Bellingham, Lakeville, Raynham And South Easton, Ma: Elevate Counseling Services ,a growing practice serving the needs of clients from locations in Bellingham, Raynham, South Easton and Lakeville, will offer Art Therapy group sessions this fall, under the leadership of Megan O’Toole, LMHC/ATR.

As Elevate Counseling Services re-integrates in-person counseling and therapy services, the practice will expand its group offerings, and among the offerings will be Art Therapy sessions. Megan O’Toole, who has been with Elevate for five years and who is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Registered Art Therapist, will lead two groups: one for middle-school aged children (ages 12-15), and also a group for adults.

The middle-school group will focus on self-acceptance and self-expression. “Typically,” she says, “we aim to build self-esteem with the arts. We focus less on the actual product and more on how we get to the product. Throughout the process, art is the catalyst which helps people talk about what they struggle with.” She said that sometimes the actual art is more client directed, but at other times she will bring in a specific directive, depending on the client’s wishes and needs.

Currently, she uses art therapy to a great extent with her individual clients, and the option for individual art therapy will also continue to be available. O’Toole earned a Masters Degree in Art therapy from Lesley University in Cambridge and her undergraduate degree from UMass Dartmouth, where she majored in fine arts and minored in psychology.

She and her spouse are parents to two young children. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, and spending time with family and friends, as well as enjoying their vacation home in Maine.

Leigh-Ann Larson, CEO of Elevate Counseling Services, said “Art therapy is increasing in popularity and we are very pleased to expand our offerings in this area. Megan is a great choice to lead these groups; she’s very talented, empathetic and experienced. We encourage people to learn more about the Art Therapy group sessions.”