As an art therapist and Sacramento State alumna, Majica Phillips is healing the Sacramento community through paint, drawings, collages and more.

Phillips was on her way to becoming a teacher during her last semester at Sac State as a child development major when she took an introduction to counseling class that introduced her to the idea of a career in art therapy.

Although being an art therapist was not her original career plan, Phillips said that art therapy “rang true” as a career for her because it involved a wide range of age levels and a wide range of art styles.

In art therapy, Phillips does not require her patients to verbally tell her why they came to therapy, where they are hurting, or what they are struggling with. She believes the clients’ thoughts and struggles are expressed through art forms and she trusts that the art will show what the client needs to work through.

Phillips said art therapy is different from other styles of therapy or counseling because Phillips and her clients are able to refer back to the art the client has produced during his or her treatment.

Phillips said she is able to show the client how sad, mad, frustrated or angry they were six months or a year ago through the art they created. The colors, words, or drawings show the emotion the client was going through at the time. This allows the client to see his or her progress.

Phillips will begin a session with a brief discussion and from there, she invites her client to create art. Phillips will decide what medium of art the client will use – whether it is crayons, paint, pencils, or collage material, after determining what stage the client is at in his or her treatment.

Jeff and Kimberley, a husband and wife who chose only to share their first name because of privacy issues, have been clients of Phillips for more than six months. During a therapy session with Phillips, Jeff and Kimberley said they were working on an art piece together and similar patterns from their relationship at home came up, such as sharing.

After the patient has created his or her artwork, the patient pins the art on the wall. Phillips and the patient will then discuss what they see together. Phillips said she notices often that the art allows the person to get their emotions out of their body and onto the paper. She said the patient has more clarity and understanding of the issue at hand when they use art.

Cheryl, a client of Phillips who requested only her first name be used, said that Phillips has taught her that she has the inner strength to face challenges.

“Majica has shown me to look at the possibilities in my life,” Cheryl said.

vanessa garibaldi can be reached at [email protected]