The Creative Psychotherapist

In this episode of the podcast, Reina interviews Amanda Kranich, MS, a Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern and former educator with 13 years in the classroom, specializes in helping individuals break free from inherited trauma, manage overwhelming anxiety and ADHD, and rebuild a deep sense of self-worth. In this interview, Amanda draws on her unique dual background in education and mental health to help students, parents, and families move through the back-to-school season with clarity and confidence. She discusses her compassionate approach to therapy, emphasizing that everyone deserves to experience life as something that feels manageable and full of possibility.

Amanda takes a holistic approach to healing, weaving together a variety of evidence-based modalities to meet each client exactly where they are. From EMDR - which helps the brain reprocess distressing memories and generational conflict - to solution-focused strategies, expressive arts, and executive dysfunction support, she builds a personalized toolkit for every individual she works with. This integrated approach proves especially powerful during the back-to-school season, when students and caregivers face a surge of emotional, academic, and logistical demands all at once. Listeners walk away with actionable insights on managing back-to-school stress, building self-worth, and stepping into the new season with a full set of tools and a renewed sense of possibility.

Listen or Watch & Learn:

• Simple things parents can do to build connection with their children and teens.
• Helpful approaches to navigating the back to school transition for children and adults. 
• The importance of compassion when navigating change.
• Why self-care for caregivers is a non-negotiable




Watch Here on YouTube!  

Find Amanda on Instagram at Inwardshiftintegrativetherapy

Email her at [email protected] 

In this episode of the podcast, Reina interviews Dr. Frank Gorritz is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, counselor educator, and nationally recognized advocate with nearly a decade of clinical experience. He specializes in working with LGBTQIA+ communities and individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, racial stress, identity, and relationship concerns. Drawing from person-centered, expressive arts, relational-cultural, compassion-focused, and acceptance and commitment therapies, Dr. Gorritz provides affirming, culturally responsive care. Incoming president of SAIGE National and the Florida Counseling Association, as well as an award-winning national speaker, he is passionate about advancing social justice, equity, and inclusion through counseling, education, research, and advocacy.

Skyler is a Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern (#IMH28028) dedicated to helping children, adolescents, and families build emotional resilience through authentic connection and compassionate care. Guided by a person-centered approach, Skyler creates a safe, collaborative space where clients feel seen, valued, and empowered to grow at their own pace. With extensive experience supporting individuals with autism, Skyler is passionate about fostering creativity, self-expression, and inclusion while helping young people navigate identity, life transitions, and emotional challenges with confidence and support.

Listen or Watch & Learn:

• Current statistics related to suicidality and non-suicidal self-harm among LGTBQIA+ Youth
• The difference between a space where a youth feels comfortable be themselves versus a space the celebrates their identity
• Three types of micro-aggressions that LGTBQIA+ Youth experience that can negatively impact mental health
• Protective and preventative factors for LGTBQIA+ Youth
• Techniques for creating supportive environments at home
• Resources for parents to learn more about LGTBQIA+ youth and receive support themselves
• How small symbols and messages of allyship can show your therapy practice is a safe place for LGTBQIA+ Youth

LINKS:

• Power in Pride Group starting September 4th at Florida Art Therapy Services, LLC
• PFLAG    is the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
• Parenting with Pride empowers parents in Florida with tools such as monthly webinars, links to resources, and supports to provide assistance for your child to grow and thrive.
• Visuality of SWFL promotes the health, safety, personal growth and overall wellness of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus community of SWFL and allies.
• ALSO Youth (Advocacy, Leadership, Support & Outreach) empowers LGTBQIA youth and allies through inclusive community making in Sarasota and Manatee counties. 
• The TREVOR PROJECT is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people. Text START to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386 to reach a crisis counselor. 

Watch Here on YouTube! 

