Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany.
Hi Brittany, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m one of those rare exotic creatures who gets to say with complete certainty that I love my job. As an art therapist, I feel fortunate to have hit the employment jackpot in finding career that brings me daily joy, challenges and fulfillment. But it took me a hot minute to get here. So maybe I should back up for a second… Have you ever loved doing something, but just felt like you were never particularly good at it? Yeah, that was me with art. When I was a kid, I LOVED doing art, tinkering, and creating things. However, from a young age, I received feedback that I was not an artist or good at making art (I blame the 1990s public school system Colorado). So despite being crafty, I started finding myself drifting away from art, embracing pursuits in which I was more “naturally gifted” (oh hey, writing and journalism). Yet, no matter how hard I tried, art kept sneakily creeping into my life. Undergrad? Sure, why not add a double major of art history to complement my Communication/Journalism degree. If you can’t be good at making art, may as well study those who shaped culture through it. Then after feeling unfilled in my career post-graduation, I realized I knew exactly what was missing: art. Fanatically seeking out what I was lacking, I started pursuing a series of jobs in art administration, until I stumbled upon the field of art therapy through a serendipitous business meeting while working retail for Lululemon, of all places. A quick Google search on the term “art therapy” gave me all the information I needed to know on how to pursue this career. Flash forward a Master’s Degree in Marital and Family Therapy, almost a decade of clinical experience, and two children later, and I walk into work each day knowing I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be: working with children, adolescents/teens, and their families to use art as a way of self-expression and self-discovery to live life into the future of their dreams (And no, you don’t have to be good at art to do art therapy).
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
God bless the broken road that led me to my career. I remember being concerned to enroll in graduate school as a 30-year old. After almost a decade of being away from it, could I remember how to, well, “do school?” The answer was, yes. And honestly, looking back, my journey towards art therapy was exactly as bumpy as it needed to be. Without all the pitstops and partial starts/stops I would not feel as confident as I do in my chosen career. After having “tried on” other professions (e.g. case management, arts education, arts administration), I finally found the right fit.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I work for an art therapy group private practice called Patch Counseling. It was started by our wonderful owner, Allison Patch. We are a unique organization within the world of Marriage and Family Therapists in that we are a small group practice entirely composed of art therapists. The art therapy community is incredibly small, so to be able to say we have an entire group practice of art therapists is pretty… neat. Patch Counseling provides client-centered therapy for teens, adults, and families. With a philosophy of compassion, collaboration and creativity, we provide structured guidance to help clients build resilience, develop coping skills, and achieve their goals. A big focus of ours is to get art therapy into the community by providing workshops utilizing art as a way to promote individual and community healing. Within our larger practice, I personally specialize in working with preteens and teens, ages 12-16 who are navigating the academic, social, relational, and formative challenges of middle school and high school. My clients include those experiencing depression, anxiety, self-harm, ADHD, PTSD, family conflict, stress/burnout, adjustment disorder and others.
For more information, here is our business website: https://www.patchcounseling.com/
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
This may get too meta, but what matters most to ME is helping my students/clients find what is most important to THEM. Then it’s working with them to collaboratively create a roadmap that helps them work through challenges to reach those markers, milestones, and life goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.patchcounseling.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyrbenjamin
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/brittany-benjamin-amante-san-diego-ca/1101124
Image Credits
Professional photo courtesy of Jay Noelle Photography
All courtesy of Brittany Benjamin Amante
