Staff
Melissa J. Hedlund Nelson, PhD, ATR-BC, LCPC, SEP, CADC
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Dr. Hedlund Nelson is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Board-Certified Registered Art Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner©, and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She has a Ph.D. in Expressive Therapies from Lesley University and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy from the Adler School of Professional Psychology. She is past Speaker of the Assembly of Chapters for the American Art Therapy Association and past President of the Illinois Art Therapy Association. She has developed and founded a not-for-profit, The Light of The Heart: A Community Art Therapy Project, and is the project’s Executive Director. She is also supervisor of Linden Oaks Hospital’s outpatient location in St. Charles, IL.
Her professional interests include: furthering the field of art therapy and counseling through education and research, creating heartfelt connections nationwide within the field, and expanding access areas of inclusive art therapy and mental health programming. Her clinical approach involves integrating Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Somatic Experiencing© with art therapy and counseling psychology. She views the body as integral to the artmaking process and as a holder for healing.
She has experience working with diverse populations, diagnoses, and treatment environments. Her expertise involves working with adolescents and adults affected by trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, panic disorder, substance abuse, and those seeking wellness. Her current research interests are slow, gentle, and repetitive painting movements and the body’s role in artmaking and healing. On the non-clinical end, she has experience in not-for-profit development, leadership, supervision, curriculum development, grant writing, program development, conducting research on community disparities, fund development, education, and management.
Her professional interests include: furthering the field of art therapy and counseling through education and research, creating heartfelt connections nationwide within the field, and expanding access areas of inclusive art therapy and mental health programming. Her clinical approach involves integrating Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Somatic Experiencing© with art therapy and counseling psychology. She views the body as integral to the artmaking process and as a holder for healing.
She has experience working with diverse populations, diagnoses, and treatment environments. Her expertise involves working with adolescents and adults affected by trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, panic disorder, substance abuse, and those seeking wellness. Her current research interests are slow, gentle, and repetitive painting movements and the body’s role in artmaking and healing. On the non-clinical end, she has experience in not-for-profit development, leadership, supervision, curriculum development, grant writing, program development, conducting research on community disparities, fund development, education, and management.
Past Staff & Interns
Sarah Loster, MA, Art Therapist
Creating art has always been a big part of my life. I was diagnosed with severe dyslexia and attention deficit disorder at age seven, and creating art has helped me focus, build self-esteem, and gain academic praise that was lacking in other more traditional academic areas. I have overcome many challenges with my schooling, having to deal with a learning disability, but I feel this disability serves me as a strength and not a weakness when it comes to creating art. Since high school, when I discovered the field of art therapy, I knew that it was my calling in life, and have devoted myself to the creative process. I graduated in May 2014, from Benedictine University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art and graduated in 2017 from Saint Mary of the Woods College with a Master of Arts in Art Therapy. Concurrently, I am also an art therapist at Linden Oaks Hospital and provide art therapy for adolescents and adults affected by mental illness and substance abuse. I am excited to be given the chance to make an impact on others through the magic of the creative process.
Jacquie Stone, MAT
Art Therapist
Jacquie has completed both her community service practicum and clinical internship at The Light of The Heart and is very excited to be back in Aurora! She graduated from Adler School of Professional Psychology and is working towards her licensure for art therapy and counseling.
Jacquie is very passionate about working with adolescents and adults who suffer with depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, and other self-esteem issues. Jacquie is interested in making all types of art but particularly loves fiber art, mixed media, and book-making.
Jacquie is very passionate about working with adolescents and adults who suffer with depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, and other self-esteem issues. Jacquie is interested in making all types of art but particularly loves fiber art, mixed media, and book-making.
Carla DePalma, MAT, LPC
Art Therapist
Carla graduated in 2014 with a M.A. in Counseling and Art Therapy from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, IL. She received her graduate training from The Light of the Heart, where she stayed post-graduation to gain further experience. She has a special interest in working with children and youth who have suffered trauma, and hopes to start a women's group in the near future. She now works as an art therapist/counselor, and is working toward her art therapist and clinical licenses.
