Anna Dourbal (she/her)

I have had extensive experience working with clients around managing feelings of insecurity, instability, flux, transition, and inner change. Finding the origins of anxiety is much of the work, but finding ways to heal and transform it into a superpower is one of my favorite aspects to this process. Many creatives are anxious people. Is your anxiety telling you something important? Is it leading you somewhere you'll need to acknowledge? Is it keeping you "safe" in ways you need to break free of?

I have ADHD, and come from a family of high-functing ADHDers. Managing and supporting your needs is something I will feel both empathy for, and passion about. Whether that's emotion regulation and feeling ALL the feelings that come along with the chaos, organization strategies through letting go of what doesn't work, mindful focus skills through finding what really piques your interest and strengths, or relationship-building skills, I am interested in helping you get where you need to go.

I have treated clients of diverse backgrounds, and my family has a history of immigrating and acculturating to the USA. I have traveled extensively, appreciate learning about different cultures, and live in an area of NJ with a highly diverse population. As you adjust to a new culture, it can be difficult to let go of the past and move into the present, as well as to open up to new experiences and connections. I am here for you, in your process of transitional growth and change.

I focus extensively on incorporating CBT and mindful awareness in your art therapy process. I am looking to increase your mindful acceptance of self-expression you have, in order to work on it further and refine your responses to inner and outer stimuli. Mindfulness practices combine with art-making to enhance present-moment awareness and improve emotional regulation.

When the session inevitably brings up topics that are emotionally difficult, DBT works as a strategy for increased awareness and a "zen-like" approach. Finding the middle ground between seemingly incompatible topics is the main goal, and it is often more reflective of the truth than extremes. Identifying your personal version of a "middle way", as in zen buddhism, is the main strategy for this approach, and it can be used for any number of difficult decisions, events, and situations.

Art therapy is a modality for self-expression that can heal through the acceptance of our creative agency, our ability to generate new things in our life, and to heal visually through "seeing" what we have made, then having the agency to accept it, or to adjust the process and product. The art therapist guides and facilitates this process with a nonjudgemental stance, making decisions with you. Ultimately, you hold the meaning to both this creative process and to the takeaways from your session.

I have ADHD, and come from a family of high-functing ADHDers. Managing and supporting your needs is something I will feel both empathy for, and passion about. Whether that's emotion regulation and feeling ALL the feelings that come along with the chaos, organization strategies through letting go of what doesn't work, mindful focus skills through finding what really piques your interest and strengths, or relationship-building skills, I am interested in helping you get where you need to go.

I have had extensive experience working with clients around managing feelings of insecurity, instability, flux, transition, and inner change. Finding the origins of anxiety is much of the work, but finding ways to heal and transform it into a superpower is one of my favorite aspects to this process. Many creatives are anxious people. Is your anxiety telling you something important? Is it leading you somewhere you'll need to acknowledge? Is it keeping you "safe" in ways you need to break free of?