An Interview with Karen Corona (LCSW)
As seen in Authority Magazine
Written by Authority Editorial Staff
Express & Process your Feelings through Creative Expression in Visual Art-Making.
Let’s face it. It seems that everyone is under a great deal of stress these days. This takes a toll on our mental wellness. What are some of the best self-care practices that we can use to help improve our mental wellness and mental well-being? In this interview series, we are talking to medical doctors, mental health professionals, health and wellness professionals, and experts about self-care or mental health who can share insights from their experience about How Each Of Us Can Use Self Care To Improve Our Mental Wellness. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Karen Corona.
Karen Corona is a psychotherapist (LCSW), licensed in both Oregon & California, and a certified Creativity & Wellness Coach. She has an expertise in helping individuals to heal from the effects of trauma via the expressive arts integrated with therapeutic modalities such as Internal Family Systems (IFS). Karen is the author of her first book, “HeART Healing for Radiant Living: BE the Best Version on YOU One Week at a Time” which focuses on using creative expression to heal emotional wounds in order to experience more joy, vibrancy, and inner freedom.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about you and your personal background. Can you please share your personal story? What has brought you to this point in your life?
It is Pablo Picasso who famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” At the age of five, my grandmother wrote a statement about each of her grandchildren. Mine was this: “A petite little miss who is very artistic in her drawings and creations with glue, beads, lace, etc…”. In sixth grade, I held a summer art camp for my younger sister’s friends. They each paid fifty cents, and I had an art project each afternoon for them to make, which was set up on a table with creative supplies in our backyard. Our passions, which can also become our purpose, often have threads back to our earlier years. I have always been a creative, empathic and intuitive soul but it was only in my healing journey where I reconnected to my Creative Self and claimed my own inner liberation and freedom.
It was at the age of twenty-one, while I was hospitalized for depression in college, that I was introduced to “art therapy”. My heart discovered the use of process arts to express feelings and convey what was unfolding within me, thereby shifting my inner landscape. This experience of navigating clinical depression really contributed to my decision to major in psychology as an undergraduate. I then went on to graduate school and earned both a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) to then become a licensed clinical social worker/therapist. I later obtained further training with a certification in expressive arts therapy.
I’ve worked in many different clinical settings over the years to include medical social work, foster care agencies, outpatient mental health, chemical dependency, and inpatient psychiatric hospitals. Eventually I opened up my current private therapy practice, Green Leaf: Counseling & Expressive Arts Therapy, LLC based in Portland, Oregon. I specialize in working with women to heal childhood trauma (C-PTSD) using an integrated approach of the expressive arts with Internal Family Systems (IFS).
In 2022, I went through a coaching program specifically for therapists to expand beyond the therapy room to include coaching and launched my Creative Heart Awakenings business. In this capacity I help women to bring creativity and the expressive arts into their wellness journey so they can heal emotional pain and internal blocks keeping them stuck, leading to an experience of more joy, vibrancy, and inner freedom. I am dedicated to helping women heal their hearts in order to flourish in life. And, this is what my book, HeART Healing for Radiant Living, is really about which was published and released on June 20th, 2024.
What is your “WHY” behind what you do? What fuels you?
I have experienced my own mental health struggles which have included surviving two suicide attempts and healing core wounds that showed up as symptoms in a mood disorder and complex trauma. I know up close deep emotional pain, loss, and ‘dark nights of the soul’. Today, there is still stigma and shame that shows up for individuals whose life story includes mental health conditions. Even within the mental health world of therapists, there exists pathologizing clients and using clinical language that labels the individual as a disorder. I am passionate about mental health advocacy, reducing shame and stigma for those who have wounded hearts. According to NAMI, one in five adults have experienced some form of a mental health condition.
As I have discovered emotional freedom with one core healing component being the expressive arts, my life calling was shaped by my own transformational journey to wellness. Part of my soul purpose is about helping women to heal emotional wounds and be free from that which hinders full expression of oneself so they can truly flourish in life. And in the journey, moving from surviving to thriving.
As I wrote in the conclusion of my book, “When we align who we are and who we have become with what we are called to do in the world — our soul purpose — then we step into our authentic power. As you reclaim your creative self and use the transformative catalyst of the expressive arts, then it’s time to illuminate the world with your radiance. I believe women can make profound changes in the world by tapping into their creative well of being and holding an unwavering vision to make a difference for the Higher Good.”
