Our Team

Shannon Miller, LCAT, ATR (ATCB#16-012) – Art Therapist

Shannon is a nationally registered Art Therapist, and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist. Having completed her Masters degree in Art Therapy from NYU, Shannon has worked in the field of Art Therapy for 6 years. She also has completed three bachelors degree programs at the University of North Texas: K-12 Art Education, Drawing & Painting, and Metal smithing.

Shannon has experience working with children and adolescents with anger management, behavioral issues, and in grief & bereavement therapy. Shannon also has worked in child, adult and geriatric inpatient psychiatric facilities and has experience with crisis intervention and de-escalation within the psychiatric emergency room.

Shannon utilizes narrative based Art Therapy to gauge a client’s level of comfort with confronting session material. This allows a client to process painful emotions safely within the artwork. In this way, difficult issues can be processed subconsciously. When a client is psychologically prepared, the therapist brings subconscious material into verbal psychotherapy.

For me, the biggest area of growth from being an educator, to being an Art Therapist, is in the ability to gauge a client’s level of fragility.

 

Anyone can ask a question about a piece of art. But my training has provided the ability to understand and respect psychological boundaries — when to push subconscious into conscious and when to retreat back into the safety of the artwork’s metaphor.  It is a delicate balance, all to the benefit of the client’s mental health.

Fun fact about Shannon: I was raised vegan, and have been vegetarian my whole life!

Danielle M. Benoit, LPC-I (#73837) – Dance & Body Movement

Danielle is graduate of Texas A&M University with her Bachelor’s in Education, and graduate of Houston Baptist University with her Master’s in Psychology. Her focus is Dance/Movement Therapy. She will complete her R-DMT (Registered Dance/Movement Therapist) Certification in 2019.

Dance/Movement therapy focuses on movement behavior as it emerges in the therapeutic relationship, and can benefit individuals dealing with trauma or abuse, anxiety, depression, ADHD, neurological impairments, emotional disturbances, terminal illness, eating disorders, and many other conditions. Trauma or stress of any sort can form knots in the fabric of our bodily systems, and DMT can provide stress relief, increase motor skills development, improve self-esteem, encourage creativity, and give an individual the ability to express their emotions non-verbally.

I am passionate about providing safe space for the expression of feelings, and through Dance/Movement therapy techniques I can help people of all ages get in touch with their most authentic selves.

 

Feelings and memories are stored in the body, and by increasing body awareness and identifying sensations, clients are able to exert more control, regulate, and make different choices regarding their emotional life.

Each session is unique based on the needs and abilities of the client and might include breathing, body stretching, guided meditation, improvised movement experiences, and a number of other body-based techniques.

Fun Fact about Danielle: I lived in Peru and I am bilingual English/Spanish

What does a DMT session look like?

Cheryl Austin, ATR (Art Therapist) #09-135

Cheryl Austin, ATR, is a nationally registered art therapist. She is a graduate from Austin College, located in Sherman, TX, with a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Psychology. She completed a Master of Science in Art Therapy from Mount Mary College with coursework credits in counseling.

As an art therapist, Cheryl has assisted adolescent residential clients at an inpatient psychiatric facility seeking services for impulse control, substance abuse, oppositional defiance, depression, trauma, sexual deviation and more. Additional clientele she treated include special needs adults, military personnel, and adults receiving outpatient and inpatient treatment.  

Cheryl has gravitated toward the creative arts throughout her life by exploring watercolor, acrylic and oil painting, black & white and digital photography, drawing, ceramics, collage, vocal & instrumental music, drama and creative writing. Expressive arts can benefit all ages and walks of life. It can empower individuals, influence mood, enhance self-awareness, and foster growth. 

I value using art as a tool to express the subconscious and as a means to develop a safe form of communication. My passion is assisting clients using empathy and compassion.

Fun fact about Cheryl: Her favorite superhero is Batman.