Kimberly Gibson Counseling & Art Therapy Services - Playa Vista

11/18/2025

Hi everyone, Please check out my new blog post on how to use art therapy to increase emotional awareness and emotional regulation. Here is the link: https://www.kimberlygibsoncounseling.com/post/two-art-therapy-activities-that-can-help-increase-emotional-awareness reach out if you have comments or questions. Best way to reach me is via email. [email protected]

Hi all, How are we doing as we move into mid November? LA is bracing for rain again and I’m thinking about how art therapy can help one increase awareness of emotions. Which is super important because emotions are signals. They can tell us what we need and what needs are being unmet. For example, ...

09/04/2025

Hey now! I wrote a new blog post. Here is a link to check it out. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the transition from Summer to Fall.

An Art Therapy Intervention for the Fifth Season, late summer- The Bridge DrawingI recently learned from a friend, who is an acupuncturist, that in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) there are five seasons. The fifth season is happening right now and it's called late summer. This transitional period...

10/17/2024

09/19/2024

Yes to this!!! What a great graphic by Kristin Wiens. "Kids will do well if they can" and its up to us adults to understand what's behind a behavior. It's up to us to address stressors, meet unmet needs & teach the skills they need!

11/16/2023

I really enjoy working with parents or caregivers who are neurodivergent & they are often raising a neurodivergent kiddo too. And it can be hard to find helpful info; info that does not patholgize neurodivergent traits or tendencies. Here is some one I follow on Facebook and a recent post of theirs. Neurodivergent Parenting: Think Outside The Box https://www.facebook.com/ParentingOutsideTheBoxMichigan

Your Neurodivergent Child Probably Has Anxiety....
So what should you do about it?
4 Steps To Insulating Your Child From Anxiety
_________________________________
Let's start with WHY being ND often comes with Anxiety Disorders.
(You can skip this part for a speedy read)
Contributing factors can be things like:
*underdeveloped motor skills
*academic struggles
*communication mismatches
*intrusive thoughts
*executive dysfunction
*the consequences of impulsively
*social demands that don't account for aphantasia and poor working memory
*sensory overload
*receiving extra critique from teachers and caregivers
*social isolation
*decision paralysis
*auditory processing problems
*naturally high Cortisol levels and low Dopamine levels
*Emotional dysregulation
*trauma from environmental mismatches
*constantly having their interests dismissed as "weird" or irrelevant
*exhaustion caused by delayed sleep phases and inflexible schedules
*and pressure to mask
No WONDER so many ADHD-ers, Autistics, ARFID folks, Tic Folks, and OCD folks have Anxiety Disorders!!!
______________________________
⏬️⏬️⏬️⏬️⏬️⏬️⏬️
But what can you do, to help?
Lots of things.... but let's start with 4 steps
1) 💚💚💚💚 Practice your own emotional regulation.
There are some great workbooks out there, to help, but I personally, find it helpful to pretend I am being filmed for a documentary.
I imagine that I want to present myself in the best way possible, and it helps me "Act out calm."
____________________
2) 💙💙💙 When your child experiences rejection sensitive dysphoria, and has an extreme reaction to criticism....
stay calm,
remind them that ND brains tend to feel EVERYTHING deeply (bad AND good),
and help them form a PLAN. 🗺
A plan to EITHER cope with their emotion directly,
OR to use a distraction to help with regulation.
(When my Charlie has RSD,
I remind him that a good way to deal with feelings of worthlessness, is to make yourself USEFUL and WORTHY--
helping something/one to be
healthier and happier.
Then I show him how to repot plants so they can grow larger,
or how to help his Grandma with combing her hair,
or how to make toys for the cats.)
____________________
3) 💜💜 Find ways to build them up.
This can mean praise, but it doesn't have to. It can also mean:
*listening to info dumps,
* giving them opportunities to practice "grown up" skills,
*spending quality time with them
*reducing critique of them
*cooking, building, or creating things with them
*lowering demands on them/ensuring they are getting enough rest
*showing appreciation for their unique talents
*Letting them in, on "secrets" (embarrassing stories from your own youth or deconstructed historical myths that show why famous folks weren't so very perfect)
*and setting them up for success with visuals AND auditory reminders
____________________
4) 💛 And lastly, seek professional evaluations and advice.
A doctor or psychiatrist may have medications to help stabilize deficient neurotransmitters.
An Occupational Therapist may be able to teach emotional regulation techniques.
And a qualified therapist may help your family gain some perspective.

I am an Autistic/ADHD Parent, to ND kids, Sharing Humor and Education with other ND Families

06/12/2023

What a helpful, quick read with lots of suggestions including separating from critical thoughts, changing the language and spotting successes!

Investigate the origins, create a 'done list,' and set up a self-criticism jar.

02/08/2023

The power of compassion and self compassion...."Being present and caring toward others helps those who suffer become more present and caring toward themselves. Most of us learn to soothe ourselves when we have been soothed by others. Those who have grown up without much comfort have to actively learn these skills." https://www.lionsroar.com/someone-i-love-is-hurting/?fbclid=IwAR1rPgnnH03BaRt-JX19sgkSoVvB5q5KWyql4YxVgvox2y2Oab0Zr3Wy_Bk

Psychiatrist Ravi Chandra on how you can support a loved one suffering from mental illness without minimizing or ignoring your own pain.

01/02/2023

Happy Year’s Day, Everyone! I hope we all have a healthy new year with so many possibilities & adventures. Let’s go exploring!

12/07/2022

Yes! Creating art can be healing, containing & a safe way to process tough stuff.

When my daughter Miley was 11 months old, she was diagnosed with cancer. I immediately immersed myself into her care... And once her treatment was completed, we rang a bell — and it was over. This is the most mind-blowing thing that no one prepares you for. My daughter was cancer free but I was le...

11/25/2022

This article features 6 free mediations and an article explaining why it is OK to feel complex emotions too. You can be grateful and sad, frustrated and angry too. There is space within to feel it all.

"Leave space for a complicated humanness. It's OK to feel grateful and also feel tired or annoyed."- Diana Winston (the director of mindfulness education at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center).

Take a break from the chaos with these guided meditation tracks.

08/03/2022

THIS!!! After a lifetime of struggling to keep up, feeling disorganized and behind, parents are starting to realize they might have ADHD, especially after their child is diagnosed. There is such a strong genetic component & parents with ADHD can see themselves in their child. The upside is supportive therapy really does help! Therapy can help make a plan around executive functioning skills- the outer presentation of ADHD and therapy can help with the internal piece too including addressing anxiety and depression that can often accompany ADHD.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2022/08/01/adhd-parent-and-child/?fbclid=IwAR2e4pujOb4PFiskqLOrX9jH9kwg1PyDHEdJgyIBJ16l__kv-87RxvPULM0

“ADHD is really very strongly genetic, so it’s extremely common for parents to say, ‘I was just like this as a kid,’ or, ‘I see him. I see myself in him.’ ” says William Stixrud, founder of the Stixrud Group.

07/18/2022

It’s hard to believe it’s mid July & summer is half way over. I hope you have been enjoying your summer & making rest (all kinds) a priority!

Rest can be hard to find, here are 7 types of rest to explore.

Ideas via Dr. Dalton Smith
Sketchnote via Sylvia Duckworth