Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Clay.
Laura, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I like to understand why people do what they do and say what they say. I can remember even doing this in grade school. In second grade, this girl I thought was my best friend wouldn’t talk to me and I didn’t know why. It made me feel awful and I wanted to understand what was the problem. I tried to work it out with her but she refused to talk to me. So I went to the school counselor and told her that I needed help. The counselor called my mom and said this was the first time any child had come to her office asking for help and that it was a very rare and unique thing for a grade-schooler to be seeking out counseling since she was used to going to classrooms to get people out for something they had done wrong. This was in the 80’s. I hope that more kids are seeking help these days. Unfortunately, mental health and counseling stigmas still exist. I think that being raised to believe therapy was a good thing is something I have to give credit to my mother for (Thanks mom!).
In high school, I took the only Psychology class that was available and art whenever I could. In college, I majored in Psychology. During my Bachelor program, I realized that I needed art to balance out the classwork in order to feel ‘ok’. So I took every creative class that was offered. This led the way to a Minor in art. I would often share emotional and personal connections that came up within my creations in class. That just came naturally to me. During my junior year, my art Professor told me about something called art therapy. I was ecstatic to learn that I could combine my love of psychology and my passion for creativity into a career! I received a scholarship to attend an introduction to Art therapy course at the school of the Art Institute in Chicago. And that is where my love of art therapy began.
Has it been a smooth road?
After my undergrad program, I applied at another school in Chicago that offered an Art Therapy Master’s Degree. Unfortunately, I did not get accepted. That was really discouraging and I kind of gave up on the idea of being an art therapist. I worked at various places after that. It didn’t seem like there were too many rewarding jobs that I could get with only a bachelor in Psychology and a minor in art. I later started a family and was given the opportunity to go back to school in my 30’s. My children were still in diapers when I went back for my masters in clinical counseling and art therapy at Adler School of Professional Psychology. Looking back, it’s kind of a blur. I’m not sure how I did it with toddler twins, an intensive Master’s program, a part time job and everything else that life threw at me! But, somehow I did it!
I worked at a hospital on their psychiatric units as the art therapist as well as the intake counseling in the ER and on the medical floors. I would say that job, which I worked for many years, was the most challenging. It was also where I obtained my most valuable experience. It is where I learned who I work best with and taught me where I most want to work (and NOT work).
Starting my own business has been a tremendous challenge. I did not realize all of the pieces that go into starting a private practice. My master’s program did not cover any education on owning a business. So I took more classes, read many books and researched the business side of things in order to open my doors. I would highly recommend taking a business and marketing class to anyone interested in owning a company during your schooling. It has been a huge learning curve but worth the effort since now I can work with people I love to work with, set my own hours, be my own boss and I can add ‘entrepreneur’ to my title. It is definitely something that I feel proud of myself for.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Forward Emotion story. Tell us more about the business.
Forward Emotion is the name of my counseling practice in Lisle, Illinois. I am a therapist that specializes in helping people with anxiety, depression, PTSD and trauma related issues. I also focus on women’s issues such as low self-esteem, poor body image, and stress related to life transitions such as marriage, divorce, Empty Nest Syndrome, caring for aging parents, changing relationships, sexuality, and balancing career and family. I help people work toward finding their true self. It seems that women especially, tend to lose themselves in relationships, while raising children, or in careers. It is a passion of mine to help my clients get back to feeling good and being happy in their own bodies and with themselves.
Art therapy is a way to help clients in describing and understanding problems that are difficult to express and verbalize. It also can bring unconscious thoughts and feelings to a higher level of awareness. Clients utilize their individual creative process to help themselves grow, foster hope, and move forward with their lives. People don’t have to be creative to benefit from art therapy. Scribbling and stick figures are encouraged!
Art therapy is only one of the approaches that I use to help my clients find relief. I am also trained in EMDR which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing. This is an extremely effective tool to treat PTSD, anxiety, depression, negative thinking, grief and phobias. I also use techniques from various models such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT). These models work well together with EMDR and art therapy to bring relief to my clients’ symptoms.
I myself have been struggled with anxiety, depression and symptoms of trauma. I have gone to counseling and received treatment with art therapy and EMDR. I know these methods are effective because they helped me so much! That is why I chose to become trained in using them with the people I work with. I know what it is like to be a client as well as a therapist. I feel that this sets me apart from other therapists and helps my clients feel they are understood, making it easier to talk about difficult things.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think that mental health and counseling are becoming less and less taboo and stigmatized, although we still have a LONG way to go. The changes to insurance under the Affordable Care Act helped to get insurance companies to expand coverage for mental health services. Under the current political climate, insurance coverage may be changing. I think we are in the midst of a big shift of mental health coverage.
Regardless of insurance, the need for therapy remains. In fact, it may even be increasing (or at least more people are seeking it). Our world is cruel at times and it leaves an emotional mark on all of us.
The field of Art therapy is becoming more recognized. It is a program that requires a Master’s Degree although recently, Art Therapy PsyD programs have been created. This will aid further in the credibility of this field.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3060 Ogden Avenue
Suite 102
Lisle, IL 60532 - Website: www.forwardemotion.com
- Phone: 6309998236
- Email: info@forwardemotion.com
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