Meet Jennifer McSparron

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer McSparron and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
I think there is a lot of misunderstanding around what the profession of art therapy is. Many folks will refer to Art therapists as the “craft lady” while crafts are fun art therapy happens in the context of the therapeutic relationship between the Art therapist and the client. Art Therapy is not a modality it is a profession. Art Therapists are masters level professionals with extensive training in how to utilize art interventions in their therapy practice.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being both a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Certified Art Therapist has opened many doors for me. I’ve been lucky to work with many populations both during my training and post-grad (from incarcerated women, children and families, the medical setting, veterans and unhoused youth). Becoming a therapist is like being put into a rock tumbler. You find out so much about yourself during graduate school, internships, and supervision. When you finish school (or emerge from the rock tumbler) your rough edges are smoothed out and you’re ready to sit with your clients. This is because you’ve been able to examine and challenge yourself in new ways and truly learn about yourself. One lesson I learned is how to take care of myself so I can continue to serve my clients effectively. It’s an evolution and my needs have changed during different parts of my career.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my bestie was visiting DFW I would wake them up early to stand in line for BBQ at Goldies, lunch at Malai Kitchen (Southlake-make sure to grab a peach ginger iced tea) and dinner at La Hacienda Ranch (fajitas at the Colleyville location is my favorite). My other favorite place to take people is HTeaO. The first time you visit HTeaO you have to go inside to sample all the different iced teas. I would take them for a walk at White Rock Lake and stop by the Bath House Cultural Center to see the latest art exhibit. Then, I would take them to visit the Fort Worth Zoo and no trip to Fort Worth is complete without stopping by the stockyards. My favorite store in the stockyards is Jersey Lilly Silver & Stone where they showcase many different artist’s jewelry.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Andrea Davis ATR-BC, ATCS, LPC-AT-S is the Founder and Executive Director of Dallas Art Therapy. Andrea and Dallas Art Therapy are so important to me. When I moved to Texas I was in the process of completing my hours towards my full LPC license and my art therapy credential. It was difficult to find community as an art therapist in the DFW area. There are only 500 art therapists in the entire state of Texas. I went to meet with Andrea to see if she would supervise me. She immediately open her arms to me and took me on as a LPC Associate counselor and Provisional Art Therapist. Without Andrea I am unsure how I would have completed my hours towards full licensure. Since becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Certified Art Therapist I have served several positions on the Dallas Art Therapy Board of Directors and I am now the acting president. Being part of the Dallas Art Therapy community has connected me to the DFW community in ways that wouldn’t have been possible without being part of the great organization Andrea has created. Dallas Art Therapy is truly a soft place to land for art therapy students and new professionals. She is truly my mentor.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-mcsparron-496131a5