Art supplies scattered on a wooden floor, including tubes of paint, brushes, colored pencils, scissors, and a partially completed canvas painting of an abstract face.

Art Therapy in Ashburn, VA

Creativity as a Path to Expression & Understanding

Sometimes emotions and experiences are difficult to put into words. Art therapy provides another way to explore thoughts, feelings, relationships, and life experiences through the creative process.

At Firm Foundation Family Services in Ashburn, Virginia, art therapy combines the therapeutic process with creative expression to help clients explore concerns, develop greater self-awareness, and work through challenges in ways that extend beyond conversation alone.

No artistic experience is required. Art therapy is not about creating something beautiful or producing a finished work of art. The creative process itself can provide a different way to communicate, reflect, and engage in therapy.

Sign up for Art Therapy

Meet Chia-Hua, Your Art Therapist

LPC, LCPAT, ATR-BC®

Chia-Hua is a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist® (ATR-BC®) by Art Therapy Credentials Board.

She works with children, adolescents, adults, and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Her clinical experience includes trauma, life transitions, emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

She creates a safe, authentic environment where clients can explore difficult experiences, develop greater understanding, and work toward meaningful growth.

Chia-Hua is licensed in both Virginia and Maryland. She provides art therapy in person at the Firm Foundation Family Services office in Ashburn and virtually to clients throughout Virginia and Maryland.

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Learn more about Chia-Hua

Benefits Of Art Therapy

Art therapy can offer a different way to engage with experiences that may be difficult to express through conversation alone.

  • Build meaningful connection: Experience a sense of belonging through shared creativity and supportive community.

  • Express emotions beyond words: Explore and communicate thoughts and feelings in ways that don’t rely solely on verbal expression.

  • Engage your creativity: Tap into your natural creativity as a tool for self-discovery and healing.

  • Gain clarity and self-awareness: Use the creative process to better understand your emotions, experiences, and inner world.

  • Feel grounded and at ease: Experience a calming, restorative environment designed to support emotional well-being.

Community & Institutional Art Therapy Services

At Firm Foundation Family Services, we extend art therapy beyond the clinical setting into community, healthcare, and organizational environments. These programs are designed to support emotional well-being, connection, and expression in group-based and institutional contexts.

We provide tailored art therapy services for:

  • Adult Day Centers: Theme-based and open-studio art therapy groups that support emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being, including programs designed for individuals with ongoing or emerging health needs.

  • Caregiver & Staff Support Programs: “Care for the Caregivers” sessions offering monthly open-studio art therapy experiences for your team members to process critical recent events, promote emotional restoration, and connect with one another.

  • Hospital-Based Programs: Group art therapy sessions for patients, including individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury and other complex medical conditions, focused on expression, processing, and healing.

  • Children’s & Special Needs Programs: Creative group art sessions for children, including adapted approaches for children with special needs in structured environments such as summer programs and camps.

  • Museum & Community-Based Art Therapy: Experiential, theme-based art therapy programs held in community and museum settings that encourage reflection, creativity, and shared meaning-making.

  • Workshops, Support Groups & Team Building: Art-based experiences designed for organizations and teams to strengthen communication, reduce stress, and foster collaboration through creative engagement.

A glimpse into a museum-based art therapy program and group art therapy sessions that Chia-Hua co-facilitate at an adult day center in Washington, DC, where creativity becomes a pathway for expression, connection, and healing.

Upcoming Art Workshops

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Events

What People Are Saying

Person in an art therapy session drawing a bridge and tree on paper, using colored pencils.

“Art therapy is calming, beneficial, and effective.”

Four people sitting at a table engaged in painting and drawing activities, with watercolor paints, brushes, and notebooks on the table.

“I would love the lesson to last longer! I especially like the connection related to God!”

“The atmosphere/setting is conducive to express one’s self in a safe environment.”

Painting supplies and a paintbrush on a table in an art workshop with attendees working on their artwork in the background.

“The Gracefully Art workshop provided an intentional space to create art & share lived experience with others.”

Watercolor painting of the Earth showing a view of the globe with visible land and water, emphasizing yellow, blue, and white colors.

“I was excited to be creative and instill the visuals God placed on my heart."

A person is painting a colorful, abstract watercolor with watercolor paints and a water cup nearby. The painting features vibrant dots and streaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Our sessions are designed for children, tweens/teens, adults, and families. Everyone is welcome, regardless of prior art experience.

  • Not at all! Art therapy is about expression and emotional growth, not creating a masterpiece. All skill levels are welcome.

  • Art therapy helps with emotional regulation, stress reduction, trauma healing, problem-solving, communication, and self-expression. Participants often leave feeling calmer, more grounded, and inspired.

  • Chia-Hua specializes in trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and life transitions, offering personalized support in every session.

  • Sessions vary depending on the client's age, concerns, goals, and therapeutic needs. Your therapist may introduce a creative activity or provide materials that give you an opportunity to explore a particular topic or experience.

    You do not need to know what you want to create before a session begins. Your therapist will guide the process and help you reflect on what emerges.

A person drawing with markers on paper, depicting a colorful tree with orange, yellow, and green leaves, surrounded by various markers on a table.
Round wooden table near a window with three water bottles, paper cups, several pens, pamphlets, and a potted plant with green and reddish leaves, in a room with gray chairs and wall art.
Two women sitting at a table engaged in watercolor painting, surrounded by art supplies including watercolor palettes, colored pencils, markers, and brushes. The table also has cups, water bottles, a potted flower, and a bell.
Person painting with watercolors on paper using a black brush, with a palette of various colored paints nearby.
Person painting an abstract watercolor scene with orange, yellow, purple, and blue colors on white paper, surrounded by watercolor supplies and brushes.

Schedule a consultation

Ready to take a step toward healing and connection? Fill out our contact form and prepare to make a change for the better.