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Happy New Year! I am still catching my breath from a whirlwind year of workshop facilitation, clinical practice, and of course the most all-encompassing role of all, mothering. With the help of indulging in film and literature over the holiday break, I’ve been honing in on some personal intention setting for 2025. Claire Ochetsky’s powerful allegory “Chouette,” inspired me with its raw take on mothering authetically in spite of society’s impossible expectations. The protagonist reflects, “My life's work, as your mother, will be to teach you how to be yourself–and to honor however much of the wild world you have in you.” The movie adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s “Nightb*tch” shook me with its embrace of the beauty and preciousness of creating and sustaining new life, but also the primal, violent, and grotesque. The ability to hold these conflicting tensions is what makes us uniquely human, and art provides the platform to explore and make meaning from them. The new mother finally realizes, “art seems essential, as essential as mothering. In order to be a self, it is essential.” Both of these pieces, written by artist-mothers, deeply resonated with me, with their emphasis on the universal need for freedom of expression and the importance of listening to one’s own voice in the chorus of daily distraction and societal expectation. May we all seek out opportunities to express and listen to our inner knowing and artist selves in 2025 (and beyond.) And if you’re local to NYC and seeking some creative inspiration, come check out the upcoming “Beneath the Surface” group gallery show I’m participating in at the Pictor Gallery, opening next Saturday, January 11, 2025. Post and Painting, "Inner Knowing," by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C  
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I'm thrilled to be participating in "Beneath the Surface," a juried art show of over 40 Licensed Creative Arts Therapists (LCATs) opening in early 2025 in NYC Details below: Jan 11 - 18, 2025 | Pictor Gallery NYC Opening Reception: Jan 11, 3 - 5pm Gallery Night: Jan 16, 6-8p with yours truly Closing Jan 18, 2 - 5pm | Artist Talk 3 - 4pm Come out to show support for the LCAT community! A portion of event proceeds benefit the LCAT Advocacy Coalition, working hard to make creative arts therapy services accessible to all New Yorkers  The German philosopher Nietzsche valued an individual's perspective and ability to create meaning in their lives. He was also an advocate of the Arts, declaring that "the essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude." Indeed, gratitude is a powerful creative force. As we enter into a holiday season packed with social and financial commitments that are both triggering and overwhelming at times, here is a gentle reminder to be gentle with yourself, breathe, opt out, and slow down whenever you need to. Focus on your breath and how your body feels in this moment. What does it need to feel comfortable or safe? Notice your immediate environment with an emphasis on the five senses. What colors can you see next to you? What do you hear in the foreground or background? Can you notice any scents? What is the air temperature like, or the temperature in your body? Is there any lingering flavor on your palette? This is what it feels like to be alive, regardless of how messy, emotional or chaotic the moment may be. An attitude of gratitude invites us to fully embrace this realization with curiosity and joy, as being fully awake and alive is to feel it all. However you choose to celebrate or endure the holidays this season, perhaps this can offer a comforting reminder that every fleeting sensation will soon shift into another one, like the changing of the seasons or setting of the sun. Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C  It was wonderful to recently be featured on "The Feminist Mom Podcast" with fellow perinatal therapist extraordinaire Erin Spahr, LCPC, LCMHC, PMH-C of Inclusive Providers Directory. We discussed the current socio-political climate and it's impact on caregiver mental health--specifically mothers--and how art can be used as an empowering, grounding tool for stress management and sustainable self care. Check out the full episode here with a brief video excerpt below.   So grateful to have been able to provide a space for the fabulous clinical team at The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC) to creatively process all that is happening around and within them during an emotional election week.
#artastherapy #creativeresilience #artheals #cocreatearttherapy #burnoutprevention  The Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti wrote, “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” My job as a therapist is to provide compassionate support and hold space for those who are struggling regardless of their personal–or political–beliefs. But I am also human, a Jewish American woman and mother of two, living in a society that does not systemically protect or value the lives of our most vulnerable–women and children–especially those from minority communities and/or of lower socio-economic status.
Even though I am ambivalent about the prognosis of our country, I am aware of the privilege it is to be able to express this safely. I am also proud to live in a state where abortion is not only legal but now expanded with an Equal Protection Clause. This includes “ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex–including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health care and autonomy.” The passing of Proposition 1 has helped to enshrine abortion rights into the NY state constitution. This may feel like a small victory for those of us disappointed by election results. But for those of us also advocating for reproductive freedom and perinatal mental health, our work is more important–even revolutionary–now more than ever. Protecting and empowering women’s bodily autonomy and supporting our caregivers now has a direct impact on the well-being of the next generation–infusing humanity, hope, and compassion into a deeply troubled country. Nevertheless, we persist. Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C Original photograph by Thái An via Unsplash A recent museum study in the Netherlands found that live, in-person viewing of artwork elicits emotional and physiological responses that are 10x greater than viewing a reproduction or copy. Real-life art activiates the precuneus, the part of the brain associated with self-reflection and personal engagement. Yesterday, I was able to witness the moving impact of this kind of art engagement firsthand during an arts-based workshop at a local hospital. Those in attendance, who ranged from housekeeping staff to physicians to administrators, disclosed that they were feeling preoccupied and grieving a sudden loss of a colleague over the weekend. They then engaged in a mindful practice of art observation of a series of Barbara Bachner paintings on-site, analyzing how the artist may have used the materials to produce a desired effect, even tracing the shapes in the air with paintbrushes to further bring the experience to life. When invited to creatively process with writing and materials inspired by Bachner’s work, the mood was contemplative and somber. Then one participant offered to share her painting, a gestural autumn scene inspired by Bachner’s visceral color palette. She reflected how she is often confronted with loss at work due to working in a geriatric setting. The leaves, bursting with color in their final days, represented a preciousness around life’s impermanence, and the importance of appreciating beauty and presence whenever we can. It was a beautiful representation of the power of arts engagement and the meaning that can be created when we allow art to imitate life, even for a moment. #artastherapy #artheals #artsinmedicine #creativeresilience #artcenteredpractice Post and Photos by Sharon Itkoff Nacache ATR-BC LCAT LPAT PMH-C 
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)  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 |
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