About Us
We have been collaborating in the field of art therapy for 15 years and together hold over 30 years of experience as artist/educators working in the community sector. After witnessing time and time again a deficit in mental health resource due to cost, mental health worker shortage and/or cultural stigma we wanted to explore how to create more accessibility and share the tools we have learned as mental health professionals with a wider audience. We created Recipes for Connection as a way to share our experiences combining psychology, education, and the healing benefits of the arts to support youth in connecting to themselves and their community.
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Born to a children’s book author/illustrator and a social worker, it seems natural that Jessica would become an art therapist. Before discovering art therapy, Jessica began her career as an elementary school teacher. While teaching Jessica used her art making to teach every subject- from Math to Social Studies. Additionally, Jessica used art making as a means to connect with her students. Seeing the power of art to support social, emotional, and academic growth Jessica pursued a Masters in art therapy and later a Doctorate in Education for Social Justice - focusing on how therapeutic art making might increase students' resilience and protective factors for adversity later in life. Jessica worked for 10 years in community mental health with adolescents and families. Currently, Jessica lives in Los Angeles with her family and is a professor at Loyola Marymount University in the Department of Marital and Family Therapy with Specialized Training in Art Therapy and the Director of the Departments Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic.
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First and foremost, Amber sees herself as an artist. It wasn’t until later in life that she realized she had been practicing her own version of art for SEL well before she chose art education as her area of focus during her undergraduate studies. Her path as an artist and educator eventually led to the “aha moment” when she discovered the field of art therapy. She has had the honor to work with young people of all ages and abilities and their families within a variety of settings including Los Angeles and surrounding area school districts, community outpatient centers within the Department of Mental Health, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Loyola Marymount University Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic, residential care for adolescents and families, and a host of non-profit organizations. All of which have affirmed an alliance towards a social justice perspective, a passion to utilize art as a means to equity, and a mission to champion a community approach to mental health.