Category: Family Therapy

Family Therapy

Meet Our New Therapist

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Meet our newest addition to Art of Counseling, Cindy!

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Cindy Tsay MEd, ATR. Arts-Based Psychotherapist
Cindy Tsay Direct Line: (651)318-0109 Ext# 705 Fax: (651)344-0515

Cindy brings a genuine and empathetic relationship into her work with clients. Her arts-based approach to psychotherapy is based on the belief that creative non-verbal expressions can provide emotional relief and self-awareness into relationships.

Cindy is originally from Taipei, Taiwan and has been in the U.S. Since 2004. Her rich cultural experiences nurture her sensitivity in how the larger culture, spiritual, and family contexts influence our self identity. Through art therapy and talk therapy, she has experience working with a variety of treatment concerns including; depression, anxiety, emotional trauma, sex addiction, anger management, and difficult issues related to our family of origin.

Cindy believes that underneath our relationships, behaviors, and feelings, we yearn for a desire to be heard and understood. In therapy, she provides her clients a safe environment to express, to learn, and to grow in our ability to build authentic relationships with ourselves and with others.

Cindy is a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) and is currently working towards another Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Education, Training and Affiliations:

American Art Therapy Association
American Marriage and Family Therapy Association
Minnesota Board of Marriage and Family Therapy

Post-Masters Marriage and Family Therapy Certificate, Bethel Seminary, St Paul, MN
Master of Education, Art Therapy, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts and K-12 Art Education, Concordia University, Ann Arbor, MI
Teaching English as Second Language Certificate, YawWah International Center, Shanghai, China

Art Therapy, Family Therapy, Psychology

creative coaching

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Why Creative Coaching for Parent and Child?
In a recent Newsweek article creative ability was said to be declining in U.S. Schools

Art of Counseling works with all ages to build creative problem solving  skills through  numerous learning experiences and resources.
Seven Ways to Increase Creative Ability:
1.    Reduce Screen time
2.    Get Moving
3.    Follow a Passion
4.    take a break
5.    Explore other Cultures
6.    Close the suggestion box
7.    Don’t force it -Let it Flow
Key features of Creativity Coaching:

Children’s multiple symbolic expressions
•    Creativity coaching uses the arts as  symbolic language through which to express understandings of both the creative parent and the creative child
•    Consistent with Dr. Howard Gardner’s notion of schooling for multiple intelligences, Creativity Coaching calls for the integration of the graphic arts as tools for cognitive, linguistic, and social development.
•    Presentation of creative problem solving exercises in multiple forms such as print, art, construction, drama, music, puppetry, and shadow play. These are viewed as essential to children’s understanding of experience. 


A creativity portfolio is kept to document the process
•     Documenting and displaying the children’s project work, which is necessary for children to express, revisit, and construct to reconstruct their feelings, ideas and       understanding
•     Pictures of children engaged in experiences, their words as they discuss what they are doing, feeling and thinking, and the children’s interpretation of experience through the visual media are placed in the portfolio as a presentation of the dynamics of learning..

The role of the environment
•    Environments teach  and enhance creativity in children. Try-color Coaching helps create the best environment
•    The aesthetic beauty within the home and school is seen as an important part of respecting the child and their learning environment
•    An atmosphere of playfulness and joy is encouraged

Connie Gretsch

Family Therapy

family therapy

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Family therapy helps families develop new family-wide communication and coping skills. Art along with family discussion helps children feel comfortable while the whole family works on improving the overall quality of family life. Family members will discover their roles in the family system, including strengths and weaker areas. When families communicate and balance the different needs of all members, children’s behaviors and symptoms improve. By realistically understanding each family member’s role, and learning to listen deeply to one another’s needs, families establish supportive strategies, set clear rules and discipline, and structure the family for success!

Child and Family Art Therapy Assessment
Art therapy assessment can quickly understand your child’s individual needs and issues within the family system. Regardless of a child’s art background or ability, art assessments determine the child’s social and emotional developmental level, their current range of coping skills, and any underlying issues or concerns that kids typically have difficulty communicating verbally. Parents receive feedback from these assessments with suggestions for next steps in family work.

Individual Child Art Therapy
The individual therapy services are unique, creative and innovative.  Child-friendly elements of creative art therapy, play therapy and verbal therapy with parent support and training are a part of the therapy sessions. There is a parent-child processing portion in every session, in which parents and child improve their communication, develop coping skills solve challenges together. In the individual or group sessions, that are just with children, the focus is on communication and exploring feelings, solve problems, learn and rehearse new coping skills.

Additional services to families:
•    PARENT SUPPORT AND TRAINING
•    SCHOOL SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION
•    COLLABORATION WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS
•    SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING & THERAPY

Connie Gretsch