Sara Christenson ’03 Art Therapy Degree

Sara grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and she always knew she wanted to do art therapy. Both her parents were professional artists, and her father went back to school getting a master's degree in counseling after diabetes left him blind. Her mother also worked with the Association for Retarded Citizens.

Sara double majored in Art and Psychology at the University of Wisconsin and took five years off to run a restaurant. When she was ready to go back to school, Sara did an Internet search and SC stood out. “I already went to a huge university and wanted a small school with an experiential aspect. SC was the only school I applied to. I came to Santa Fe, interviewed, spent the weekend, and decided to move.”

Sara did her internship with SC alumni Jeff Sumber’s Creative Counseling of New Mexico. She was the first recipient of the Creative Counseling scholarship for students willing to work with developmentally disabled people. “I received great experience at Creative Counseling, doing behavior therapy with developmentally disabled people, and I was offered a great job at CCNM after graduation!”

Sara has some good advice for SC students:“The first year at SC was very, very important. I work with a tough population and I developed skills to avoid burnout from the first year at SC. Never underestimate the importance of self-care. My supervisors, Jeff Sumber and Ruth Omlin, emphasize this again and again.”

For now Sara plans to stay in New Mexico and get licensed. “I often think about family and friends and Lake Michigan. But I am fortunate to live in a place where people like to come to visit and I have established a solid support group of friends. I think this is home for now.”