Therapy+Creativity

Psychotherapy

Betsy Lazarus MA, ATR-BC, LCAT
505 Northern Blvd. Suite 103
Great Neck, NY 11021

(516) 527-7905
BetsyLazarusLCAT@gmail.com

About

Hi, I'm Betsy
Welcome !

Life in a constantly evolving landscape can often demand

we attend to our mental health needs.

Perhaps you find yourself negatively affected by anxiety, stress,

trauma, depression, distress over relationships or even

community, national and world events.

Or you may feel frustrated and overwhelmed trying to find

your way to the life you yearn for.

It may be your child who is experiencing worry, fear, anger,

anxiety or sadness.

Prioritizing emotional wellness works hand-in-hand

with optimizing the health of our bodies, minds, and souls.

Emotional growth and healing is a process I've learned to trust through experience, ongoing study, and by being my own work in progress.

I would love to help you learn to trust it, too.

Mine is a creative approach, one that reaches places you cannot

always find the words for.

The process of your life unfolding will come

with clarity, confidence, and grace.

Why Therapy+Creativity?

When you apply creative thinking to the challenges that bring you to psychotherapy, it helps to reframe those challenges into possibilities. You open the door to new, fresh, and sometimes unexpected ideas to resolve them.

In our work together you will see that by tapping into your imagination, you will find your intuitive self and your capacity to heal.

“Creativity encompasses the ability to discover new and original ideas, connections, and solutions to problems. It’s a part of our drive as humans—fostering resilience, sparking joy, and providing opportunities for self-actualization.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/creativity

About Me

I am a New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist with over 25 years of experience providing psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, and adults of all ages and abilities.

My passion for creating images evolved into exploring, understanding, and healing the inner life. I bring this guiding principle to every client centered therapeutic encounter. As an artist who enjoys painting and drawing, I see and deeply believe in the benefits from my own art making and daily meditation.

I hope to introduce some of these approaches during our sessions together as we map out the way for you to reach your wellness goals.

I have a B.F.A. in painting, and an M.A. in Creative Art Therapy.

I'm a past president of the New York Art Therapy Association (NYATA) and have published writings and art work in the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA).

Perhaps it’s your first time seeking therapy that is the right fit for you. My aim is for you to be comfortable and communicative in any way that feels most natural to you in the moment.

It begins with a phone call

A no cost, no obligation consultation as we begin

getting to know each other.

You begin to feel at ease, feel heard, feel hopeful. I begin to see you, hear you, and understand your concerns.

The next step is to schedule your first appointment where we will continue to build a deeper system that will help explore all your needs and expectations.

Creativity has the extraordinary potential
to transform health and well-being

Treatment

Psychotherapy can help your ability to cope with today's unprecedented and ongoing stressors.

Creative expression and verbal psychotherapy together in an inclusive, gentle and supportive environment are a potent treatment for individuals of all ages seeking emotional stability and relief from depression and anxiety. I work collaboratively with you to cultivate your insight and empowerment.

Creative Arts Therapy supports relaxation, expression, and communication; it does not require any prior art experience. Art making and the images produced can open the door to help explore our thoughts and feelings, our past and present, and provide ways to contemplate and acknowledge our achievements. When we view and discuss the artwork created in sessions, possibilities and insights may become visible. Art therapy can improve cognitive function, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, and enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress. By using a visual language with color, lines, symbols and metaphors in a free and playful environment, you can provide a voice to any innate desire for wholeness and stability.

I strive to create an experience that is safe, inclusive and inviting, where creative expression of thoughts, concerns and emotions are always welcome. My approach is holistic, informed by mindfulness, humanistic theory, and the creative process itself in the psychotherapeutic relationship.

Children and Adolescents especially benefit from art therapy as it is in their nature to draw and paint. My work with children develops organically in which the first task in treatment is to establish a trusting therapeutic relationship. Your child will discover that there is no judgement of their creative expressions which naturally encourages communication of their interests and preferences. This allows children to individualize their art specific directives towards their therapeutic goals.

Mindfulness is characterized by nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment experience, including your sensations, thoughts, bodily states, consciousness, and the environment, while encouraging openness, curiosity, and acceptance. Mindfulness in psychotherapy is facilitated with guided imagery, imagination, relaxation, narrative, inspiration and integration. This can help realign your purpose and direction, and allow you to overcome those external and internal negative messages when you are considering something in your life that you are open to improving. This approach will ultimately empower you to stand strong and reclaim your ideal voice.

Neuro Art Therapy is a unique and effective in the treatment of attention and focus, stroke, dementia, brain injury, and the anxiety and depression that frequently accompany these life changing events. Areas of the brain associated with emotions and information processing are stimulated and the brain's neuroplasticity enables improvement in quality of life over time. Spouses, partners and families benefit from psychotherapy, becoming empowered to face the challenges of caring for affected individuals.