​INDIVIDUAL, COUPLES & FAMILY PSYCHOTHERAPY

CREATIVE, WHOLE-PERSON DEVELOPMENT
​for Healing and Transformation

Creativity begins with not knowing . . . inviting questions, allowing chaos, accepting confusion. 
A creative approach to whole-person healing and transformation introduces new understanding of human experience, emphasizes strengths, and fosters skills to cope with and transcend trauma, grief, anxiety, and depression. This approach is also helpful for children who experience developmental, social, and emotional challenges.

Together, through deep listening, attention to feelings and sensations, imagining new possibilities, and making new connections toward greater understanding and compassion for self and others, you will find new meaning and reaffirm your life's purpose. We'll focus on your capacity to restore physical, emotional, and mental balance through a creative shift in what you wish to change. 
The Whale and the Hummingbird artwork by ​Maya Netzer, inspired by Martin Prechtel's healing story of a wounded veteran, who took his recordings of hummingbirds out to sea and played them underwater. Whales of all kinds flocked to the boat and echoed the hummingbirds' songs with their own, and as he listened to the call and response his long held grief melted away. This story of hope for healing reminds us how truly interconnected we all are, and how personal transformation is sometimes made possible in the most unexpected ways.

MY APPROACH

I believe that life is a continuum of creative encounters. In every moment we are presented with the choice to turn inwardly and find an answer that is authentic to this moment. When we let our heart guide us, a sense of peace emerges even during difficult times. Rollo May, a philosopher who wrote The Courage to Create, described the creative encounter as the moments in which artists' vision is shaped by their relationship with the world.

Human relationships, too, may be approached as a creative encounter, where we relinquish preconceived ideas and expectations, and respond to the essence of one another, co-creating a unique work of art called Life.

​In my work with individuals, couples, and families I utilize mental imagery, dreamwork, and creative expression as the basis for a dialogue that leads to clarity and new choices, toward healing and personal transformation.
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TESTIMONIALS

Working with Dorit opened up a whole new world for me of self-acceptance and creativity.  Dorit held a space of non-judgment and faith in our being exactly who we are meant to be.  In this space I could easily slip into periods of “flow” in which my artwork poured out of me without hesitations or doubt.  I learned how to not be attached to the outcome of my art and enjoy the process.  Sporadically deep parts of myself would surface, be accepted, and transformed in a non-verbal, non-linear way through my artwork. Dorit taught us techniques to enable us to access this creative state in our art lives outside her studio. 

​Meeting Dorit was a wonderful gift in my life. Dorit has helped me live from a space of authenticity to my own Self... always reminding me and bringing back into my awareness that I AM perfect as I AM right here and right now... releasing the shoulds and should nots of being a certain way as determined by my critical self or the judgments I perceive from others. Dorit's way of working with feelings and dreams via imagery has opened new doors for me... doors of exploration into my own unique and beautiful creative processing. 

​The positive changes that I experienced as a result of working with Dorit spread to all aspects of my life.  Dorit’s insights into life and parenting helped me to accept my children and myself the way we are, without expecting ourselves to be a certain way, or fit into certain roles.  I have truly been enriched and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a teacher of such depth, authenticity, and presence.  Our work together has positively impacted my art life and my life in general to this day.​

​Dorit’s work with our two school-age daughters has proved invaluable.  Using a variety of art media, she has been able to draw out our eight-year-old daughter, helping her to gain confidence in herself and her abilities. Dorit’s gentle approach and quiet discussions have been instrumental in helping her to conquer the fears that had been preventing her from enjoying social interactions with other children.

What is so special about the way Dorit’s works is that she approaches children based on their individual style and personality. When our five-year-old daughter stopped wanting to attend kindergarten, Dorit became a friend to her, sitting on the floor beside her and participating in imaginary play to help her work through her fears. A combination of hands-on materials such as sand, plastic figurines and magic rocks sparked a remarkable transformation that enabled our daughter to overcome her worries and board the school bus with confidence. I feel comfortable saying that Dorit’s work with children is nothing short of extraordinary.

My experience with Dr. Netzer as my professor and my practicum director was extraordinary and profoundly transformative. Very few teachers have the intuitive gifts that Dorit has. Had she not been present during my own intuitive explorations I would have gotten lost within redundancies and misty confusion. Dorit was able to meet me in my personal creative world and encourage me to take a deeper path of inquiry. She validated all sensory information and helped me to get past any veils of self-doubt. As a result I found greater meaning and significances in my life’s work as a painter and through the meditations, writings, and transformative dialogue she and I shared I landed fully equipped, inspired, and energized a the trailhead of my dissertation journey.

Dorit has taught me to trust myself, my gut instinct, and to know that what I am feeling is normal. Her guiding and gentle spirit has comforted me when I doubted myself the most. Dorit has a way about her that reminds me of an angel, she is non-judgmental, truly non-judgmental. The exercises that she has taught me have helped me and I continue to use them almost daily. I refer back to her teachings when my mind feels jumbled and uneasy. ​

Contact

Please contact Dr. Netzer with further inquiry about individual, couples & family, and group sessions.