REJI MATHEW, PHD, LCSW
EXPRESSIVE ARTS EDUCATOR & ADVOCATE
Pronouns: (she/her/hers)
Expressive arts are central to my worldview, work, life, and social activism. Over the past 15 years, I have cultivated a varied work life. I am an integrative, neuroscience-informed, social work psychotherapist; a narrative freelance journalist; a digital artist; and an expressive arts advocate.
As a freelance narrative journalist (ASJA member), I work on a wide range of human-interest issues that focus on health recovery, the arts, and resiliency. Understanding place and context are central values in my writing. My storytelling is informed by my education in academia, mental health, social work, and community advocacy.
I have written for PBS: Next Avenue, Coping with Cancer Magazine, the United Brain Association, Post-Polio Health International, and ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners. See my Artivism page for a gallery of my magazine publications.
As a freelance narrative journalist (ASJA member), I work on a wide range of human-interest issues that focus on health recovery, the arts, and resiliency. Understanding place and context are central values in my writing. My storytelling is informed by my education in academia, mental health, social work, and community advocacy.
I have written for PBS: Next Avenue, Coping with Cancer Magazine, the United Brain Association, Post-Polio Health International, and ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners. See my Artivism page for a gallery of my magazine publications.
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In my counseling work, my primary worldview is a bio-psycho-social narratology (narrative therapy) lens, inspired by my background in narrative journalism. It is crucial to me to understand people in the context of their environment in real time (cultural time). My narrative lens is intersectional with a commitment to understanding the complex identities we hold along class, culture, location, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and accessibility.
My graduate education at New York University in social work, cultural studies, and community health shaped my therapeutic framework. I specialize in evidence-based treatment approaches; I both practice and teach cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), mindfulness, positive psychology (PP), resiliency, and mind-body wellness. My approach is also trauma informed and have trained in (EMDR) eye movement desensitization processing. As a street academic, I present in settings ranging from non-profits to hospital settings, primarily speaking on the topic of providing mental health coping skills education with culturally affirming attunement. For my arts-based work, I am an intermodal artist and an expressive arts advocate. I am passionate about expressive languages—movement, visual arts, drama, writing, and music. I am always on the lookout for the narrative thread of how artistic skills enable us to reimagine our lives when facing challenges. My arts specialization explores the use of expressive arts as multi-sensory processing tools for problem solving, self-expansion, and personal growth. |
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My clinical work will evolve into a new chapter in the next season of my journey. I am currently completing my certification at the Center for Creative Arts Therapy in Chicago to become a registered expressive arts therapist (REAT). My goal is to teach the benefits of cultivating inner artistry as a direct problem-solving tool to bring to life's challenges, which is how I live my daily life.
My current arts practice includes arts advocacy and art creating. I am on the advisory board for the BRIDGES, the Rockland Center for Independent Living, and the Rockland Music Conservatory. I am also a member of Anti-Racists Art Teachers. For art-creating, I explore themes of recovery, unfolding and discovery through words, imagery, and color in digital art mediums.
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COPYRIGHTNo part of this web site or blog may be reproduced without written consent from the author. Reji Mathew, PhD- Writer © 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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DISCLAIMERThe content and suggested links on this Web site are for educational purposes only. They are not meant to substitute for advice from your health care provider.
If you are in need of medical, therapeutic, or wellness care, please see a medical doctor or other qualified health care provider. |