Inward Arts
Rachel Hirning, MA, LPC
Counseling + Art Therapy
What do we live for,
If not to make life less difficult for each other?
- George Eliot
Hello! I am Rachel Hirning, a Licensed Professional Counselor, Art Therapist, and Artist.
Yes, all three. Each role dovetails on the other, creating a depth that my clients would not be able to experience if I was employing just one. Combined, they help me do what I do best – helping you develop self-compassion, a clear vision of what you want, and integrate the essential tools to get you there. All this happens through intentional talking, creating imagery, making crucial mindset changes, EMDR, and other influential practices.
My work is an especially good fit for issues related to trauma, anxiety, and major life transitions.
Working Together
The particular methods I use have been carefully chosen because of their ability to be powerful, yet gentle agents of change. Many of my clients have said I’m direct, yet playful. I think that is true, and these practices in particular allow those qualities to come through. Also, I embrace a non-judgemental approach which creates a safe space, making any failures, insecurities, or fear, fabulous opportunities for your personal growth.
Mindfulness & Meditation Instruction
I embrace what I call a contemplative, mindfulness approach in working with people. This may mean that I teach you mindfulness-based practices and meditation techniques, lead you in meditations, guided imagery, muscle relaxation, breathing techniques, or somatic awareness exercises. Many of these come with a practical application you can use outside of the session. These practices slow-down the noise in your head so that you can feel and hear what is happening inside. With less focus on the noise, you increase your awareness and have more resources that provide information. You experience more spaciousness and trust in your life, which makes making choices easier and in alignment with what you truly want. I approach mindfulness as a way of life, and teach how you can do that too.
Art Therapy
As an Artist and Art Therapist, I’ve seen the powerful effects of making art in a non judgemental, therapeutic way. In session, creativity can look many different ways. For example, sometimes I ask clients to create work using only lines, shapes, and colors according to how they feel in that particular moment. Sometimes clients create an image of their inner critic. Other times, using the material is enough, like engaging with a material you’ve never tried to build confidence with new experiences. Art is also a great way to ‘see’ your problem objectively. It is non-threatening and can yield a great deal of insight in a short matter of time. You do not have to be an artist to do Art Therapy.
E.M.D.R.
E.M.D.R. is an acronym for Eye Movement and Desentization and Reprocessing. It is a method of asking your brain to store negative memories in a more healthy adaptive part of your brain. Neurobiologists believe that activating your right and left brain using back and forth movement while focusing on a disturbing thought, unlocks pathways in your brain. These pathways allow that memory to be processed. Basically, the disturbing memory comes out of the fight or flight zone and get stored with the rest of your neutral thoughts. For you, this means that memories you’ve held for a long time, and the negative thoughts you’ve carried about yourself because of them, lose their grip. Your relationship to those memories change, and so do you. You are free from them.
Mindset/Cognitive Shifts
I use a lot of talk therapy to learn how your mind is working, and which thoughts are serving you well and which ones aren’t. Changing the thought can have a positive effect on your feelings and outlook, which in turn, changes your behavior. Training your mind to think differently takes awareness and practice. I am here to simplify this process, with practices that make this change easy and acceptable, so all parts of you can ‘get on board’ with the new way of thinking.
I only work with folks who I think I can help.
Schedule your free 20 minute consult:
*Current clients: You can also use this button to book your next appt.
I offer online sessions only for adult residents of CO.
Fees -
55 min session: 160.00
90 min session: 240.00
Insurance:
I take Region 1 Medicaid.
If you would like to use insurance, and have out of network benefits ("OON"), I can give you a SuperBill to access those. You take that bill to your insurance and they review it, and reimburse you later. Usually, clients receive 30-50% back of each session cost.
I am happy to get creative in how we structure sessions. For example, having one consistent appt. at the top of the month, then a 'check-in' half hr appt 2 weeks later. Or, one appt. every 3 weeks and a journal question or meditation assigned inbetween. Getting creative with how appts. are structured largely depends on your needs, budget, time, and motivation. (EMDR is the only modality this may not work for, it is best not to stretch out the time inbetween EMDR appts. beyond 10-14 days max).
Express When Words Fail
Free Yourself From Constraints
Find Your Calm
About Me
I graduated from Naropa University in 2005 with a dual Master’s degree, in both Transpersonal Counseling and Art Therapy. I have always been a lover of the arts and psychology, and feel blessed that my profession, is a hybrid of the two. The word creativity is wide and expansive, and the metaphors inherent in the term, can be applied to any person, anytime, in any stage of development. Simply stated, we are all creating our own lives, ‘one stroke at a time’ much like a painting gets created, ‘one stroke at a time’. It is these small, but incremental and consistently made choices, that determine what our life looks like. The metaphors in creativity, and the process of art making itself, ground the work I do. I am passionate about helping you discover and master your own creative spirit.
My background includes 20 years working with individuals of all ages and in diverse settings. I spent time at Aurora Mental Health’s Early Childhood Program in Aurora, CO., where my oldest client was 3 years old, and I worked as a home-based counselor for Catholic Charities of Denver, working with adolescents and adults. When I moved to Routt County 17 years ago, I worked at Advocates Building Peaceful Communities and Mind Springs Health. In 2007, I started Inward Arts, LLC, my private practice. In addition to individual therapy, I've held contracts with Colorado Mountain College and provided workshops for Yampa Valley High School.