogh-frida-kahlo
Quotes Mentioned:
“Art is a great form of self-expression.”
“Our mental health is just as important as our physical health.”
“Food is in a lot of ways how people connect with others and build communities and art is so similar.”
“Everybody has creative instincts and it’s just something they probably lost along the way.”
“It’s okay to back down.”
“Being strong is also being vulnerable and being honest about how you’re feeling.”
“Surround yourself with people from all walks of life.”
Guests Social Media Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-mullins-ma-resident-in-counseling-51049598/
