The Philosophy Behind The Practice
“Art is a wound turned to light.”
— Georges Braque
The 3 Brushes is founded on the belief that healing is a process grounded in three core values: Trust, Compassion, and Growth. These values shape my approach to art therapy and reflect the belief that meaningful change begins with a space where we feel safe enough to explore, express, and grow.
Art connects us to our humanity. The creative process can offer a powerful way to express emotions, reflect on our experiences, foster connection, and support well-being.
As an art therapist, my role is to guide and support individuals from all walks of life toward greater self-understanding, authentic expression, and meaningful growth. I do not seek to define what your experiences should mean or how you should move through them. Instead, I offer a safe, collaborative space where you can explore your own experiences, find your voice, and discover what feels meaningful and supportive to you.
Art can give form to what is felt, remembered, and experienced. Sometimes, healing begins simply by having a place to be—to explore what is within, reconnect with yourself, and find new meaning, purpose, and light within painful experiences.
ABOUT
Grief & Loss Focused Art Therapy in Gaithersburg, MD
Compassionate, trauma-informed art therapy for children and tweens, teens, and adults navigating grief, loss, trauma, and life transitions in Montgomery County, Maryland.
This is a reflective, collaborative space where creative expression can support emotional understanding when experiences are difficult to put into words.
In-person individual art therapy sessions are available in Gaithersburg and surrounding areas of Montgomery County.
❥ Hello, I am Lindsay Downs, a Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist and Board-Certified Art Therapist (LCPAT, ATR-BC®) with over 7 years of experience.
You can learn more about my professional background, education, and experience on LinkedIn.
What It's Like to Work With Me
I aim to offer a therapeutic approach that feels calm, compassionate, collaborative, and attentive. I believe meaningful exploration requires patience, curiosity, and the freedom to move at a pace that feels manageable.
You do not need to have all the answers or a clear understanding of what you are feeling before beginning art therapy. Together, we create space to slow down, notice what is present, and explore experiences through conversation, imagery, symbolism, creative expression, and reflection.
My personal art practice has deeply influenced how I approach therapy. Through making art, I have learned the value of trust, compassion, resilience, and growth, as well as the importance of remaining open to possibilities that may not be visible at the beginning of a process.
Grief and loss rarely exist in isolation. They can intersect with relationships, identity, family dynamics, culture, spirituality, and major life transitions. I value understanding the whole person and the broader context of their experiences rather than reducing them to a single problem or diagnosis.
I believe healing does not require certainty, nor does it need to be rushed or forced. My role is to offer a supportive space where understanding, meaning, and change can emerge over time.
Education, Credentials & Professional Qualifications
Art therapy is a specialized mental health profession that combines psychotherapy, creative expression, and psychological theory to support emotional processing, self-understanding, and personal growth.
I earned my Master of Arts in Art Therapy from George Washington University in 2018. My education, clinical training, licensure, and board certification reflect my commitment to providing ethical, evidence-informed care.
LCPAT — Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist
LCPAT is a professional license issued by the state of Maryland. It reflects specialized graduate education, supervised clinical experience, and adherence to the professional and ethical standards required to practice art therapy independently.
Learn more about the art therapy profession through the American Art Therapy Association.
ATR-BC® — Board-Certified Art Therapist
ATR-BC® is a national board certification awarded by the Art Therapy Credentials Board. It recognizes specialized professional qualifications in art therapy and includes requirements for continuing professional development.
These credentials distinguish specialized training in art therapy from the use of creative activities alone. Art therapists receive graduate-level training in psychotherapy, human development, assessment, ethics, and the therapeutic use of art materials and creative processes.
Who I Work With & Areas of Specialization
I provide art therapy for:
Children (7–10)
Tweens (11–12)
Teens (13–17)
Adults (18+)
Explore:
My practice specializes in supporting individuals experiencing:
Grief and loss
Bereavement and complicated grief
Trauma and difficult life experiences
Anxiety and depression
Emotional overwhelm and stress
Life transitions and identity shifts
Support is tailored to each person's developmental needs, individual goals, and lived experiences.
MY APPROACH, PHILOSOPHY, & VALUES
My approach is trauma-informed, grief-informed, relational, and integrative. Sessions combine creative expression and conversation, with each experience adapted to your needs, emotional capacity, and personal goals.
The focus is not on producing finished artwork or creating something that looks a certain way. Instead, art-making becomes a pathway to emotional awareness, reflection, meaning-making, and deeper self-understanding.
My work is grounded in trust, compassion, curiosity, creativity, and growth. I believe meaningful change develops through safety, relationship, and time. Art therapy offers space to explore emotional experiences with care rather than pressure, allowing insight and new perspectives to unfold at your own pace.
What the Therapeutic Process Is Like
Art therapy offers a structured yet flexible space to slow down, reflect, and explore experiences through both creative expression and conversation.
There is no expectation to create good art or arrive at insight quickly. You may find yourself working with images, symbols, materials, or simply beginning with words about what feels present.
The process may support:
Greater emotional awareness and regulation
Understanding patterns and internal experiences
Processing grief, trauma, and life changes
Reflection and meaning-making
A more grounded and centered connection to yourself
The process is collaborative. Your experiences, needs, and goals help guide the work.
