START Creative Arts Therapy

04/24/2026

Tomorrow. Last chance.

If you've been thinking about it, this is your sign. April 25th, 2-6pm. We're gathering to celebrate Kelsey's birthday month the way she'd want us to: with music, connection, and showing up for each other.

Tickets include everything. Food. Drinks. Raffle entries. Live performances. A room full of people who get it. And every dollar goes toward expanding access to Creative Arts Therapy through the In Her Honor Access Fund.

This matters. You matter. Get your ticket now: InHerHonor.eventbrite.com

See you tomorrow.

04/22/2026

You've talked about it. You understand it. You know where it started. And you still feel stuck.

That's not failure. That's your brain telling you it needs something different.

EMDR works because trauma doesn't just live in your thoughts. It gets stored in your body, your nervous system, your automatic reactions. Talk therapy processes the story. EMDR helps your brain actually file it away.

At START, we integrate EMDR with creative arts therapy so healing reaches every part of you.

Curious if EMDR might be the missing piece? Reach out. We're here.

04/21/2026

Your brain is running a movie you never asked to see. What if I fail? What if they're mad? What if the worst happens? These intrusive thoughts feel like preparation, but they are actually a worry spiral that keeps you trapped. This is called catastrophizing, a common cognitive distortion where your mind treats an uncertain future as a current disaster. For many, anxious thinking is just the nervous system's way of trying to stay safe.

If you are a creative, this loop can be especially brutal because your imagination is so vivid. Creative arts therapy and therapy for creatives offer unique ways to externalize these fears. As a West Islip therapist, I help people learn how to stop what if thinking by grounding back into the present. Anxiety therapy isn't about never having a worry; it's about not letting the spiral run your life. You deserve a break from the worst-case scenarios playing in your head. Long Island therapy can help you find your way back to the "right now."

Read our full guide on how to break the "What If" spiral here:

Do you lie awake running through every worst-case scenario your brain can create? What if the what-ifs are not protecting you but trapping you?

04/20/2026

You have talked about your anxiety. You have thought about it from every angle. Yet, you still feel that tightness in your chest or a knot in your stomach. That is because some things do not live in your thoughts; they live in your body.

Dance movement therapy is a powerful somatic therapy that helps you access what words cannot reach. At our West Islip office, our creative arts therapy specialists use body-based therapy to help with nervous system regulation. You do not need to be a dancer to benefit from movement therapy. This approach is highly effective for trauma and the body because it releases stored tension.

If you are looking for dance therapy nearby, our Long Island therapy team is here to help. Movement for mental health allows you to break through mental barriers by moving instead of just talking. Your body has been holding this stress for a long time. It is finally time to let it go.

Read our full guide on how movement therapy breaks through mental barriers

Stuck in your head? What if the way through is not more talking but more moving? Discover how dance movement therapy unlocks what words cannot.

04/18/2026

One week.

Time is moving fast, and we need you there. April 25th is our chance to honor Kelsey the way she lived: fully, bravely, with music as the soundtrack.

This isn't a typical fundraiser. It's karaoke with your people. Live music that hits different. Dancing because movement matters. Raffles, food, drinks, and a whole lot of heart.

Your ticket supports the In Her Honor Access Fund, making therapy accessible to those who've been shut out. That's the work. That's the point.

Don't wait.

Link in bio for tickets.

04/17/2026

Last call. This workshop is tomorrow night.

Carly Caprioli, MS, LCAT, MT-BC is breaking down the ethical distinction between music therapy and using music in therapy. 2 hours, a live music demo, practical integration strategies, and 2 Ethics CEUs.

Saturday, April 18 | 6-8 PM | $80
Students get 25% off with code STUDENT25.

For LCATs and clinicians from all therapy professions. Register now: https://www.startcreativearts.com/ceu-workshops/p/gold-package-lwglk

04/16/2026

Stop trying to build a life with zero stress. That's not the goal. That was never the goal.

The goal is to build a bigger container. More capacity to hold the mess, the beauty, the hard stuff, and the joy, all at once, without falling apart.

Therapy isn't about making everything easy. It's about making you strong enough, resourced enough, and supported enough to handle what's real.

04/14/2026

You were so close to your goal. Then you did it again. You shut down or pushed the plan away. You feel like you are failing yourself. But you are not broken. In IFS therapy, we call this parts work. That "saboteur" is actually a protective part. It is your internal bodyguard. It learned long ago that staying stuck was safer than being seen. This self-protection once kept you alive. Now, it just keeps you small.

Your inner critic isn't your enemy. It is a part that is exhausted and afraid. Self-sabotage therapy helps you stop the internal war. Instead of fighting, we get curious. Why does this part feel it must protect you right now?

As a West Islip therapist, we help you build a partnership with these parts. We often use creative arts therapy to reach what words cannot. This is how Long Island therapy creates lasting change. You can move from self-defense to self-leadership. It is time to let your protectors finally rest.

Read our full guide on why your "sabotage" is actually a protector here

What if the part of you that keeps getting in the way is actually trying to keep you safe? Here is what self-sabotage is really about.

04/13/2026

You don't need to be an artist to benefit from creative therapy. Many people worry their therapist will judge their skill or "decode" their work like a puzzle. Here is the truth: your therapist doesn't need to "get" your art for it to work.

The goal of art therapy isn't to create a masterpiece; it's about the process of expression. Using creative arts therapy allows you to bypass your thinking brain and access deeper healing that words alone can't reach. There are many therapy misconceptions about talent, but the therapeutic relationship isn't about critique. Your therapist’s job is simply to witness your journey and help you hold space for whatever emerges.

In this environment, mental health improves through the act of making, not the final product. You are the expert on your own symbols and colors. Trust that the making itself is where the real transformation happens.

Read our full guide on why the art isn't for your therapist—it's for you:

Your therapist doesn't need to understand your art to help you heal through it. Here's why art therapy works even when the art itself isn't the point.

04/11/2026

Two weeks until we gather for In Her Honor.

April 25th. 2-6pm. Napper Tandy's in Smithtown.

This is how we remember Kelsey: through music that moves us, voices that connect us, and a room full of people choosing to show up. Live performances. Karaoke. Raffles. An open bar. Everything you need to celebrate a life that taught us to live out loud.

Every ticket supports access to Creative Arts Therapy for those facing financial barriers. That's Kelsey's legacy in action.

Grab your tickets before they're gone: InHerHonor.eventbrite.com

04/11/2026

Big news: START Creative Arts Therapy Services is now an approved New York State CEU provider for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists.

We created these workshops because we wanted CEU trainings that actually reflect how creative arts therapists work. Not generic content repurposed from other disciplines. Real, clinical, creative arts focused continuing education built by LCATs, for LCATs.

Art therapy. Music therapy. Dance/movement therapy. Drama therapy. Writing therapy. If this is your world, these credits were made for you.

Check out our current workshop offerings and grab your credits: https://www.startcreativearts.com/ceu-workshops

04/10/2026

If you've ever used music in a session and wondered, "Am I doing this right?" this workshop is for you.

Carly Caprioli, MS, LCAT, MT-BC is leading a 2-hour CEU workshop on the distinction between practicing music therapy and using music as a tool in therapy. It meets Ethics criteria, includes a live music demo, and gives you practical takeaways you can actually use.

Saturday, April 18 | 6-8 PM
2 Ethics CEUs | $80
Students: use code STUDENT25 for 25% off

Open to LCATs and clinicians from all therapy professions. Register here: https://www.startcreativearts.com/ceu-workshops/p/gold-package-lwglk