Janina M Gricius
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT 114508
Board Certified Art Therapist #18-312
PEERS School-Based Certified Provider
PEERS Adolescents Certified Provider
Education & Training
UCLA, BA in Art History
Phillips Graduate University, MA in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage & Family Therapy and Art Therapy
GRADUATE CLINICAL TRAINING
The Center for Professional Counseling (formerly Center for Individual and Family Counseling)
My Approach
My approach to therapy comes from having had a variety of personal experiences. These experiences are unique to me as are those that my clients experience. With that in mind, not everyone will benefit from the therapy that I provide - and that’s okay. I work with an individual to determine the most beneficial form of therapy that I can provide, utilizing a variety of therapeutic approaches and customizing my work to meet each client where they are. Sometimes, that means referring the client to another therapist who is more knowledgeable to their needs and concerns - and that’s okay too.
When working with an individual, I utilize a narrative perspective, which separates a person from their problem and facilitates creating a new narrative or story, which emphasizes the client’s competencies and strengths. As a narrative therapist, I collaborate with the client as they re-author their story, because the client is the expert on their own lives. I am actively present with my clients so that their needs can be met in the moment.
I pair traditional “talk therapy” with art therapy so that my clients have an opportunity to express their thoughts, emotions or concerns in a creative process.
“If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.”
Art Therapy
What is art therapy?
Art therapy is a process in which art is used as an additional tool during traditional “talk therapy”. It provides an opportunity to engage not only the logical, left side of the brain, but also the creative, right side of the brain. With this method, we have begun to engage the whole brain.
As an art therapist, I will encourage my clients to consider utilizing art in therapy sessions to help facilitate the expression of their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. You are not expected to be “good” at art - that is not the purpose of art therapy. The process of creating art in session is useful when someone is having difficulty talking about or even knowing what their challenges are. Art can often break through the verbal defenses that we have spent time perfecting.
For more information, please read The American Art Therapy Association’s (AATA) article About Art Therapy
