Caroline Cook

I have had the pleasure of serving as an art therapist for the past 12 years. I have been committed for the past decade to helping families explore their personal strength and resources in their families, school, and communities. I have served on St. John’s Community Services Board and the Wendy Center Grief and Loss Community Outreach program.

My clinical practice began at Catholic University in the education and psychology fields. I worked with the Kennedy Center to create resources in the community for the special needs population. I developed a curriculum with the Kennedy Kreeger Institute targeting self-expression, emotional regulation, and positive peer interaction. I continued this approach, integrating mental health, the arts, and education in the course of obtaining a Doctorate of Education from Florida State University. I focused on an outcome-based, client-centered approach to create change.

I believe that compassion, creativity, and humor are the keystones of developing a therapeutic relationship. As a Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Art Therapist, I focused my training and professional development on the impact of trauma across one’s lifespan. I framed this approach within the theory of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Using a family systems approach to DBT, my art interventions are based on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. My therapy space provides an outlet for children and teenagers to express their own voice while building upon communication within the family unit. Together, we can create a plan that best meets your families needs. I believe that the DBT philosophy can be taught to children and adults through yoga (trauma-informed certified), art, non-directive play, and talk therapy!