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I’m often asked (in various forms) how is someone who is in their physically and emotionally demanding reproductive or parenting journey, and experiencing compassion fatigue or caregiver burnout at work, home, or both supposed to find energy to also be creative to alleviate their psycho-social symptoms?? Isn’t being creative just for professional artists?? To which I answer, thankfully, no! Any opportunity that allows us to get playful, silly, curious, embodied, experimental, and/or fully present are equally as valuable as creatively producing, viewing, or engaging with Fine Arts in some capacity. Why? In allowing us to even briefly stretch beyond the limitations of the mental load, to-do list, or Mundane and reconnect with inner—often dormant—parts of ourselves and awaken another way of being, we are offered a healthy distraction and similar release to a good laugh or cry, which resets the nervous system and helps us come back to center. Exhibit A: Spending a 45 min public transit ride w/ my older child without screens or snacks and, instead of him whining from boredom or hunger the whole time and my getting irritated or worried about finding him something to occupy himself and us getting locked into conflict or completely shut off from one another...we doodled! A game was born by randomly adding to one another’s creation—no rules and the sillier the better. Behold, our moment of connection, fun, “thinking outside of the box,” and—at his insistence—a fridge-worthy final product to be proud of. #arttherapylife #artistmother #motherartist #caregiverburnout #practicewhatyoupreach #doodle Post and collaborative art by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C (with child) 
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It was an absolute honor and pleasure to share our NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine Art Observation workshop at the Whitney Museum of American Art as part of the UNGA Healing Arts Week this past Friday. Thank you to all who organized, participated wholeheartedly in, and supported this magnificent event. Creative collaboration and education across disciplines increases visibility and elevates the power of the Arts in healing! Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C   Francie Lyshak remains one of my most cherished mentors and role models as a published author and illustrator, brilliant art therapist, and prolific professional artist. We met 15 years ago during my training at Pratt Institute when she was my supervisor at an internship in an inpatient child psychiatric facility where she worked for 30 yrs. Aside from modeling authentic therapeutic presence and stellar clinical acumen, she inspires me to continue to nurture my craft and creative fire, and follow it as it changes shape and form during different life stages.
Here we are standing in front of one of her oil paintings currently on display at @lichtundfire gallery on the LES in NYC. Entitled “Half Crazy,” she describes it as “two textured colors bound together in a fleeting balance” from her “Couples” series, showing through 9/28. Check it out if you’re in the neighborhood! #mentor #arttherapylife #abstractminimalism #reductiveart #artheals #practicewhatyoupreach Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C  Are you a perinatal professional in the NY Metro area interested in building community and growing your network? Are you curious about art therapy, perinatal mental health, and/or creative practices to help promote self care and alleviate burnout while working with high-risk and vulnerable populations? Join Olivia Bergeron of Mommy Groove and I for the next Perinatal Connection meetup, where members have a chance to introduce their own practices and then participate in an arts-based, experiential workshop that includes all of the above. Please bring headphones for privacy, some paper, your favorite writing/drawing materials handy and an open mind toward the creative process. To become a member and participate in this workshop and many more, visit http://rebrand.ly/YearlyPerinatal. See you there! Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C It's almost here! Sept 18-25th is #ungahealingarts Week 2024. Held on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, there will be a dynamic program of events celebrating innovative approaches to global health and wellbeing through the arts, including: - Sept 18th 8:30-3pm: NYU Symposium on the Arts & Science of Social Connection - Sept 18th 5-7pm: Arts & Health Policy Panel at Lincoln Center - Sept 19th 6-9pm: Wellbeing Concert (by private invitation only) followed by Reception on Weill Terrace Celebrating the Arts & Health Community (7-9) 🎨 Sept 20th 12:30-2:30pm: HHArt Art of Observation Workshop with myself and Cris Scorza from Whitney Museum of American Art 🎨 - Sept 25th: 9-10:30am: Online Community of Practice on Visual Arts in Hospital Settings I'm honored to be participating and hope to see you there! Go to ungahealingarts.org to RSVP to these events. @carnegiehall @lincolncenter @nychealthsystem @whitneymuseum Thank you to our supporters: @lmtischfund @thecartercenter @themusicmanfoundation Jameel Arts & Health Lab Founding Partners: @whoeurope @nyusteinhardt @communityjameel @culturunners #unga #ungahealingartsweek #policy #carnegiehall #lincolncenter hashtag#reception #well-beingconcert #unitednations #artshealth #healingarts #jahl   Excited to share my latest article featured in the Inclusive Provider Directory, an amazing community of trauma-informed, feminist, social justice-minded perinatal support professionals around the country. Check it out!  