Power in Pride groupwebsite

www.floridaarttherapyservices.com

FEATURED GUESTS:  Dr. Lucy Barbera, LCAT is a New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, Art Teacher, and School District Administrator, whose work spans the medical, psychiatric, and educational settings. Dr. Barbera served on the faculty of The Humanistic Multicultural Education Graduate Program, at the State University of New York (SUNY), at New Paltz, for twenty-three years, where she developed and taught courses in Expressive Arts in Education, Human Services, and in Social Justice Leadership. 
Currently, Dr. Barbera is facilitating the Trauma-Informed Creative Arts Therapy Certificate Program for Mental Health Professionals & Educators, a post-graduate program, professional development training program, now in its fifteenth year, in collaboration with the Expressive Therapies Summit.
Dr. Barbera lectures widely and maintains a private practice in Art and Sandplay Therapy in Kingston, New York, working with children and adults with life-threatening medical conditions, teens who self-harm, or are challenged with disordered eating, addiction, death, loss, and complex trauma.
Dr. Barbera’s doctoral dissertation on the Expressive Arts and Social Justice was granted The Excellence in Scholarship Award in 2009, by the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Association (ETD) and her book, Expressive Arts in Teacher Education: Cultivating Social Justice Leadership, was published in 2011. 
Her most recent publications include, Avatar: Masks of Hope and Healing, in Susan Ridley’s The Expressive Use of Masks Across Cultures and Healing Arts, was published by Routledge in 2024 and Joining Social Justice Teacher Education and the Expressive Arts, has just been republished in Natalie Rogers’ The Creative Connection for Groups: Person-Centered Expressive Arts for Healing and Social Change.
For Information about Dr. Barbera’s program offerings may be found on her website at:
https://www.arttherapycertificate.com/ and https://www.expressivetherapiessummit.com/ti-cat
LISTEN & LEARN: 

• The benefits of intermodal processes in the treatment of trauma. 
• What students in the certificate program can expect to learn. 
• The relationship between trauma and imagery. 
• How embracing a hybrid approach to training has allowed Dr. Barbera to reach students around the world and build a connected community. 

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Web: www.arttherapycertificate.com/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/arttherapycertificateprograms/
• Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/makingspecial
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-barbera-phd-lcat-83578b8/
• Trauma-Informed Creative Arts Therapy Certificate Program

SESSIONS AT THE SUMMIT:

• Starting April 11 through June 13th Lucy Barbera will be leading the Trauma-Informed Creative Arts Therapy Certificate Program at Creative Arts Therapy Studio in Kingston, NY & Virtually-Live-Online sign up here at www.expressivetherapiessummit.com/ti-cat 
• You can attend in-person at the Creative Art Therapy Studio in Kingston, NY or attend virtually over Zoom.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! 

FEATURED GUESTS:  Sally Brucker, LCSW-C, ATR-BC, CAGS is a visual artist, art therapist, social worker, and certified life-cycle celebrant. Her work as an art therapist spans over 40 years. She was director of the Women's' Growth and Therapy Center for over 15 years and the founder of Studio Downstairs (www.createartcenter.org) in Silver Spring, Maryland. She has extensive international experience working and leading immersive art therapy workshops in the US, Europe, Asia and South America.

Sally has worked in psychiatric institutions, hospitals, refugee camps, mental health clinics, homeless shelters, alcoholic treatment centers, and in private practice.She has worked with refugees, first in Africa, then London and Washington DC. Her project , The Listening Room, Refugee Art Project earned her two awards . She has taught courses in psychology at Montgomery College for over 30 years and has published several chapters on art therapy, as well as numerous articles. 

Sally’s artwork stems from a passion for human rights and story-telling. She was a member of the Washington Printmakers' Gallery in Washington DC and now exhibits her mono-prints, paintings, collages, constructions and hand-made books both nationally and internationally.
Sally Brucker was born in Chicago, Illinois, received her BS in sociology/anthropology from Washington University, St. Louis, MO. She received her masters in art therapy and early childhood special education from George Washington University and her masters in social work from the Catholic University, in Washington D.C. 

Her art work has been exhibited in Washington D.C. at the Washington Printmakers Gallery, Studio Gallery, Pyramid Atlantic, Hill Art Center, Bird-in Hand Gallery, Newman Gallery, and the Corcoran Museum of Art. She lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.

LISTEN & LEARN: 

• How Sally began offering retreats
• Why Sally includes rituals and ceremonies as part of the retreat
• Where to learn how to create ceremonies
• What one can expect if they attend the five day retreat
• The importance of having witnesses while engaging in healing ceremonies
• What archetypes participants will be exposed to and engage with during the retreat

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Web: www.sallybrucker.com/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sally.brucker/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sbrucker2/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sally-brucker-a3564b12/
• Discovering Goddess Archetypes: Professional Retreat

• Sally's Youtube Channel

SESSIONS AT THE SUMMIT:

• On March 5-9, 2026, Sally Brucker, will be leading the Discovering Goddess Archetypes: Professional Retreat at the magical Lunita Jungle Retreat (www.lunitajungleretreat.com) in beautiful Puerto Morelos, close to the Mexican Riviera. 

• CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! 

