Expressive Arts Therapy for Neuroqueer Adults in Seattle
Some experiences don’t need better words. They need more room.
Many neurodivergent and queer adults have spent years translating themselves into language that other people understand. We’ve learned to explain, justify, mask, intellectualize, and perform our way through conversations.
Sometimes therapy asks us to use the very skills that have helped us survive. Expressive arts therapy offers another possibility.
Instead of asking, “Can you explain it?”
We might ask:
What color is it?
What shape does it take?
What wants to move?
What happens if we stop trying to make sense of ourselves for a moment and simply become curious?
For many neuroqueer people, creativity isn’t an escape from therapy.It’s another way of knowing.
Neuroqueering therapy
I think of expressive arts therapy as one way of neuroqueering the therapeutic process. Rather than assuming healing happens only through insight and conversation, we make room for sensory experience, imagination, movement, metaphor, music, objects, storytelling, and play. Rather than asking you to fit into a predetermined therapeutic process, we build one together.
Curiosity replaces compliance.
Expression matters more than performance.
There is no “right” way to participate.
What expressive arts therapy looks like
Some sessions are entirely conversational. Others might include drawing, writing, movement, music, visual metaphor, objects, collage, imagery, or creative exploration.
The point isn’t to make art. The point is to notice. To experiment. To play. To discover.
Often the most meaningful moments aren’t planned. They emerge when we stop trying to perform healing and begin relating differently to ourselves.
Beyond therapy
This philosophy extends beyond my therapy practice. I founded Different On Purpose because I believe creativity and community belong together. Through expressive arts groups, workshops, and shared creative experiences, Different On Purpose offers opportunities for neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ people and those who love them to connect outside of psychotherapy.
Therapy and community aren’t the same thing. But they’re rooted in many of the same values: Curiosity over conformity; expression over performance; and purpose over fear.
I offer telehealth therapy throughout Washington State.
Bring your art supplies and creative pursuits. Let’s make something.
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Not at all. Expressive arts therapy isn’t about artistic talent or creating something beautiful. It’s about using creativity as another way of exploring your thoughts, emotions, body, and experiences. Many of my clients begin by saying, “I’m not creative,” only to discover that creativity has nothing to do with being “good at art.”
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Art therapy typically focuses on visual art as the primary modality. Expressive arts therapy is intermodal, meaning we can move between visual art, writing, movement, music, storytelling, imagery, objects, and other forms of creative expression. The focus isn’t on mastering an art form—it’s on discovering what emerges through the creative process.
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No. Some sessions are entirely conversational. Others may include drawing, writing, metaphor, movement, music, or creative exploration. We decide together what feels supportive. Therapy should adapt to you—not the other way around.
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Many neurodivergent and neuroqueer people have spent years translating their experiences into language that makes sense to other people. Expressive arts therapy creates space for sensory experience, metaphor, imagination, and embodied knowing. Sometimes a drawing, movement, or image communicates something more honestly than words alone.
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Yes. Expressive arts therapy works beautifully online. We might use materials you already have at home, simple household objects, writing, movement, imagery, or other creative approaches that fit your space and comfort level. You don’t need a dedicated art studio or special supplies to participate.
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We’ll spend about 15 minutes talking about what brings you to therapy, what you’re hoping for, and whether we seem like a good fit. If it feels like a good match, we’ll talk about next steps.