Amy Ponteri, LPC, ATR-BC

I worked as a mental health therapist in a local ER for 16 years. I understand both the frenetic excitement of frontline work and the deep toll it can take, especially as we continue to weather the pandemic and its effects. I am a licensed professional counselor and art therapist and have fully transitioned to offering ongoing therapy and support to adults, couples, and families with a special emphasis on healthcare workers. If you are here, you have already been working hard and tried several things. Therapy is a process that seeks to bring greater awareness to your own personal struggle and to the places where you do have choices and impact. My role as a therapist is to help you look at emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal patterns no longer working for you and to support your development of new strategies, so you can feel more fulfilled and connected to the world around you. My therapy space is part office, part studio. The creative art process is a resource that can be accessed either as part of the therapy session or as the main format, and yes!--we can even do art virtually! I realize that making art is not everyone"s cup of tea, so we do not need to use art to work together or for you to benefit from therapy.

I work with adults, couples, and children ages 12 on issues of:

Anxiety, depression, and mood
Issues of burnout, compassion fatigue, moral injury, and sustaining in the healthcare field
Life changes and transitions
Family changes
Grief and loss
Issues of personal identity
LGBTQ individuals / relationships
Creativity
Interpersonal and relationship challenges
Self-esteem / self-development
Trauma - survivors of violence and their loved ones
License#: OR LPC C-1556
My Practice Started in: 2013
I came to the world of therapy through art. I studied art in undergrad but quickly learned in "the real world" that what interested me most was working with others and helping them see their best selves. I believe we have a human drive to create, whether it's a meal, a family, a song, or a business plan. When we create, we are playing and problem-solving simultaneously. This is a bit like therapy. And *art therapy* is play and problem-solving through the lens of color, shape, and image. Art therapy is not about making a pretty picture, nor do you need any art experience whatsoever to enjoy experimenting with paints or collage--only openness. Regardless of your skill level with the materials, I am certain that you will glimpse yourself differently through the process and see new possibilities for the issues that brought you to the therapy.
Bathrooms are located on each floor of the Ford Building and are ADA accessible.