Jennifer Kotecki, Ph.D., LCPC, ATR-BC

OVERVIEW

Dr. Kotecki is a board-certified art therapist (ATR-BC) and licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC). She has worked with children, teens, and adults experiencing grief, as well as with individuals experiencing adjustment difficulties with life transitions. She serves as an assistant professor and supervisor in art therapy, specializing in the use of textiles in personal and professional art. Dr. Kotecki’s current research is “The Lived Experience of Making a Memory Quilt During Grief with Women Over the Age of 50.”

Art is a powerful way to communicate feelings when words cannot fully express our emotions. Dr. Kotecki helps individuals find the words that might be tucked away through artistic expression. Art therapy is about the process of creating, not the final product. No artistic skills are needed. All you need is curiosity about expressing yourself in a new way. Together, Dr. Kotecki and her clients find strategies to reduce stress and manage anxiety healthily, fostering a balanced way of living in this changing climate.

Dr. Kotecki takes an Adlerian, holistic approach to therapy and provides supervision for art therapy licensure. She has taught classes at Adler University in Chicago and Vancouver, B.C. Some of the classes taught are: Adlerian Theories Parenting and Teaching; Socio-Cultural and Multi-Cultural Approaches to Art Therapy, Counseling, and Psychotherapy; Couples, Family, and Older Adults; Trauma, Loss, Grief, and Bereavement; Neuroscience in Art Therapy; Special Populations: Adaptive Methods in Art Therapy; Group Skills and Practice; Intersectionality and Community Engagement; Assessment, and Life Span Development.

MEMBERSHIPS + ASSOCIATIONS

• American Art Therapy Association (AATA).
• North American Society of Adlerian Psychology (NASAP).
• American Counseling Association (ACA)

LEADERSHIP + ENGAGEMENT

• The Community House-Walk-The-Walk, counseling center walk, Hinsdale, IL., April 2019.
  Assisted in organizing the walk and ran the information booth.
• EF Tours Service Project in Costa Rica, Spring Break 2019.
  Assisted a local organization in replanting Mangrove trees along the coastal waters.
• Charlie’s gift, Walk for Autism, Hinsdale, IL., April, 2018.
  Assisted in organizing the walk and ran the information booth.
• Volunteer for FUSION/Buddy Break 2015-2018.
  Participated as a one-on-one buddy for a child with special needs.
  Played games, did art projects, and played in the gym.
• Volunteer Elementary Classroom, 2011.
  Assisted in the publication of student stories using Microsoft Word, working directly with the students. Assessed the reading levels of classroom students.
• Volunteered on Home & School Association, 2011.
• Ran fall fundraisers for an elementary school, 2011 and 2012.
• Scout leader for Cub Scouts, 2012-2016.

CURRENT RESEARCH + OPPORTUNITIES