When I am aligned with my values and my soul calling, I am fueled. Additionally, when I prioritize my joy, I am filled up again and this also detours burn out. Creative self-care for me is foundational to experiencing optimal mental & emotional well-being. If I follow my joy then I am creatively expressing myself through art journaling, SoulCollage®, Intuitive Painting, mixed media art, and being in nature (walking my doggie or hiking) whether in the forest or coastline. I invite those I work with to create a JOY collage identifying that which nourishes their heart.
Sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake or failure which you now appreciate has taught you a valuable lesson?
I’ve made a lot of mistakes and experienced failures in life, in my clinical work as a social worker (especially in the earlier days of my career) and in business. I agree that “sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers.” When I ask myself what was the lesson to be learned in any given situation then I really view it as ‘”failing forward.” As long as we learn the lesson then it’s really not a failure as failure is a part of the journey to success. It provides the opportunity to master the lessons required to navigate our way up. And, when you fall, stand; stand until you rise. One of my main mantas is ‘Keep Going.” It’s most important to not give up.
One of my mistakes I’ve made a few times is working too much and not setting boundaries or prioritizing my own self-care. Working in the field of mental health and social work can be quite challenging and the risk of burn out is high. There is also the issue of “compassion fatigue’ and “vicarious traumatization.” As I have struggled with issues around trying to earn my worth through achievement and performance, I was prone to excessive working and taking on too much at the expense of my own mental health. Today I prioritize my own mental/emotional and physical health which involves daily practices of self-care or what I call ‘Wellness Rhythms”. “Wellness Rhythms” are healthy self-care habits that support optimal wellbeing and flourishing in life. I invite clients to identify “Wellness Rhythms” for each of the four dimensions including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. These self-care practices are the foundation of a holistic approach to wellness.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The first is persistence. The quote is, “Nevertheless, she persisted” which was the 2018 Women’s History Month theme in the United States, honoring women who fight all forms of discrimination against women. This quote is on a piece of mixed media collage art I made and it hangs on my home office wall to see it on a regular basis. I have had a tenacious spirit but there have also been times when I have “given up” and it was only by the grace of the Divine and help along with way that I am here today. At the same time, I have been fiercely committed to my BIG Dream placed in my HeART and much has yet to unfold for me in this regard. While there have been many trials, challenges, and mountains to climb, I “Keep Going” as my dream is aligned with my soul purpose on earth. I continue to believe that my story and message hold significance and can help save lives, heal hearts, and provide a path towards transformation that leads to an inner liberation.
The second is authenticity. As part of my healing journey to wellness I have been able to connect with my True Self in a way that allows for vulnerability and authenticity. This wasn’t always the case. I had a more trauma-driven part that was often in the driver’s seat of the bus; what I have come to call my Task Master (who I named Tammy). This part held much of my perfectionism, control, and internal dialogue that was akin to an inner critic (demanding, critical, and self-attacking). This part emerged around the age of 13 for me where I first started to show signs of these symptoms. In IFS language, this was a protective manager part that was trying to secure love, approval, and validation through trying to be perfect but in a very misguided way as it became my greatest internal oppressor. I have had to do a lot of work in my own therapy with this False Self in order to have my True Self shine through. Today, being open and transparent in an authentic way is important in the type of work I do.
The third is having vision. I have always been more of an idealist and dreamer like my Dad. As a creative I have a plethora of ideas pulsating through my head. Sometimes this feels like a “divine download”. The dream, however, needs to be paired with goals and implementation in order for it to come to fruition. I like to ask individuals, “What’s your dream?” or “What is the unique imprint you want to leave on the world?” Oftentimes an individual has lost touch with the notion of dreaming or having a vision because life is so full of challenges and hardships it’s easy to just be in survival mode. As my Coaching business continues to grow to the level I am envisioning, I’d like to have a non-profit fully funded by my business that brings art & creativity to foster children. Additionally, I would like to have a scholarship-type program that provides a substantial amount of money to individuals to launch their dreams. Often the vision proceeds the provision. That is, the how and funds come after the vision is clear. Allow yourself to dream and the vision to take shape in color.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that will help people?
First, with the publication of my book in June of this year, I will be holding my first official book launch at the New Renaissance Bookshop in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, September 28th from 3–4:30 pm. It will include a brief book reading and psychoeducational talk on the positive benefits of the expressive arts on wellbeing. Each person who attends will receive a signed paperback copy of my book. There will also be an arts activity that correlates with the H.E.A.R.T. framework as delineated in my book.