FEATURED GUESTS: Stefan Oliva
Stefan is the co-founder of FrameShare, a digital art therapy platform designed to expand access to creative mental health care. With a background in mission-driven tech entrepreneurship, Stefan helped launch Yale University’s first student-led impact investment fund and was an early team member at Gro Intelligence, a global agriculture and climate platform founded in Nairobi, Kenya. His work sits at the intersection of technology and equity—shaped by his lifelong relationship to art, community care, and systems change.
Dr. Stephan Meyer zum Alten Borgloh
Stephan is FrameShare’s Chief Technology Officer. He holds a PhD in neuroscience from the Max Planck Institute and completed his postdoctoral research at Rockefeller University, where he transitioned from laboratory work to developing research and clinical applications. After his postdoc, Stephan helped multiple startups shape their data strategies and build innovative products, with experience spanning clinical technologies and climate tech.
LISTEN & LEARN:

• What is Frameshare?
• How accessible is Frameshare?
• What features does Frameshare currently offer that meet the needs of art therapists? 
• What are the plans for the future of Frameshare?

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Website Before October 2025 https://www.frame-share.org After October 2025
  https://www.frameshare.org
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frame-share/about/
• Email Stefan Oliva at [email protected] 
• Email Dr. Stephan Meyer zum Alten Borgloh at [email protected]

FEATURED GUESTS: Reina Lombardi, ATR-BC, ATCS, LMHC-QS is a Registered Board Certified Art Therapist, Art Therapy Certified Supervisor, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor Qualified Supervisor. She owns Florida Art Therapy Services, LLC , a full-fee group practice, where she and a team of therapists provide in-person and technology facilitated individual and group art therapy and counseling services, contracted art therapy groups at various community agencies, supervision and continuing education programming for counselors and art therapists. She has contributed to several academic texts on the topics of art therapy and clinical supervision, and is a frequent presenter/speaker at local and national professional conferences. 
She also owns Creative Clinician’s Corner, LLC where she provides practice building resources and consultation services for creative arts therapists with a desire to build and scale their own private practice. She is the host of The Creative Psychotherapist Podcast where she interviews successful creative therapists about the tools and strategies they used to grow their dream practices, as well as how they have hustled to create additional streams of income using their knowledge and creativity by developing products and services that enhance their therapy practices.
LISTEN & LEARN:

• This Ethics in Private Practice Podcast recording, CEBroker Tracking # 20-1302891, is eligible for 1 CE credit with purchase and passing a short quiz after listening. Click on the following link to purchase        https://floridaarttherapyservices.groovepages.com/ce/ethics-ondemand
• What is a Business Will?
• What needs to be included in the Will?
• Minimum disclosures included in an informed consent. 
• Minimum disclosures included in a telehealth informed consent. 
• Ethical rationales for termination. 
• Why it is unethical to solicit testimonials from clients and what to do instead. 

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Get your Bluetooth EMDR Tabs from Dharma Dr. at dharmadr.com/Creative10 and use CREATIVE10 at checkout for a $10.00 off discount
• Need support in creating your practice email me for a consult: [email protected]

FEATURED GUESTS: Dr. Mimi Savage is an associate professor and core faculty member in the Master's of Counseling Psychology with Expressive Arts program at CIIS in SF. She has an extensive background in acute milieus and has researched adopted young women and boys from foster care using narrative inquiry, arts based and participatory research on the topic of intersectionality and self identity. She is a founding faculty member of UCLArts and Healing in Los Angeles--now called Integrative Arts and Healing Initiative.

She is a registered drama therapist and board certified trainer and mentors an international student body for professionals interested in drama therapy certification at her own school--So Cal Drama Therapy Center. She is now also core faculty for a new program she is helping to launch at CIIS which is Expressive Arts Coaching and Community Building. She is in the process of editing her book for Taylor & Francis/Routledge due next year called The Future of Black Creative Art Therapists: Practice, Pedagogy and Preservation.
LISTEN & LEARN:

• What is narrative inquiry?
• What is the Personal Public Services Announcement™ (PPSA) method? 
• The importance of identity work when engaging with adolescents. 
• The value of contributing to the field through the use of writing. 
• How to use the PPSA as a tool in participatory arts-based research. 
• Mimi's upcoming book, "The Future of Black Creative Arts Therapists: Pedagogy and Preservation," due in 2026 by Taylor & Francis/Routledge. 

