Hi! I’m Heather Montemarano, LCAT, LPAT, ATR-BC, a licensed creative arts therapist with over a decade of experience. I specialize in working with adults and adolescents seeking personal enrichment, and treatment for anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and long COVID. I identify as an anti-oppressive therapist and believe it is important to consider how systemic oppression also affects our feelings of “stuckness”.

Most of the time, we may have felt more creative or intuitive earlier in our development, and along the way, we learn to listen to external forces rather than our own intuition as we are exposed to different institutions and social structures. In my practice, I am honored to help my clients access that sense of creativity that we all too often lose touch with over the years.

I take an integrative approach in my practice, utilizing both the creative process and talk therapy in a flexible, client-centered way. You don’t have to be an “artist” to work with me! Art making is an optional tool for your therapy, and is not mandatory.

My path to becoming a practitioner is rooted in my lifelong gut feeling that exploring our thoughts and feelings is inherently healing. In my early life, I sometimes felt that finding the right words to express nuanced thoughts and feelings was difficult, and I felt that the arts could tap into some of that more deeply. I was already pursuing an education in psychology and studio art when I learned that art therapy clinically combines creative expression and psychotherapy; it was then I knew I had to work toward offering my practice to others. Over a decade later, through both talk therapy and art therapy, I have helped hundreds of clients from many walks of life ease their symptoms and feel an increased sense of personal enrichment. I have worked with clients living with a range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-esteem, life transitions, and the psychological impact of medical conditions, such as long COVID.

I treasure my clients and feel grateful to partake in the journey that each special relationship brings.