Additionally, I will be offering a book event in Coburg, Oregon (near Eugene) on Sunday, September 15th at 1–2:30 pm at the Coburg Commons Bookshop.. Moving forward, I have plans in the works to do a book event at Powell’s bookstore in Portland, Oregon and then at Barnes & Noble in Beaverton, Oregon along with a book tour that would include locations like St. Petersburg, Florida (with Angela Colville, therapist & career/clarity & confidence coach ), Detroit, Michigan (with Keisha Harrison & her poetic communication), and Wisconsin (with Jen Starkey, therapist & empath empowerment coach). I want my message of hope & healing through creative expression to get out into the world. And, my book is in the process of being translated into Spanish by my stepson.
A second project that I’m super jazzed about is creating an app on Passion.io called, HeART Healing for Radiant Living, that would be a companion to my book. This would provide creative resilience resources to equip one to remove internal barriers in order to experience more high vibrancy emotional states and inner freedom. This will also be aligned with the content in my HeART Healing Coaching programs. And third, my dream of having a creative wellness studio space is underway. This is currently being built in Todo Santos, BCS Mexico (45 minutes on the Pacific Ocean side up from Cabo San Lucas). Eventually, I will facilitate creative wellness workshops and retreats for women in both Oregon and Mexico.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, about the interface between self-care and mental health. From where you stand personally or professionally, why are you so passionate about mental well-being?
I am both personally and professionally passionate about mental/emotional wellbeing. I’ve heard it stated that, “health is wealth.”. I believe this to be true. Prioritizing mental/emotional health is foundational to flourishing, allowing us to create a meaningful and fulfilling life. I have had life chapters where there was deep emotional pain and a lack of mental/emotional health and this was a dark place to be. I dedicated my debut book, HeART Healing for Radiant Living, to my therapist, Mary Boyvey, LCSW for her unwavering commitment to my healing. As I’ve known what it is to experience mental health conditions, both in the distress and impairment of functioning, I am adamant about carving out time and energy to my wellbeing. I have certain “Wellness Rhythms”/self-care practices each morning as the dawn emerges that substantially contribute to maintaining my inner emotional freedom and high vibrancy states like joy. Professionally, I chose a career path that involves helping others on their healing journey to wellness as both a psychotherapist and now a Life Coach. I believe healing, change, and growth is always possible and sharing my message of hope is vitally important to me. Understanding the interfacing between self-care and mental well-being is imperative.
Based on your research or experience, how exactly does self-care impact our mental wellness?
Self-care practices are integral to overall psychological resilience and wellbeing. There are many positive benefits on mental wellness from engaging in self-care activities and behaviors or what I call “Wellness Rhythms.” It is so important to identify what nurtures one’s own body, mind, and spirit. As I am passionate about bringing creativity and the arts into the wellness lifestyle, I will highlight five benefits of engaging in creative expression as a self-care practice.
It can help to lower stress by reducing cortisol levels; chronic stress can wreak havoc on the body and one’s emotional/mental health so finding effective ways to manage stress is key.
It can support the processing of emotions in a cathartic or externalizing way; depicting one’s inner landscape of feelings assists in moving through and releasing difficult or negative emotions.
It can help to lessen anxiety, particular through activities that serve to regulate the nervous system such as an art-based mindfulness practice (eg; coloring in images in an adult coloring book while listening to calming (417 hz ) music).
It activates different parts of the brain which aids in the connection between right and left-brain hemispheres and this promotes overall wellbeing.
It can act as a catalyst to increasing self-awareness which is the precursor for change.
These are just some of the benefits of creative self-care practices on mental/emotional wellness, but it is clear that there are a myriad of positives when we intentionally engage in activities or hobbies that are replenishing and restorative.
Can you please share your “Top Five Self-care Practices That Each Of Us Can Use To Improve Our Mental Wellness”?
I will offer my top five creative self-care practices that improve mental/emotinal wellness based on my expressive arts H.E.A.R.T. Model as the framework I use in my book.
H = Heal your HeART through ART
E = Express yourself through Movement & Music
A = Affirmations for Intentional Thought Creation
R = Ritual of Writing & Journaling
T = Thankfulness & Gratitude
My book provides 52-weekly creative arts prompts using this H.E.A.R.T. framework for each week.
