Education and Experience
- M.A student (3rd year) at the Expressive Arts Institute of San Diego and The European Graduate School, Saas Fee, Switzerland
- B.A. in Psychology, Boston University
- Monarch School, San Diego
- A Step Beyond, Escondido
- Winston School, Del Mar
- Supervised by Dr. Maker and faculty at graduate schools
Elizabeth (Libby) Ellison, B.A.
Elizabeth (Libby) Ellison specializes in expressive arts as a therapeutic intervention and has received training at the Expressive Arts Institute locally in San Diego, as well the European Graduate School in Switzerland. Libby’s passion is to give her clients a transformative experience through drawing, painting, music, poetry, movement, and more. Libby serves a wide range of clients, including children, adolescents, college students, and adults.
Libby’s prior experience includes arts-based programs in schools and community centers with a diverse range of populations, including individuals with special needs and underserved populations.
Expressive Arts Therapy is most effectively done within the context of a safe and trusting environment. Libby strives to create this relationship with each and every individual she works with. Expressive arts therapy can bring out the silliness, humor, and lightheartedness in one activity, and it can bring out grief, seriousness, anger, or hurt in another. But regardless of where each activity takes each individual, Libby wants to walk alongside each client with tenderness and care, taking pride in her clients as they express themselves in new ways.
Libby collaborates with her clients to help them discover the resources for change that exist within each one of us to help individuals navigate issues pertaining to reducing anxiety, building self-esteem, strengthening identity, and creating positive self-regard.
No art experience is necessary to engage with the expressive arts. Expressive Arts therapy teaches us about our self-expanding nature and infuses our lives with richer color, texture, and sound. There is something intangible in all of us, which can only be expressed, witnessed, made manifest, and embodied through expressive arts. Through expressive arts therapy, individuals can better understand themselves, gain empowerment, and heal.
Treatment Approach
- Visual Art
- Music
- Creative Writing
- Movement
- Drama
- Storytelling
- Play
- Libby collaborates closely with Aspiring Families' Team and also with parents, teachers, and professionals to help her clients thrive.