About Sharon
A Labor of Love
I come from a long line of mental health professionals and artists, and learned an emotional vocabulary early on. I was raised with an appreciation for creative expression through formal instruction and traditional approaches-- but more importantly-- through an expressive home environment where living creatively, "thinking outside of the box," and finding one's own path were values instilled early on. Drawing was my main outlet as a child, my first use of "art as therapy" to help process daily stressors and big feelings. In college I studied Fine Art and Humanities, and found a safe haven in an oil painting class with a beloved professor who granted me permission to fully experiment and explore my creative process without fear.
I began my career as an art teacher and ESOL instructor for adults and immigrant families, which sparked a deep interest in using art as a means of connection and communication among those of different backgrounds. I continued to utilize my own art process to better understand my experiences, and decided to do a deeper dive into the therapeutic impact of artmaking within the context of psychotherapy by training in Creative Arts Therapy at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. I have since worked as a licensed Creative Arts Therapist with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of treatment settings in both the public and private sectors throughout NYC in a clinical career that has spanned almost 15 years. My work has been featured in both the LA Times and NY Times,and I've recently published a participatory perinatal picture book entitled "The Days Before I Met You: A Creative Space Honoring the Birth of a Parent." Art therapy is truly my “labor of love”!
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My own "matrescence" and professional journey is intertwined; despite being a mental health professional myself with access to many wellness resources, I was initially floored by the gap in parental care, making it nearly impossible to feel “whole” postpartum during the birth of a parent. I found renewed purpose and healing in working in the realm of perinatal mental health and completed advanced training through Seleni Institute and certification through Postpartum Support International shortly before the birth of my second child. Rooted in my own experience as a professional and personal caretaker, I feel honored to be able to support others who identify with this role in cultivating their own sense of creative resilience in the workplace, throughout their family building journeys, and beyond.
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