(1). Express & Process your Feelings through Creative Expression in Visual Art-Making. There are many options for this such as starting a daily art journaling practice (which is basically a visual journal that may or may not incorporate words) or painting with acrylic/watercolors the internal feeling landscape of your heart at the moment. Another simple emotional check-in through art is to go through a magazine and pick out an image that visually depicts how you might be feeling and then a word that goes with it. Cut out both from the magazine and paste it in your art journal or on a piece of paper. Write a few sentences about it and what comes up when you reflect on the image and word. There are many options when it comes to process arts; using art for healing and personal transformation purposes. You may check out Intuitive Painting and Stewart Cubley’s “Painting Experience” or the book, Life, Paint, and Passion by Michele Cassou and Stewart Cubley. There is also what is called SoulCollage® founded by late psychotherapist, Seena Frost, where there are workshops, groups, and retreats throughout the world.
(2). Move your Body as you Listen to Music. One of the most effective ways to change a mood state is through movement. Stress and emotions are held in the body and so movement such as walking or dancing can aid in releasing. You might create different types of playlists for creative self-expression through movement/dance. For example, one for a joy/happy dance party or one for supporting re-regulation of the nervous system. Gabrielle Roth has a book called, “Sweat Your Prayers”, that goes with her 5 Rhythms which includes five universal rhythms to move to (these include flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness). The 5 Rhythms can be found on YouTube and Apple Music. Another option for music is listening to certain calming frequencies such as 417 hz. Try listening to this for just 3–5 minutes on a regular basis and notice the positive effects.
(3). Affirmations for Intentional Thought Creation. This self-care practice is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles. It focuses on the power of our thoughts/beliefs to impact how we feel and what is then created in our lives. Sometimes when we get emotionally triggered it then activates an old narrative/story that is not serving us. Intentionally re-storying our narrative into one that is more empowering can result in big positive changes in our lives. What we focus on we create more of. You may write a morning affirmation on a 3x5 card and let it be your guiding affirmation mantra for the day. I like to add color with colored pencils or watercolor paint. There are many affirmation card decks (I have several listed in my HeART Healing Resource List in the back of my book). Louise Hay has written many books which include the use of affirmations to heal and change your life. One of her books is, “You Can Heal Your Life.”. There are certain guidelines for writing affirmations that support us to really internalize the new thought or belief. For example, you may start the affirmation with, “More and more….I am treating myself with self-compassion and prioritizing my mental/emotional wellness through self-care.”
(4). Ritual of a Writing & Journaling practice. For over twenty years I have had a daily morning journaling practice. I primarily use Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages method which is free associating writing where you fill up three pages in a journal. Brooke Castillo, a Life Coach with her Life Coach School, suggests a daily thought download where you are writing down any and all thoughts going through your head at the moment. Writing in this way, where you are doing a thoughts and feelings download, is an effective way to clear the mind and heart to start the day afresh. I invite you to start a writing/journaling practice. My book has 52-weeks of different journaling prompts. Sometimes it’s helpful to start with answering questions to stimulate ideas for what to write or journal about. You may check out Kathleen (Kay) Adams, LPC Center for Journal Therapy website which has many resources for “Life-based writing for healing, growth, & change.” She also has several books about writing and journaling for personal transformation. One is, The Write Way to Wellness: A Workbook for Healing and Change.
(5). Thankfulness & Gratitude: There has been quite of bit of research through the years on gratitude and its positive impact on mental/emotional well-being. Those who tend to orient towards what they are grateful for are found to have higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. It has been said that what we appreciate, appreciates. Sometimes our focus goes to what is not working or what is missing and the problems in life. But, if we intentionally re-train our mind and create new neural pathways then there becomes a tendency to also focus on what we do have. This is the foundation for abundance. I have a few guidelines for a gratitude practice that I mention in my book as telling someone to be grateful in a way that minimizes their feeling or experience is not helpful. This can be a form of comparative suffering. However, cultivating for yourself an “attitude of gratitude” is a powerful self-care practice that supports mental/emotional wellness. You may start with a gratitude journal. I have one that I use each morning and write three things I’m gratitude for that day.
Can you please share a few of the main roadblocks that prevent people from making better self-care choices? What would you suggest can be done to overcome those roadblocks?