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Mimi's Session at the Midwest Expressive Therapies Summit - Re-Storying Self-Identity Through Drama, Writing & Masks: Creating Personal Public Service Announcements ™ on May 3, 2025 from 10:00 AM-5:30 PMCT

In this day-long three-part master class, participants will have the opportunity to learn the Personal Public Service Announcement™ (PPSA) method, an arts-based approach that was originally developed to generate narrative data using drama therapy techniques with adopted young women in foster care. To introduce this novel format, past peer-reviewed research will be discussed from the empirical-based inquiry. For the majority of our time together, however, participants will be invited to work collaboratively and in embodied ways to create their own PPSAs using a number of expressive arts tools, including creative writing, digital apps, and mask-making. In particular, participants will discover the theory, processes, and outcome of this restorative way of doing participatory research within narrative inquiry. Synthesizing personal explorations to enhance emotional or clinical development — then creatively reconstructing that information and affect into PPSAs with the intent to re-story and restore self-identity while being witnessed — can be very effective in treatment, as well.
PLEASE NOTE: Participants' knowledge of qualitative research tenets and methods will be beneficial. The ability to access your narratives without concern about retraumatization will be key to maintaining safety in this session. 

• The Future of Black Creative Art Therapists: Practice, Pedagogy and Preservation will be available for preorder on https://www.routledge.com/ April 2026. 
• Mimi Savage, PhD, RDT, BCT contact [email protected]
• Mimi's SoCaldramatherapycenter http://www.socaldramatherapycenter.com/
• Mimi's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mimi-savage-phd-rdt-bct-b0179931/

• Need support in creating your practice Email me for a consult: [email protected]

FEATURED GUESTS: Christine Brooks, PhD is a Professor and the Chair of the Expressive Arts Coaching and Community Building program at California Institute of Integral Studies. Her research interests include adult development, intentional childlessness, qualitative research methods, and transformative processes in coaching. She is a consultant and coach with expertise in social and emotional intelligence, identity development tools such as the enneagram, and leadership and executive presence. When not traveling the roads of the United States to experience the profound variety of people, creativity, landscapes, and regional food ways, she lives in Florida. 
Shoshana Simons, PhD, RDT is Professor and former Program Chair of CIIS’s MA in Counseling Psychology, Expressive Arts Concentration. She is a drama therapist, voice actor and arts-based coach & consultant. She is also adjunct faculty at the Northwest Creative & Expressive Arts Institute, Seattle, WA, offering a Certificate in NarrARTive Expressive Arts in Coaching. Shoshana has 35+ years of experience in community-building in many settings including with children and adults in the fields of play, education, antiracism, counseling psychology, organizational development, and community work. 
Dr. Mimi Savage is an associate professor and core faculty member in the Master's of Counseling Psychology with Expressive Arts program at CIIS in SF. She has an extensive background in acute milieus and has researched adopted young women and boys from foster care using narrative inquiry, arts based and participatory research on the topic of intersectionality and self identity. She is a founding faculty member of UCLArts and Healing in Los Angeles--now called Integrative Arts and Healing Initiative. She is a registered drama therapist and board certified trainer and mentors an international student body for professionals interested in drama therapy certification at her own school--So Cal Drama Therapy Center. She is now also core faculty for a new program she is helping to launch at CIIS which is Expressive Arts Coaching and Community Building. She is in the process of editing her book for Taylor & Francis/Routledge due next year called The Future of Black Creative Art Therapists: Practice, Pedagogy and Preservation.
LISTEN & LEARN:

• What does a Master's in Expressive Arts Coaching & Community Building consist of?
• What is Coaching & Community Building?
• What is the Scholar-Artist-Practitioner model of pedagogy used in this program?
• The integration of theory and neuroscience that grounds the program. 
• Brook's definition of loneliness as the perception of social isolation and why community is an integral aspect of healing work. 
• The stipend discount offered for the inaugural cohort in the program. 

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• https://www.ciis.edu/academics/department-expressive-arts-coaching-community-building
• The CIIS Expressive Arts Coaching & Community Building Launch Party April 23rd @ 11:30AM PT https://www.ciis.edu/events/launch-party-new-ma-expressive-arts-coaching-community-building
• Christine Brooks, PhD LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/sofchristinebrooks 
• Shoshana Simons, PhD, RDT CIIS contact https://www.ciis.edu/profiles/shoshana-simons
• Shoshana's Narrative Expressive Arts Coaching certificate program https://seattlearttherapy.org/narrartive-expressive-arts-coaching-certificate/ 
• Shoshana's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoshana-simons-b029a34/
• Mimi Savage, PhD, RDT, BCT contact [email protected]
• Mimi's SoCaldramatherapycenter http://www.socaldramatherapycenter.com/
• Mimi's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mimi-savage-phd-rdt-bct-b0179931/
• Need support in creating your practice email me for a consult: [email protected]

