Catherine Chinnock, ATR-BC, LCPC, LMHC
pronouns: she/her/hers
My Journey
I first learned about art therapy my senior year of high school, and I was inspired to learn that there was a profession that coupled my passion for people and for art. My experience of art was never a technical one; it was an intuitive, felt sense of healing and self-expression and I was eager to learn more about how this worked. During my education, I interned at an adult psychiatric facility, a youth detention center, an adult day care center, and an alternative high school for chronically truant youth.
Upon finishing graduate school, I worked in a residential facility for youth with sexual behavior problems. There I learned to balance multiple and sometimes conflicting feelings, boundaries and approaches. Working with such a challenging population required that I suspend judgment, express empathy, and hold these young people accountable for understanding themselves and others. I gained a solid foundation in the use of cognitive behavioral therapy to promote behavioral change, while holding a warm, connective therapeutic relationship.
After spending time in supervisory positions and work focused on adolescents, I decided to expand the breadth and depth of my experience. I began working with children, adolescents, adults and families involved in the child protective system. In this work, I gained a systemic perspective of the impact of trauma on those who have survived, those who have hurt others, family systems, and service delivery. I expanded my understanding of systemic oppression and the challenge of working as a small voice in a large system. I reflected a lot on myself and the impact I wanted to make. This led me to an appreciation for activism and policy change and an acceptance of my calling to work on a smaller level, supporting individuals in their self-development.
I made the decision to leave the non-profit sector and started working for a group private practice that held the values that aligned with me: the uniqueness of each individual, non-violence, trust, non-pathologizing care, and collaborative work. Although I had worked part time in private practice settings throughout my career, this transition felt like a true marriage of my experience up to that point. In this setting, I not only deepened my clinical work with clients and my supervisory skills, I was in a community of clinicians who broadened by understanding of privilege, race, intersectional identities, systems of power, and sex positivity.
After broadening my understanding of how individuals are impacted by community, society, and systems, I found myself drawn to explore the experience of the person. This led to me start my own independent practice where I had the time to invest in my understanding of the role of the human body and spirit in clinical work. As I continued my education in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and the intersection of energy work and psychotherapy, I found myself drawn to New York City, where then next leg of my journey will be written.
My Credentials
MA in Art Therapy
University of Illinois at Chicago – 2000
BA in Psychology, minor in Art
The College of New Jersey – 1998
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (New York)
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Illinois)
Board Certified, Registered Art Therapist
pronouns: she/her/hers
My Journey
I first learned about art therapy my senior year of high school, and I was inspired to learn that there was a profession that coupled my passion for people and for art. My experience of art was never a technical one; it was an intuitive, felt sense of healing and self-expression and I was eager to learn more about how this worked. During my education, I interned at an adult psychiatric facility, a youth detention center, an adult day care center, and an alternative high school for chronically truant youth.
Upon finishing graduate school, I worked in a residential facility for youth with sexual behavior problems. There I learned to balance multiple and sometimes conflicting feelings, boundaries and approaches. Working with such a challenging population required that I suspend judgment, express empathy, and hold these young people accountable for understanding themselves and others. I gained a solid foundation in the use of cognitive behavioral therapy to promote behavioral change, while holding a warm, connective therapeutic relationship.
After spending time in supervisory positions and work focused on adolescents, I decided to expand the breadth and depth of my experience. I began working with children, adolescents, adults and families involved in the child protective system. In this work, I gained a systemic perspective of the impact of trauma on those who have survived, those who have hurt others, family systems, and service delivery. I expanded my understanding of systemic oppression and the challenge of working as a small voice in a large system. I reflected a lot on myself and the impact I wanted to make. This led me to an appreciation for activism and policy change and an acceptance of my calling to work on a smaller level, supporting individuals in their self-development.
I made the decision to leave the non-profit sector and started working for a group private practice that held the values that aligned with me: the uniqueness of each individual, non-violence, trust, non-pathologizing care, and collaborative work. Although I had worked part time in private practice settings throughout my career, this transition felt like a true marriage of my experience up to that point. In this setting, I not only deepened my clinical work with clients and my supervisory skills, I was in a community of clinicians who broadened by understanding of privilege, race, intersectional identities, systems of power, and sex positivity.
After broadening my understanding of how individuals are impacted by community, society, and systems, I found myself drawn to explore the experience of the person. This led to me start my own independent practice where I had the time to invest in my understanding of the role of the human body and spirit in clinical work. As I continued my education in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and the intersection of energy work and psychotherapy, I found myself drawn to New York City, where then next leg of my journey will be written.
My Credentials
MA in Art Therapy
University of Illinois at Chicago – 2000
BA in Psychology, minor in Art
The College of New Jersey – 1998
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (New York)
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Illinois)
Board Certified, Registered Art Therapist