The United States may be excelling at the Olympic games this summer, but they are still wildly failing females of reproductive age when it comes to supporting their freedom of choice around unwanted or even nonviable pregnancies. And unlike many of our global counterparts, American parents are also suffering the consequences of lack of paid parental leave policies country-wide, as well as major childcare affordability and availability gaps. For those of us out here working to create, sustain, and raise healthy humans, sometimes I wonder, where is our medal or recognition ceremony? Not to minimize the incredible commitment, stamina, and sheer force of Olympic athletes, but I do think there are parallels between what everyday caregivers and Olympians have to deal with. Both have to manage immense societal pressure and expectations around how they present themselves in public. Both have to juggle and sometimes sacrifice their own needs for the larger group, team, family. Both endure grueling physical experiences for their bodies to perform optimally–and sometimes miraculously–yet there is no rigorous training or preparation for pregnancy, labor/delivery, chest/breastfeeding, postpartum recovery, or running after toddlers while sleep deprived. Imagine what today’s burnt out and overworked caregivers could do if they had personalized, consistent, and meaningful support and community in place, cheering them on for each milestone or challenge. I may not be able to do a backflip, but the mental gymnastics involved in nurturing both a family and a career is definitely medal-worthy. #olympics #caregiverburnout #reproductiverights #perinatalmentalhealth #parents #support #stress #pressure Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C Original photo by C. Doncel via Unsplash  Just co-led another fantastic arts-based workshop for a team of diligent managers, directors, and administrators at one of our city’s largest and most diverse public hospitals and once again, learned something new from my participants. I had assumed this group might have a hard time loosening up with fluid art materials due to their more concrete and cerebral roles in the facility, but instead I was pleasantly surprised to watch them dive into laughing, joking, experimenting, exploring, and playing with the materials, tolerating the uncertainty of the outcome and final product as they went. One participant, who generously allowed me to photograph their creative process shown above, even expanded their work to the cleaning materials, utilizing paper towels to create an innovative drip/tie dye technique that ended up being equally satisfying and aesthetically-pleasing as the actual art piece itself. Our final work spaces were a splattered kaleidoscope of bursting colors that also bled onto our hands, reminding us that not only are our “messes” beautiful, but sometimes the journey truly is the destination. A helpful mindset to embrace as we transition into the “dog days” of summer, whatever that looks like this season. #creativeresilience #artcenteredpractice #artastherapy #artheals #burnout prevention #artsinmedicine Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C Art by workshop participant  Important PSA brought to you by NYC artists and advocates @saralynne.leo @youarenotalonemurals and @dirtybandits: You Are Not Alone Whether you’re yearning for a past, lost, or future love, feeling touched out but lonely, recovering from Covid, experiencing burnout with seasonal sensory overload or #fomo, overwhelmed by the state of your household and/or the world at large, or simply just can’t take the heat…trust that this season passes like all others, support is available, and you are not alone in your struggles. #summer #blues #fomo #mentalhealthmatters #community #artheals #lonely #overload #seasonalaffectivedisorder #electionanxiety Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C   Much of my work as a perinatal therapist is about creating a safe space to bring unacceptable feelings out into the full light of day, and then clarifying, validating, and destigmatizing them together. It takes a great deal of emotional labor to debunk the deeply woven myths of motherhood we’ve internalized, many of which begin in our own childhoods from our first encounter with a babydoll. Narratives around how a birthing person or caregiver is SUPPOSED to feel at any stage in their family building journeys are often baked with gooey layers of guilt, shame, and impossible expectations, leaving parents feeling they have to hide their struggles in the shadows to avoid being seen as “bad,” and prolonging their healing process.
While perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS) involve struggling with dark thoughts to the extent that it impacts the ability to care for oneself or their baby and thus require professional support, there are many other “normal,” very triggering, yet still taboo topics that plague new parents. These experiences are incredibly common yet often felt in isolation, compounding the pain of their impact. To name a few: Gender disappointment, different bonding experiences with second babies as opposed to first, grappling with a less than ideal birth experience, slow attachment formations after a traumatic birth, feeling estranged from one’s body while pregnant/postpartum/breastfeeding, resentment toward the non-birthing partner, dread around having to do this all over again, disliking the newborn stage even after wanting a baby so baby. Ambivalent feelings often involve some kind of “shadow loss,” which are losses we experience in life, as opposed to experiencing an actual loss of life. These hopes, dreams, and disappointments deserve to be seen, named, and then properly mourned, since we all have fantasies around creating our own imaginary families someday. In one of my favorite poems, Rumi writes, “The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.” What if we could make space for all of our feelings–the “good, bad, and ugly”? What if we approached them with compassion and curiosity, as teachers with sometimes hidden messages, instead of judgment? Post and Artwork by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C |
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