Professional Interests:
Alison’s counseling approach is person-centered and she treats all clients with respect, kindness, and empathy. Alison specializes in working with children and youth, ages 3 through 21, including those with ADHD, learning disabilities, and behavioral difficulties. Alison also works with children and youth who need help improving their self expression and confidence or need extra support learning social and emotional skills, such as students with on the Autism Spectrum. Alison is also well-versed in techniques in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and family therapy and believes in supporting children and youth and their family systems. She believes that all people have something to offer the world and that human creativity and imagination was modeled after a creator God. Alison’s practice is biblically informed and rooted in clinical knowledge and experience, but she welcomes clients from all faiths and walks of life. Finalmente, Alison se habla español y quiere servir la comunidad Hispana de Birmingham.
Alison Kearley
LMHC, LPC, ATR-BC, ATR
Experience and Education:
Alison has provided art therapy and mental health counseling for children, youth, and adults in many different environments, including public schools, community centers, a women’s state prison, a juvenile justice facility, a children’s group home, and outpatient settings. She is a Registered and Board-Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Alison worked in Jacksonville, Florida, with students ages 3 – 21 and their families, including students from over 20 different countries. Additionally, she has traveled to India to lead art workshops for children and train local counselors on how to integrate art into their practice, specifically geared towards those who have experienced trauma. Alison holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Special Education from the University of Alabama, a Masters of Science in Art Therapy from Florida State University, and a Bachelors of Art in Spanish from Oglethorpe University.
Personal:
Alison is the Founder and Director of Creative Hope Therapies, where she provides professional development on trauma and mental health for teachers, art therapy supervision for new art therapists, and corporate team building trainings. Alison is from the Birmingham, Alabama area and has been practicing art therapy for ten years. She believes in the power of the arts to connect us with ourselves, one another, and the world around us. She loves languages and cultures, speaks Spanish, and has lived abroad in Spain and India. Alison loves camels, being silly, traveling, and trying new foods! Se habla español.
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a mental health profession that “enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship” (American Art Therapy Association). Art therapy fosters connection and creativity to oneself and others and encourages individuals to express themselves in creative and meaningful ways.
Research has shown that art therapy can help increase feelings of control and reduce anxiety and depression, address trauma and related symptoms, help explore and heal from grief, and improve overall self-positivity and mental well-being. Art therapy can be used with many different populations and needs and has been extensively used with military veterans who suffer from PTSD, children and adults with disabilities, aging populations, and as a tool for pain management. Art therapy can only be provided by art therapists, who are credentialed mental health professionals and are trained in psychological theory, ways to use art media, and the creative processes in counseling to help people with their mental health needs.