Art Therapy and Culture
This part matters to me deeply.
Emotional expression does not exist outside of culture. How we discuss feelings, whether we express them at all, and what we are permitted to feel are influenced by family systems, language, migration, and generational experience.
As a Dominican, bilingual therapist, I am particularly attuned to how the mental health profession has often stigmatized, minimized, or misunderstood issues within many Latinx and immigrant communities. Art therapy can provide an alternative entry point a method of creative expression that allows for reflection without the necessity of finding the 'right words' or explaining everything.
Culture is not an add-on it is central.