Expressive Arts & Drama Therapy
PSYCHOTHERAPY SESSIONS for ALL AGES, in person or online
*Suraya works with clients online, and also see clients in-person in Marin County, California.
Call (510) 841-0888 or email Suraya at surayasusana@yahoo.com for a free consultation.
EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY & DRAMA THERAPY
• Would you like be fully self-expressed and creatively fulfilled?
• Is there something that is blocking you from thriving in your life?
• Is there a dream you have that you would like to manifest?
• Would you like to learn how to transform your self-critic into creative inspiration?
• Are you someone who has a curiosity about how the arts may serve your process of growth and transformation?
• Do you have a hunger to explore a new arts forms, or to re-connect with an arts practice you gave up years ago?
• Are you an actor, dancer, musician, writer or artist seeking to take your work to the next level, but feel held back by some personal struggle you are going through?
If you answered YES to any of the above questions, then you may benefit from working in an embodied way using expressive arts & drama therapy. Expressive arts and drama therapy tools powerfully bring whatever is on the inside OUT, shining light on emotions, ways of being, gifts, wisdom and guidance that may not be accessible when we are operating in our "normal" way of being.
Expressive Arts & Drama Therapy can help you:
• Feel vital, inspired and fully self-expressed.
• Access creativity, wisdom and guidance through the arts that may not be accessible otherwise.
• Tame your inner critic and learn to love yourself, your art and your life.
• Fully accept yourself with your strengths and your struggles.
• Use inner and outer challenges as sources of growth and creative inspiration.
• Feel confident and trusting with whatever roles you play that are important to you in life, be they parent, student, grandparent, writer, theater artist, dancer, performer or artist of any kind.
SESSIONS WITH ADULTS
What is it that you truly love? What stirs your heart and makes you feel alive inside? In my individual work with youth and adults, I love helping individuals reclaim their wholeness by giving attention to what has heart and meaning for them, and to listen to their inner voice that know what they truly want and need. I work eclectically, attuning to what is needed by each individual. Some of my favorite approaches include Trauma-Informed Humanistic Psychotherapy, Narrative Therapy, EMDR, Transpersonal Therapy, Somatic Therapy, and embodied forms of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and I often invite use of Expressive Arts Therapy and Drama Therapy when appropriate to deepen and enhance our work together. The arts have a natural way of bringing more engagement and aliveness to our work, and of helping each individual engage more fully in their process of healing and growth. In my experience, pure talk therapy can sometimes deepen the grooves of our disempowering internal narratives, whereas mindful use of the arts can help uncover new narratives and resources that we may not otherwise connect to through talk alone. At the core, I believe we all have an artist healer inside of us, or an inner voice that intuitively knows what we want and need, and what will bring us into a state of wellbeing. May we be silently - or sometimes loudly - pulled by the call of that voice. I have loved working with clients of diverse backgrounds through the years, including clients of different ethnic, racial and spiritual backgrounds, clients of varied sexual orientations and gender identity, diverse ages and more. Read on for more information about specific issues that Expressive Arts Therapy or Drama Therapy might assist you with.
SESSIONS WITH CHILDREN
Is your child struggling with anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, a strong inner critic, difficult feelings related to a divorce, relationship problems or some kind of trauma response? Many children, when overwhelmed with life circumstances, attempt to cope with difficult feelings through ways of being and behaving that initially help them, but ultimately become harmful. For example, instead of learning to navigate difficult feelings related to their parents' divorce, some children may become chronically depressed. Other children, particularly those who are traumatized, either by a single incident trauma, multiple incidents or complex trauma, tend to adopt one of four nervous system response (or sometimes a combination of responses): fight, flight, freeze or fawn. These responses, which initially were designed to help the child cope with the trauma, in certain cases becomes"locked in," and children move through the world with a chronically maladaptive way of being. The COVID pandemic has put extra stress on many children, who have had to move through multiple changing circumstances in their community, relationship losses, isolation, fear, grief and more. Because children often have trouble processing their feelings verbally, the use of play therapy and expressive arts therapy can be hugely effective ways to give space for children to safely express what is on their mind and heart. In my therapeutic work with children, I use a gentle, play-based approach where I follow the child's interests, feelings, metaphors and imagination, creating space for children to express their pain, struggle, dreams, hopes, and fears and also to access what is essential for them to navigate hard times: resources and resiliency.
SESSIONS WITH TEENS
In a world with changing conditions, social unrest, Covid and more, teens today face a huge amount of uncertainty. Many adolescents need at least some space from their parents or caregivers in order to create an identify of their own, and yet also may want a sense of connection, contact and protection from their parents or caregivers at the same time. In my work with teenagers, I honor each individual teen's personal story, viewpoints, preferences, life experiences, and dreams. Taking a client-centered approach, and also using tools from interpersonal psychotherapy, narrative therapy and expressive arts therapy as needed, my approach with teens is eclectic, anchored in the belief that deep inside teens have access to a wealth of possible resources and supports. I see my role as helping them to come into deeper contact with these resources, and also draw in tools from different therapeutic approaches when they resonate, including Interpersonal Psychotherapy, EMDR, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy I have noticed that teens are amazingly resilient, real and often in touch with their true desires, even if they don't initially realize that, and I love supporting teens to recognize their resilience through our therapeutic work together.
SESSIONS WITH COUPLES
Are you struggling in your romantic partnership? Are you seeking to transform challenging aspects of your relationships, and cultivate more vulnerability, heartfelt communication, connection, passion, play and love? Do you have trouble expressing your feelings or needs in partnership, and/or understanding the feelings or needs of your partner? If so, couples therapy may be beneficial to you. In working with couples, my approach is to attune to the soul purpose of your coming together, to identify blocks, limiting beliefs, and negative patterns that drain your relationship and stop you from thriving, and to transform your connection into one that is based in truth, love and growth. I take an embodied, creative approach with couples that helps to move past habitual ways of being and to access buried self-parts as well as wisdom, compassion, courage, love and/or whatever is being called forth as medicine.
TESTIMONIALS
"I was hesitant at first to try Expressive Arts Therapy, but Suraya's gentle, inviting approach made me feel really comfortable. I was so moved after trying the arts to see how much more they captured what was going on with me than words alone." - Z.T.
"With Suraya's support, I was able to finally change my relationship with my inner critic, which had haunted me for years after a very abusive experience in childhood. I now can say I truly love myself, and learned through the therapy process how to practice self-love in really tangible ways." - C.C.
"My very shy 6 year old daughter couldn't seem to get over her social anxiety. She wouldn't talk with anyone at school and had almost no friends when she first started therapy. After 3 months, the gentle way Suraya worked with her helped my daughter express some of her deeper fears and also practice through play some very useful ways of meeting and making friends. I am glad to say my daughter is still shy but very happy and healthy with her friendships." - N.P.
