I became a therapist because, from a young age, I learned that sometimes the body and images understand us long before words do. As a teenager, sitting with oil pastels helped me see myself more clearly than any conversation ever had—and I’ve been following that thread of healing through experience ever since.
Today, I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board-Certified Art Therapist based in Charleston, South Carolina, specializing in trauma, chronic stress, and the somatic impact of living in survival mode for too long. I work primarily with those in midlife who have a foundation of support but still feel like something inside them hasn’t quite landed.
MEET DENA
My approach is collaborative, body-aware, and grounded in both science and intuition. I draw from:
Creative Arts Therapy
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Somatic Experiencing (intermediate training level)
Mindfulness, yoga, nervous system education, and elements of DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
Rather than treating these as separate “tracks,” I use them together in a way that honors your nervous system and your lived experience. We move slowly enough to feel safe, but steadily enough that you can see and feel real change, often in 1 or 2 sessions.
HOW I PRACTICE
I grew up in Mississippi in a very young family system, where art became my first language for making sense of complex emotions and family patterns. That early experience led me to earn a B.A. in Art and Psychology from Florida Gulf Coast University and a Master’s in Creative Arts in Therapy from Drexel University, followed by board certification in art therapy in 2015.
Over the years, I’ve worked in hospitals, residential programs, community agencies, and now private practice, gradually refining my focus toward trauma, chronic illness, and body-based healing. Outside the therapy room, you’re likely to find me watering my plants, collaging, hiking, or soaking up art and culture—ongoing reminders that expression and play are not luxuries, but part of how we live a rich life.
a bit more about me
Current:
Intermediate Somatic Experiencing Professional Training: Asheville, NC Cohort. Feb 2026-July 2026. Glyndie Nickerson, MA, PhD, SEP.
Beginning Somatic Experiencing Professional Training: Asheville, NC Cohort. May-Nov 2025. Glyndie Nickerson, MA, PhD, SEP.
EMDR Basic Training: Louisville, KY. ConnectEMDR. Nov. 2024-Jan 2025. Gray Manis, MS, LCSW, LADC.
2021-2024:
Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional training course: Nutritional and Integrative Medicine for mental health professionals. Dr. Leslie Korn, Ph.D, MPH, LMHC, ACS, FNTP, BCTMB. PESI Online Training.
Integrative Somatic Internal Family Systems, Levels 1-3. Frances Boothe, LICSW, BSC, MSW. Spiritual Competency Academy Online training.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Certification Training. Dr. Lane Pederson, LP, C-DBT
2017- 2020:
Karuna Usui Reiki Master Certification Training. Bryce Goebel, ICRT, LRMT
Treating Complex Trauma: Beyond Competency. Linda Curran, BCPC, LPC, CAC-D, CCDPD, EMDR-C
RYT 200hr Training.
Professional Trainings
Affiliations
South Carolina Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors, Addictions Counselors and Marital & Family Therapists
American Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB)
American Art Therapy Association/South Carolina Art Therapy Assoc.
Somatic Experiencing International
EMDR International Association
