Abigail Reisner, MA

My approach is grounded in psychodynamic principles — the belief that meaningful, lasting change happens not through instruction or interpretation, but through the slow, safe surfacing of what's been difficult to hold or say. I trained and worked for years within psychiatric hospital settings, including as the sole art therapist in a high-security forensic mental health unit, supporting people navigating complex trauma, psychosis, and emotional isolation.

• Trauma and overwhelming or hard-to-articulate emotional experiences
• Grief, guilt, and shame
• Anxiety and emotional dysregulation
• Identity confusion or feeling disconnected from yourself
• Difficulty trusting others or opening up in traditional talk therapy
• Psychosis and complex mental health conditions, including schizophrenia
• Feeling isolated, misunderstood, or "stuck" in patterns that words haven't shifted

I follow your lead, and help you find your own language for it, in your own time. That might look like quiet space to create, working alongside you so it feels shared rather than watched, or choosing materials — paint, clay, pastels — that meet where you are in the moment. Above all, it means holding steady, consistent presence, so even the hardest material feels manageable to approach.

Available to provide: Individual Art Therapy, Group Art Therapy