Intake & Beginning Therapy
Starting art therapy can feel vulnerable, particularly during grief, uncertainty, or emotional overwhelm. You do not need to know exactly what you need or where to begin.
The intake process includes completing required forms, discussing your concerns and goals, and exploring how art therapy may support your needs. Together, we consider whether working with me feels like a good fit and, when appropriate, develop a collaborative treatment plan for ongoing sessions.
If my approach is not the right fit, that is okay. Referrals to other providers can be offered upon request.
Collaboration & Care
Your lived experience remains central to the therapeutic process. When working with children and adolescents, collaboration with parents, legal guardians, and caregivers is included when clinically appropriate to support continuity of care while respecting the young person's individual needs.
Privacy & Confidentiality
Confidentiality is maintained in accordance with applicable legal and ethical requirements. For minor clients, information shared during sessions—including conversations, activities, and artwork—is not routinely disclosed to parents or guardians. When clinically appropriate, general information about treatment goals, progress, recommendations, or concerns may be shared to support care while preserving the privacy needed for a trusting therapeutic relationship.
Confidentiality has legal and ethical limits, including circumstances involving safety concerns, suspected abuse or neglect, or disclosures otherwise required by law. Whenever appropriate, necessary communication will be discussed with the minor client before information is shared.
Endings & Transitions
Art therapy may conclude when treatment goals have been met or when support is no longer needed in the same way. Some clients gradually conclude therapy, take a pause, or return later when clinically appropriate.
Endings are approached intentionally, with space for reflection, integration, and closure. Following a substantial break in treatment, an updated evaluation may be needed before sessions resume.
Beginning Art Therapy
You do not have to navigate grief, uncertainty, or emotional overwhelm alone.
If you are considering art therapy, you are welcome to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation to ask questions, learn about the process, and explore whether working together feels like a good fit.
Support is available when you are ready.
Schedule a Complimentary Consultation →
Looking for a Different Type of Support?
If The 3 Brushes, LLC isn't the right fit for your needs, you may like to explore the DMV Therapists Directory for additional mental health professionals in the local area.
-
LCPAT stands for Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist in the state of Maryland.
This professional license is issued by the state of Maryland and recognizes art therapy as a distinct mental health profession. I have completed graduate-level education, supervised clinical training, and ongoing professional development requirements to provide art therapy services independently.
-
ATR-BC® stands for Registered Art Therapist–Board Certified. This national credential is awarded by the Art Therapy Credentials Board and represents the highest level of certification within the art therapy profession. Board certification reflects advanced education, supervised clinical experience, successful completion of a national examination, and a commitment to continuing education and ethical practice.
-
You do not need artistic ability, talent, or prior art experience to participate in or potentially benefit from art therapy. People of different ages, backgrounds, and levels of artistic experience may find the process meaningful. The focus is not on creating “good” art or developing artistic skill
Art therapy uses the creative process as a way to explore emotions, experiences, and personal meaning when words alone may feel difficult or insufficient. Many clients discover that art offers another way to express, understand, and process what they are carrying.
-
Both art therapy and traditional talk therapy can be effective and meaningful forms of support.
Art therapy offers an additional avenue for expression and exploration through the creative process. For some individuals, especially those navigating grief, loss, trauma, life transitions, or emotional overwhelm, art can help access thoughts, emotions, and experiences that may be difficult to express verbally.
Art therapy can complement conversation while providing opportunities for reflection, insight, and emotional processing.
-
I work with children, tweens, teens, and adults navigating grief and loss, life transitions, emotional overwhelm, trauma, identity shifts, and adjustment challenges.
My practice provides a supportive and creative space for individuals seeking to better understand their experiences, strengthen emotional resilience, and reconnect with themselves.
-
While grief and loss are central areas of focus within my practice, they are not the only reasons people seek art therapy with me.
I work with children, teens, and adults navigating bereavement, complicated grief, life transitions, and other experiences of loss. I also support individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional overwhelm, and relationship challenges.
Often, these experiences are interconnected. Grief and loss can influence how we relate to ourselves, others, and the world around us, while life transitions, trauma, anxiety, and relationship difficulties can bring their own feelings of loss and uncertainty.
Grief can affect every part of life and often feels difficult to express through words alone. Art therapy can provide a meaningful way to process emotions, honor experiences, and make sense of change over time. Whether you are navigating loss or facing other emotional challenges, therapy can offer a supportive space to explore your experiences, build resilience, and reconnect with yourself.
-
Art therapy may be a good fit if you are looking for a therapeutic approach that incorporates art, conversation, and the creative process.
Art therapy is experiential and hands-on. Many people are drawn to art therapy when they feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to put their experiences into words.
You do not need artistic experience—only a willingness to explore your experiences in a supportive, collaborative environment.
When you call for a consultation, we can discuss your goals, desired outcomes, or what you want to focus on to determine whether art therapy feels aligned with your needs.
Feel free to connect with me for a complimentary consultation call.
-
Yes, I offer a free 20 minute consultation. During a consultation, we can discuss your goals, desired outcomes, and what you would like to focus on to explore whether art therapy feels aligned with your needs.