We recently connected with Ashley Stielow and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

I’ve been providing art therapy services for a variety of populations for the last twenty years. I absolutely love my work. It is such a profound experience to sit with someone in their pain but to also be witness to their healing. Over the first 15 years of my career, I was employed by a private elementary school, two domestic violence shelters, an in-home family therapy company, an inpatient psychiatric facility, and two community mental health organizations. I have worked alongside other fantastic professionals, and I have met clients that have had such a meaningful impact on my life. I believe it was the confidence building in myself after all of those years that ignited the fire to create a space that would be totally within my control and conducive to my client’s needs.

Ashley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I really think I have understood the impact of artmaking on emotional wellness since I was a child. I found that I could completely get lost in an art process, really all types of artmaking, and that it allowed such a safe space to be. It was an art teacher in high school that encouraged me to consider working as an art therapist one day, and my college academics quickly began following that path. I obtained both a psychology and art degree before going on for the master’s degree in art therapy. While my education and training occurred on the East Coast, it was also important to me to bring the work back to the Midwest where I am from. As of the date of this interview, I continue to be the only registered art therapist in my state. Despite working in my current community for the last 15 years, I always find it to be so surprising when someone says that they don’t know what art therapy actually is. I think it is most important to share that art therapy may be a more comfortable modality of therapy for some clients, especially because we often have feelings and experiences for which words sometimes seem to be lacking. We have all heard the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, and this rings so true in the art therapy world. I also educate my clients about the importance of the artmaking process as a way to let the “soul speak”, because while we may be guarded in our words, our subconscious has a louder voice in our artmaking processes. Art therapists are specifically trained to support clients in this process for themselves.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Absolutely, 100%. I have always envisioned getting my career to the place it is now, and currently feel gratitude about that each and every day. However, I also think one of the very cool aspects of working in art therapy is that there are so many possibilities. Art therapists throughout the country and around the world are providing this meaningful service in so many different settings and with so many different populations. While I am doing exactly the work that makes me happiest, it is also reassuring to know that the career options will always allow me to pivot, if desired.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

In the industry of therapy, I don’t believe that we are really ever “growing” our clientele. For every client that walks through my door, I remind myself that it is my job to “work myself out of work” for each one of them. As clients graduate, new ones start. But in order to do that, I know that I need to monitor my own self-care and ensure that I am showing up to every session in the best way possible. By placing that level of priority on every appointment for the day, I know that the most effective strategy for “growing” my business is the continued word-of-mouth referrals I receive. Sometimes, a potential client will reach out to me, and the beginning of the call will sound something like, “I know that you saw so-and-so a while back and they really talked highly of you and the experience that they had, so I was hoping this may be a good fit for me”. Gosh, I love those calls!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.innercanvascounseling.org
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