kirstie kauker

Kirstie Kauker

Professional Counselor & Art Therapist

Creativity and compassion have always been driving forces in my life. I am overjoyed to have a career in which I can support people and grow my knowledge and understanding of the world.

I work with children and adolescents to help them identify, understand, and regulate their own feelings, emotions, and behavior; learn to cope with everyday challenges; encourage positive relationships with family and friends; manage school stressors and improve social skills; learn their strengths and weaknesses and improve their self-esteem and self-confidence.

Being trained in both art therapy and psychotherapy, I use fundamentals from both to foster a therapy session which meets the needs of the client. Even before I discovered art therapy, I appreciated art to be a pathway which connects people. The unspoken and intimate nature of creating visual expressions allows people to explore thoughts and feelings in physical ways that an individual might otherwise struggle to verbally express. Artistic talent and experience are not necessary to benefit from art therapy methods. We are not concerned with art techniques; art is the process for the client to focus on and express their inner thoughts and feelings without judgement from the outside world.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Art Therapy and my Master of Science in Counseling Psychology and Art Therapy at Holy Family University.

I am fortunate to have experience working with children and adolescents from 3 -18 in school, outpatient, and in-patient facilities, as well as with families within their own communities.  At MCC Warwick House, I used art therapy and strength-based approaches to improve family dynamics and challenging behaviors for children and adolescents. At Friend’s Hospital, I provided in-patient art therapy-based group therapy for teen groups to facilitate new appropriate behaviors to manage stresses and challenges teens face at home, school and in their community.

To maintain my life balance, you’ll find me hanging out with my dog Bruce, reading and all sorts of crafting, including jewelry making and crochet. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and it wouldn’t be unheard of for me to start planning for Halloween in July.