The longest journey you will take in your life is from the head to the heart.

About Barbara Devaney, BFA, MA

I began working in the field of art and healing over 25 years ago. After eight years of dedication to social services and the arts, I came to realize that I wanted more direction and a firm academic and clinical foundation in order to do the therapeutic work that I felt called to do. I went on to earn a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies with an emphasis in Expressive Arts Therapy.

Prior to my work in the healing arts, I studied art in London, England where I received a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree at Richmond International University. It was during this time that I began to learn and understand in depth about African, Asian, European, and Middle Eastern cultures.

I have experience in community mental health with incarcerated men and women, artists, and people with disabilities. My focus is on women’s issues, creativity, community building, and developmental/intellectual disabilities.

In the spring of 2009, I received the Kennedy-Shriver Lecture Award for a program I directed through San Francisco Community Behavioral Health Services for exceptional contributions to the community of developmental/intellectual disabilities.

As an accredited psychotherapist with MIACP along with licensure as an LMFT in California, REAT, and Accredited EMDR Therapist, I approach my work in a thoughtful and respectful manner. I understand that each person is different and has unique experiences which make them who they are, yet, there is a common thread in every human being that links us all in our suffering. I help my clients on their path toward wholeness through both verbal and non-verbal (expressive arts) approaches to therapy.