Hello, i’m Cris, she/they, a Somatic, Gestalt, & Creative Arts Psychotherapist. I help people bring vitality to their lives by reconnecting them to their innate creativity & the wisdom of their body, allowing them to feel more at ease, flowing with the beautiful uncertainty that life is.

“Feelings & sensations are your inner resources; I will support & challenge you in taking responsibility for your growth through your embodied experience & creativity."

Together we will identify what holds you back in order to tap into your unique potential. I will facilitate safe & creative interventions to help you access the answers & resources you already have inside of yourself (even if you don’t believe that's possible). I’m with you & I’m here to help you be with you.

What does therapy with me look like?

Healing doesn’t have to be boring & tedious. In fact, transformation can be exciting & just a bit scary (but the good kind of scary). My style in therapy is respectful, deeply curious, playful, & engaging. Don’t worry, I won’t let you ramble on; we will be going on a dynamic exploration together where I blend somatic, gestalt, & art therapy interventions alongside traditional talk psychotherapy. This includes bringing attention to your body to enhance your awareness process & get additional information about your life situations. We will also focus on the present moment & what’s happening in the therapeutic relationship, to continue to fill out the landscape of your experience. Through the use of Gestalt & Creative Arts therapy experiments we will co-create safe & dynamic interventions to support you in encountering different, discarded, or maybe forgotten aspects of yourself, to help you step into your fullness.

Psychotherapy & Coaching with me may include: attention to your breath, checking in with your body & body awareness, art-making, creative visualization, journeying, & meditation, movement & sound making, dreamwork, role playing, speaking with your inner critics & exiled parts, & spiritual explorations. I even enjoy pulling a card now & again - us creative arts therapists relish visual metaphors. Most importantly, I welcome & love to integrate the tools & resources that are important to you.

Who I work with:

I am currently doing individual telehealth (online) sessions with adults (22+) in New York city, New York State & throughout the world. My area’s of focus & expertise are: trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions, alternative lifestyles & relationships, identity exploration, & improving communication in relationships.

My identities:

I'm bilingual & identify as Ecuadorian, Spanish, first gen Latinx, from the United States, & gender non-conforming. I am the Creator & Clinical Director of Creative Now Therapy.

Before forming Creative Now Therapy:

I have 15 years of experience working as a therapist in a variety of settings. I’ve spent years specializing in using Somatic (body mindfulness), Gestalt, Creative Arts Therapy, & Transformational Coaching interventions alongside traditional talk therapy. Before creating Creative Now Therapy in 2016, I spent many years working with major mental health diagnoses including: psychotic disorders, mood disorders, & other experiences of mental health crisis. This also means treating the traumas that are often a part of these experiences; neglect, sexual, & physical abuse, drug use, marginalization, leaving your country of origin, & more. For 7+ years I facilitated groups for adults who have schizophrenia or identify as voice-hearers on an inpatient psychiatric unit. This work has informed my compassion, curiosity, & appreciation for the vast array of our human experiences, no matter how alternative they may seem. Before my work at the hospital, I supported Spanish speaking families in navigating & connecting to New York City services. I also spent time providing creative arts therapy to families, adolescents, & children at an outpatient medicaid clinic. I am deeply grateful for how these expereinces have enhanced my unsderstanding of the systems we are impacted by in the United States.

Training / Education:

- I'm licensed to practice psychotherapy in New York State and nationally Art Therapy Registered & Board Certified (ATR-BC) by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA: www.arttherapy.org) via Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB: www.atcb.org).

- I hold a Masters in Creative Arts Therapy (MPS) from the School of Visual Arts (www.sva.edu).

- Certified Gestalt Pyschotherapist through the Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy (www.gestaltassociates.org), a 4-year post-graduate clinical fellowship program.

- Certified in Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy (DSP), completing 4-years of additional post-graduate training at the Center for Somatic Studies (www.somaticstudies.com) in New York.

- I've completed year 1, Level 1 training in Hakomi Mindful Somatic Pyschotherapy (www.hakomiinstitute.com) a 2 year post-graduate certification. I am currently training in Level 2.

- Certified Professional Coach through the program, “Coaching for Transformation” a Leadership that Works program. (www.leadershipthatworks.com). They are accredited by the International Coaching Federation.

- Certified Energy Medicine Practioner through The Four Winds Society, a 400-hour training in Andean indigenous & earth based practices.

- Prior to my career as a psychotherapist, I received a Bachelor’s from Tufts University & completed a commercial & studio photography program at the Hallmark Institute of Photography.

To schedule a consultation or session, please reach out to me at: cris@creativenowtherapy.com