FEATURED GUESTS:  Reina Lombardi, ATR-BC, ATCS, LMHC-QS is a Registered Board Certified Art Therapist, Art Therapy Certified Supervisor, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor Qualified Supervisor. She owns Florida Art Therapy Services, LLC , a full-fee group practice, where she and a team of therapists provide in-person and technology facilitated individual and group art therapy and counseling services, contracted art therapy groups at various community agencies, supervision and continuing education programming for counselors and art therapists. She has contributed to several academic texts on the topics of art therapy and clinical supervision, and is a frequent presenter/speaker at local and national professional conferences. 
She also owns Creative Clinician’s Corner, LLC where she provides practice building resources and consultation services for creative arts therapists with a desire to build and scale their own private practice. She is the host of The Creative Psychotherapist Podcast where she interviews successful creative therapists about the tools and strategies they used to grow their dream practices, as well as how they have hustled to create additional streams of income using their knowledge and creativity by developing products and services that enhance their therapy practices.
LISTEN & LEARN:

• Why collaborating with other agencies or partnerships can provide alternative fee models to access care in your practice. 
• The benefits of offering one-time wellness and creative-based workshops in your practice. 
• Why community-focused engagements can increase awareness and knowledge of your practice. 
• The importance of keeping your SEO relevant and 5 places to enter keywords on your website. 
• How using an AI chatbot can be beneficial to converting clients. 

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Get your Bluetooth EMDR Tabs from Dharma Dr. at dharmadr.com/Creative10 and use CREATIVE10 at checkout for a $10.00 off discount
• Need support in creating your practice email me for a consult: [email protected]

FEATURED GUESTS: Richard Sims MSME, MSMT, CTP
Richard Sims is a Master Somatic Movement Educator/Movement Therapist, Mindfulness, Embodiment and Body Awareness Educator, Certified Trauma Professional, Aikido Instructor, and Somatic Specialist in the areas of stress, fear, anxiety, pain and trauma. He is currently the Board President for ISMETA (International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association) where he tirelessly works growing the Somatic Movement Profession and its place in the integrative whole person health field. He also sits on the Board of Aiki Extensions.
He teaches adults, children and teens empowering somatic approaches and tools to improve their emotional and physical wellbeing. His trauma informed somatic approach combines the BodyMind connection, as well as our emotions and distress responses with many somatic and mindful methods including Being In Movement® mindbody education, Body Awareness, Breathing, Meditation, Somatic Education, Feldenkrais, Alexander, Trauma Informed Mindfulness, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and the principles of the the martial art of Aikido (The Art of Peace).
He teaches in person and online globally with individuals and groups. Additionally he runs workshops with allied professionals on how they can incorporate somatic approaches into their practice in a complimentary integrative whole person approach to healing. 
Richard also works with organizations, schools, non-profits, first responders and companies, helping with their member's challenges that affect their relationships and performance personally, professionally and academically.
Some of these groups include: MenHealing (a prominent organization for male sexual abuse survivors and their loved ones) along with thought leaders from the psychotherapeutic field, The Cancer Wellness Center, Illinois Schools, Urban Gateways (curriculum through the arts), the State of Illinois (First responder professional and personal connection, de-escalation, stress and trauma), FORGE (Trans Survivors) and the H.O.M.E. Project, supplying electronic and video based resources and information to over a million incarcerated men and women in 47 states.
LISTEN & LEARN: 

• Rich's definition of Somatic Movement approaches to therapy.
• Legal considerations regarding touch as a somatic movement practitioner and why he has elected to practice as an educator. 
• An experiential game designed to highlight the mind and body working together to construct core beliefs and narratives that may keep us stuck. 
• The benefits of training and seeking out consultation or supervision with an experienced mentor if you want to integrate somatic approaches into your practice. 




RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Web: richardesims.com
• Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/richard.sims.5667
• Instagram:richsims_breathing
• LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-sims-ab02337/
• International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association
• Men Healing
• The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate
• Sign up for Richard's list https://richard-e-sims.kit.com/b79e217651




SESSIONS AT THE SUMMIT:

• May 3rd 2:30-6:30 pm CT he will be teaching on A Somatic Movement Approach for Healing the Effects of Sexual Abuse & Trauma at the Expressive Therapies Summit MIDWEST 2025 at Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Chicago.

OTHER WORKSHOPS:

• https://menhealing.org/somatic-healing-101-2025/