Lisa Kolodziej, MA
Art Therapist
Lisa completed her clinical internship at The Light of The Heart and graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with her Master of Arts in Art Therapy in 2014. She obtained undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Fine Arts from Indiana University. Lisa is passionate about animals, art, and music, and is a huge sports fan. She is also very interested in holistic and natural forms of healing.
She believes that making art can be personally empowering, and that developing our creativity can help us learn to see the world from a new perspective. Lisa enjoyed her time at The Light of the Heart and is looking forward to her future in the field.
|
Ashley Trosper, MA, attended Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods College’s Master of Art Therapy program. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts with a minor in psychology from Loyola University. Ashley is interested in working with children and adolescents and currently works with children in the foster care system. She is very passionate about the healing aspects of art making and is interested in providing community outreach through art therapy. |
Maddie Stoelinga grew up in Aurora and has had a passion for art since I was very little. I am now an art major at the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a focus in psychology as well. I plan to continue on to a masters degree in art therapy in the future. Although I am passionate about all forms of art, drawing and photography are my main forms of artistic expression.
I am excited to become a part of The Light of The Heart and hope to surround my life, as well as inspire other lives, with as much creativity as I can.
Melissa Redmond, MA, attended Mount Mary University’s Masters of Art Therapy program. She completed her clinical internship at The Light of The Heart in 2015. She has experience working with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, behavioral disorders, and emotional disorders. She also has a variety of experience in art education, camp programming, early childhood education, and volunteering.
Melissa is very interested in the studio art making experience, witnessing art making as a group, and honoring the process. She believes in a positive, no mistakes philosophy of art making and self-expression. She also enjoys yoga, coffee, and reading. www.paintedmountainarts.com
Elaina Whittenhall, MA, MS, has a Master of Science in Art Therapy from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, WI. She completed her clinical internship at The Light of The Heart in 2014, and is staying on in 2015, to deepen her clinical skills. She has a Master of Arts in Theology from Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, as well as an undergraduate degree in English and Communication Arts.
She enjoys writing creative nonfiction and spent eleven years working as a religious editor. Elaina has always loved photography, showcasing it in scrapbooks or greeting cards, but within the last five years, has reacquired a passion for art as a means of healthy self-expression. And, she looks forward to sharing that passion through The Light of the Heart with the Aurora community.
She enjoys writing creative nonfiction and spent eleven years working as a religious editor. Elaina has always loved photography, showcasing it in scrapbooks or greeting cards, but within the last five years, has reacquired a passion for art as a means of healthy self-expression. And, she looks forward to sharing that passion through The Light of the Heart with the Aurora community.
Denise Evans, JD, did a portion of her community service practicum at TLOTH. She is a student at Adler University (formerly Adler School of Professional Psychology) pursing her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University School of Law, and her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University.
Denise is a lover of all forms of art, but is personally passionate about photography and loves to capture the beauty in the seemingly everyday activities of others. She is also an avid reader and writer of fiction, and hopes to add traveler to that list someday soon. Denise has personally experienced the healing power of art and would like to share that power with others through The Light of the Heart, and later, within her own practice.
Briana Colton, MAT, completed her clinical internship at The Light of The Heart and graduated from the Adler School of Professional Psychology with her Masters in Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy in 2014. Briana brings a wealth of experience working for nonprofits in programming, marketing and fundraising as well as a deep desire to serve the community through art-making and relationship-building. She believes in the power of creativity to enlighten and enrich people's minds and hearts.
Cheney Hagerup interned with The Light of The Heart in 2013, as a grant writing intern. She studies English Literature at DePauw University with minors in Spanish and Psychology. She interns at the Prindle Institute for Ethics and is passionate about photography, art, writing, working with children, and travel. She will continue to pursue her dedication to community organizing this fall when she studies abroad in Mexico with the Mexico Solidarity Network. Through interning with The Light of The Heart, she saw happiness brought out in so many others, and also fed her own soul through the medium of art.
