LONG Description
Hello and welcome! My name is Jordan Gonzales, and I am a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #122870) and a nationally Registered Art Therapist (ATR#19-131).
My clinical approach is strength-based, culturally humble, and trauma-informed. I believe therapy is a partnership during which we work collaboratively in a non-judgmental space to meet your needs and treatment goals. My primary experience has been working with individuals with anxiety, depression, substance-use disorders, borderline personality disorder, PTSD, and other challenges related to life transitions and trauma across the lifespan. I primarily utilize a DBT or ACT-based art therapy approach with a critical social justice lens and have significant experience implementing this approach with resilient adolescents.
I am completely comfortable and qualified with a "talk only" approach to therapy; I also value and offer options for alternative processing through the visual creative process. Artmaking, the process and the product, is another form of communication that we are all fluent in. Engaging in the art therapy process provides distinct benefits to the mind, body, and spirit compared to traditional talk therapy alone. No art skills are required for this alternative method of processing information and using it for healing.
In addition to my clinical work, I am currently completing my PhD in Art Therapy from Dominican University of California (expected graduation 2024). I have guest lectured at Notre Dame de Namur University, Dominican University of California, and Sonoma State University. I also facilitate art-based wellness and art-based training groups. My passion for teaching and training stems from a deep curiosity and excitement to explore the frontiers of knowledge in art therapy and psychology while simultaneously contributing to others knowledge about art therapy.
If you feel we might be a good fit, or have any questions please reach for a 20-minute free consultation. Thank you!
