Lacy Mucklow, MA, ATR-BC, LPAT-S, LCPAT, ATCS, CCTP, CIMHP

Lacy is an experienced clinical art therapist who works with adolescents and adults with issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, and stress.

Lacy is an art therapist who has been practicing in the Washington, DC area since 1999, working in various sites including home-based counseling, school, partial hospitalization program, and inpatient hospitalization settings. She has particular experience working with adolescents, though she has also worked with people of all ages. Primarily, Lacy has provided art therapy in the military environment since 2002, working with military dependents, wounded warriors, and active duty service members. She also facilitates art therapy for wellness for cancer patients. Much of Lacy's experience is working with persons diagnosed or struggling with depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma, grief and loss, transition and adjustment issues, perfectionistic tendencies, and self-esteem. She employs a number of approaches through art therapy, including cognitive behavioral, strengths-based, client-centered, and Jungian paradigms. Lacy is trained and proficient in a number of specialties, including sand play therapy, the ITT Graphic Narrative trauma processing, Mandala work, the Diagnostic Drawing Series (DDS), and SoulCollage®. She also likes to focus on mindfulness and meditative methods to help people relax and be able to reduce their stress levels.

Lacy incorporates creative interventions to help people with their needs in a way that can be effective in a more deep and connective way, using art making to help clients discover, explore, communicate, resolve, process, and express themselves more fully without judgment or expectation. It is important to note that one does not need to be an artist to benefit from and use art therapy - the focus is on the process rather than the product. The art is the "third party" in the session, which can help people find the words that they may not have after using the artwork as a springboard into self-awareness and discovery as well as to help provide distance once internal states can be expressed externally into the artwork. Processing things visually rather than verbally allows the brain to access that which may be pre-verbal or experiences where words are inadequate, and using the metaphor can make issues easier to address.

Lacy obtained her Master's Degree in Art Therapy from The George Washington University and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a Studio Art Minor from Oklahoma State University. She is currently working on her PhD in Mind-Body Medicine with a specialization in Integrative Mental Health from Saybrook University. Lacy is a nationally Registered and Board Certified art therapist, a Licensed Professional Art Therapist-Supervisor in Kentucky, and a Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist in Maryland. She holds certifications as a Clinical Trauma Professional and an Integrative Mental Health Professional. As an Art Therapy Certified Supervisor, Lacy has supervised graduate students and ATR/licensure candidates since 2006 and has served as a practicum professor at The George Washington University. In addition to mentoring, Lacy has presented at the American Art Therapy Association National Conference and led several art therapy workshops and lectures at universities and hospitals, in the community, and for global organizations. Lacy has been honored to be a guest on several podcasts to talk about art and wellness and how it can help people with everyday life as well as with chronic pain and illness and has written related articles, including “The Art of Coping with Cancer” for Coping Magazine.

In addition to her passion and devotion to providing art therapy, Lacy is a New York Times bestselling author and National Bestseller with her coloring book series for adults ("Color Me Calm," "Color Me Happy," "Color Me Stress-Free," "Color Me Fearless," "Color Me to Sleep," and "Color Me Grateful"), which have been translated into 15 languages. She has also authored an art journal for mothers and their children to communicate through art in response to prompts in "Mom and Me: An Art Journal to Share, Connect, and Create Side-by-Side." Recently, Lacy released "The Art Therapy Theme Book," which highlights dozens of ideas and prompts for artistic personal exploration in therapy. Featured on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Lacy was also a presenter with the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program and was the Keynote Speaker for the First Born Girls Social Club's 10th anniversary program. She has also interviewed with magazines, newspapers, and podcasts around the world about the books and the adult coloring phenomenon as well as how coloring benefits people.

Lacy has also released two relaxation double albums with original music and guided imagery, entitled "Lavender Dreams" and "Lavender Destinations," as a way to help people relax and reduce stress. Lacy has incorporated meditative methods as part of her therapeutic practice for most of her career and created these original meditations to help people with mindfulness practices.