Hi! I'm a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with 4 years of experience in the therapy field. I love supporting teens and adults in building awareness around how experiences have shaped them and how to unlearn some of the habits that are no longer serving them. I use art therapy and mindfulness to support clients in exploring their authentic selves and building resilience. Whether you are new to therapy or have tried talk therapy and are ready to try something different, I am here to help! I am honored to be able to offer guidance to clients in feeling safe and at peace in the present moment and move forward on their journey of self-understanding.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, we will introduce ourselves, explore what you are hoping to get out of therapy, and open up space for you to express what you would like me to know about you and the challenges you are facing. You will have the option to simply connect through talking or to get creative together to express yourself about these areas.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My experience over the last 4 years working with families, youth, and adults has shown me over and over again the ways trauma and the systems we are a part of can shape us into who we are and dictate how we show up in the world. It has also allowed me to develop a collection of creative methods to bring these patterns to light so that we can be empowered to feel more in control of our responses to the world around us. My education in complex trauma allows me to pass on knowledge about how our brains and bodies work and support clients in using this knowledge to feel seen and more aware of what is happening in each moment.
My education and experience in art therapy and mindfulness have provided me with tools that can help clients connect to parts of themselves that words alone cannot heal.
About Lisa Buettner
Appointments
Virtual
My treatment methods
Structural Family Therapy
I worked as a Family-Based therapist for 3 years, facilitating Eco-Systemic Structural Family Therapy with families in their homes 2-3 times per week. I use this with clients by taking into consideration the role the client plays in their family, the societal systemic issues impacting the client, as well as the relational patterns the client finds themselves in often. This helps to provide context as to why the client may be dealing with certain issues internally or relationally.
Mind-body approach
I have completed training in mindfulness-based treatment as well as somatic healing, both relating to the mind-body approach to healing. I facilitate groups and individual sessions weekly with youth using the mind-body approach to post-traumatic healing and embodying an anti-violence lifestyle. I use this in my practice by using art therapy and mindfulness tools to support clients in gaining awareness of bodily sensations and cues the body gives us that can help to better understand the emotional experience. I offer self care and coping strategies that engage the mind-body connection in order to encourage clients to use time outside of session to build awareness and connect more to their own bodies in a trauma-informed manner.
Strength-Based
I have experience working with families, individuals, and groups in two different strength-based programs. I use art therapy to engage clients in exploring their own strengths in creative ways and using visual metaphors to affirm their strengths in and out of sessions. I offer strength-based coping skills to clients of all ages to engage them in practicing having a strength-based approach to their own healing in and out of sessions.
Trauma Informed Care
I am Certified Complex Trauma Professional, Level 2, meaning I have completed training and engage in ongoing education in working with clients who have experienced ongoing traumatic experiences. I worked in trauma-informed family therapy and I currently work in trauma-informed violence prevention programming. I look at therapy as a whole from a trauma-informed lens, as opposed to a pathological lens. We fall into patterns needed to cope and survive, but over time, these patterns can lose their purpose and get in our way. Trauma-informed care involves providing education about trauma's impact on our mind and body and guidance in shifting into healthier patterns.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
I have completed Mindfulness-Based Therapy training and I engage young people in mindfulness practice weekly within the program I work in. I used mindfulness-based therapy by providing education about what mindfulness truly is, how it impacts our brains and bodies, and how we can use mindfulness tools to gain awareness, confront fears, challenge ourselves, and take care of ourselves.
