Shannon Miller, LCAT, ATR (ATCB#16-012) – Art Therapist
Shannon is a nationally registered Art Therapist, and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist. Having completed her Masters degree in Art Therapy from NYU, Shannon has worked in the field of Art Therapy for 6 years. She also has completed three bachelors degree programs at the University of North Texas: K-12 Art Education, Drawing & Painting, and Metal smithing.
Shannon has experience working with children and adolescents with anger management, behavioral issues, and in grief & bereavement therapy. Shannon also has worked in child, adult and geriatric inpatient psychiatric facilities and has experience with crisis intervention and de-escalation within the psychiatric emergency room.
Shannon utilizes narrative based Art Therapy to gauge a client’s level of comfort with confronting session material. This allows a client to process painful emotions safely within the artwork. In this way, difficult issues can be processed subconsciously. When a client is psychologically prepared, the therapist brings subconscious material into verbal psychotherapy.
For me, the biggest area of growth from being an educator, to being an Art Therapist, is in the ability to gauge a client’s level of fragility.
Anyone can ask a question about a piece of art. But my training has provided the ability to understand and respect psychological boundaries — when to push subconscious into conscious and when to retreat back into the safety of the artwork’s metaphor. It is a delicate balance, all to the benefit of the client’s mental health.
Fun fact about Shannon: I was raised vegan, and have been vegetarian my whole life!