Some of the main roadblocks that get in the way of prioritizing self-care are time limitations, often feeling overwhelmed by life’s daily responsibilities and stressors, and lack of resources. There can also be internal barriers such as associating self-care with being “selfish” or a tendency to have codependent relationships where one is constantly focused on meeting other’s needs. The idea of putting into practice taking time for play, rest and relaxation often collides with our achievement/productivity driven culture.
In terms of the types of self-care choices, there may be a pattern of self-sabotage in the sense of turning towards something that gives an immediate ‘dopamine hit’ but may not align with one’s healthy lifestyle values. When there’s been a trauma history, there is often a tendency to self-medicate in order to put out the emotional pain through alcohol, drugs, food, shopping and so on. Identifying your own internal and external roadblocks to making better self-care choices allows one to be more intentional in creatively problem-solving. For each dimension of wellness, select a practice, habit, self-care behavior or activity that would support flourishing in body, mind, heart, and soul. Start small. For example, if it’s yoga for physical health, maybe it’s 20 minutes twice a week to begin with. I use the Radiant Living principle of “some is better than none” when it comes to establishing healthy habits. We can often get into all-or-nothing thinking or behaving which becomes another roadblock in making better self-care choices.
In 2022 I wrote a blog article on my website titled, “3 Secrets to Removing Emotional Roadblocks” and cited these as a key to overcoming internal barriers. The first is: Mindset Matters. When you identify a mindset trap by examining how certain thoughts make you feel, you can work on modifying that belief system to better serve you. The second is: Transform your Liabilities into Assets. Transmuting one emotional state into another by making a change in the thoughts you hold is the simple shift that catalyzes all others. And the third is: Create a Morning Success Ritual. There’s a reason why people tout the benefits and importance of a morning routine. When you set the tone for your day and create an environment that empowers you to anchor into a state of gratitude and joy, you enable yourself to show up as the best version of YOU.
In one sentence, what would you say to someone who doesn’t prioritize their mental well-being?
Identify the internal or external blocks to taking care of your mental/emotional well-being as prioritizing it is the key to experiencing your life with more joy, freedom, vibrancy, and abundance; start today.
Thank you for all that great insight! Let’s start wrapping up. Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does this quote resonate with you so much?
I’ll share the quote I have in the beginning of my book which is by Helen Keller. The quote is, “…Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it…The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.” I had to read an autobiography and then do a book report on it in elementary school. I chose Helen Keller. I recall being quite inspired and subsequently went on to learn a bit of sign language. I was often drawn to women in history who have made significant positive imprints on the world. I am very moved by individuals who have faced tremendous adversity and yet triumph in a way that leaves the world a better place.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? They might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
Yes, there are a few but for here I would say Oprah Winfrey. I grew up watching the Oprah show and as she has continued to evolve, I gleaned more and more inspiration from her. In one of her Super Soul Sunday episodes on OWN, I remember her talking about when you have a Big Dream, it often requires time as we need to grow into the dream. She also suggested that instead of focusing on what we envision for our life, to ask God, “What is your Dream for me?” This was a life-changing question that impacted me spiritually as it allowed me to invite the Divine into my Big Dream. I could then be “Higher-Powered” as a psychotherapist, Creativity & Wellness Coach, and entrepreneur. It would be one of my dreams come true to be on one of her Super Soul Sunday episodes. My book, “HeART Healing for Radiant Living”, is also about trauma, resilience, and healing as is the book she co-authored with Dr. Bruce Perry, “What Happened to You?”. I love this notion of transforming your wounds into wisdom and continuing to grow on one’s life path that enables one to pay it forward in meaningful ways.
I truly appreciate your time and valuable contribution. One last question. How can our readers best reach or follow you?
To learn more about Creative Heart Awakening and my current coaching services, groups, workshops, and retreats, please visit my website at:
On my website you can sign up for my free gift, “The Art of Wellness: 7 Creative Transformation Tools for Radiant Living.”
My book, “HeART Healing for Radiant Living: BE the Best Version of YOU One week at a Time” is available on Amazon in ebook/Kindle, paperback, and color hardcover formats and also in select bookstores. I will be holding book signing events starting in September with the official launch on Saturday, September 28th at 3 pm at the New Renaissance Bookshop in Portland, Oregon. You can register at:
Follow me:
IG: @karencoronallc
FB: @creativeheartawakenings
LinkedIn:
Karen is also a therapist at Open Mind Health
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
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