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Leslie deVera Arroyo l Author l School Counseling Consultant

@artfullyintegrated

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🎨 M.A. in Art Therapy
🏫 20+ years in School Counseling
Helping K-12 School Counselors use art to reach students in ways that words alone cannot.

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Every student who walks into your office has a whole story. Most days, we only get a piece of it.

A referral says “anxiety,” “work refusal,” or “behavior.” A student says “I’m fine” or “I just need to do better.” And with short-term services and limited time, it’s tempting to grab a strategy and hope it fits.

But when we really see a student, including what they care about, what they’re carrying and what they’re good at, we know where to meet them. Students feel seen, and your time goes to what they actually need.

Art is one way in. It’s spatial, not linear, so students don’t have to find the words first. They can show you, and you get a fuller picture to work from.

Join me for Stop Guessing, Start Addressing, a free one-hour webinar with one simple, low-prep art directive you can use right away. No art background needed.

🗓 Tuesday, Oct 27 at 7pm CT, in the evening so you can be there.
🎥 Register and you’ll get the recording either way.
🔗 Link in bio to register.

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounseling #artsintegration #counselorsofinstagram #SEL by @artfullyintegrated

Some doors you wait to open. Others you open yourself.

After years of watching school counselors — myself included — run on empty, I knew something had to change. The system wasn’t going to do it. So I did.

That’s the story behind Artfully Integrated. Not a perfect solution. But a real one — built from frustration, lived experience, and a deep belief that art can reach our students in ways that words alone cannot.

Day 2 of 30. And I’m just getting started. 🤍
Are you a school counselor who has ever felt stretched too thin? Drop a 🖐️ below. Your frustration is valid.

Disclaimer: Unless you have an advanced specialized degree in Art Therapy, you wlll not be providing art therapy to students based on the information from this page. Techniques and strategies shared here are art therapy-informed, acknowledging the profession and decades of research based on this field.

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounseling #arttherapyinformed by @artfullyintegrated

To every school counselor reading this — I see you.

The early mornings. The emotional weight you carry long after the school day ends. The quiet moments where you wonder if you’re truly making a difference.

You are. More than you know.

But what if there was a way to reach even the students who seem unreachable? To add a dimension to your practice that goes beyond words — and opens up a whole new world of connection, expression, and healing?

That’s exactly what Artfully Integrated is here for.

I’m Leslie, and I created this space for K-12 school counselors who are ready to integrate art therapy-informed strategies into their work — in a way that’s accessible, efficient, and deeply impactful for students at every level.

Here, we’ll explore creativity in counseling, practical art-based strategies, budget-friendly supplies, and how student art can teach the life skills every child needs to thrive.

This community is for you — whether you’ve never used art in counseling, or you’re already curious about where art could take you in your practice.

Hit follow and let’s build something meaningful together. 🎨

Disclaimer: Unless you have an advanced specialized degree in Art Therapy, you wlll not be providing art therapy to students based on the information from this page. Techniques and strategies shared here are art therapy-informed, acknowledging the profession and decades of research based on this field.

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounseling #arttherapyinformed #artbasedinterventions #ASCAstandards by @artfullyintegrated

We know that when a student says “I’m fine,” there’s so much more. 💜

Swipe to see one simple art prompt that helps students show you the rest.

Conversation gives you part of the picture. Art can add more.

🗓 Free evening webinar: Tue, Oct 27 at 7pm CT
📑 Join live and get a printable guide for the art directive
🎥 Everyone who registers gets the recording
🔗 Link in bio to register

Know a school counselor who’d love this? Send it to them. 👇

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounseling #artsintegratedlearning #counselorsofinstagram #SEL by @artfullyintegrated

When a student is stressed over grades, tests, activities, friendships - I reach for clay.

Non-hardening polymer clay — it reshapes without breaking. Same skill we want students to practice when they’re overwhelmed.

Try tomorrow:

1. “Pick colors that feel like right now. Just explore it.”
2. “Show what the worry looks like.”
3. “If you could change something about it, what would it look like?”

Clay is resilient, just like our students. It doesn’t have to harden to hold its shape — it learns to reshape.

Save for the next overwhelming moment. Follow along for more art-based strategies 🎨

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounseling #artsintegration #sel by @artfullyintegrated

Conversation gives you part of the picture. Art can add more.

On Thursday, October 15, 2026, I’m hosting a free one-hour webinar showing school counselors how to:

🎨Set the stage for a welcoming, non-judgmental creative space

🎨Use one simple art directive for any group, any age (no art background needed)

🎨Use student art to connect on a deeper level and inform your practice

One low-prep activity. A lot more information to work from.

Join me live at 11am CT and get a printable guide you can use right away. Can’t make it live? Register and you’ll still get the recording.

👉 Link in bio.

#schoolcounsellor #schoolcounseling #schoolcounselor #sel #artsintegration by @artfullyintegrated

Anxious students don’t always need words first. Sometimes they need a place to put the feeling.

Press hard to release tension. Smear to soothe and ground. Then ask: *How does the color feel on your fingers? How does your body feel before vs. after?*

Save this for your next small group or individual session. 🌈💛

Supplies:

Black drawing paper
Soft pastels
Masking tape
Cutting board (optional to draw on or use table)
Baby wipes (for quick clean-up)

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounseling #artsintegration #copingskills #sel by @artfullyintegrated

What would you try if your art didn’t have to look like anything? ☕🎨

Maybe it’s picking up a paintbrush or an oil pastel and seeing what marks show up. Maybe it’s simply noticing the color and texture in front of you. There’s a lot of research on the benefits of art, so what if we just let ourselves create?

What would you make, or notice, today? 👇

#artsintegration #schoolcounselor #artisforeveryone #sel #mindfulart by @artfullyintegrated

In 20+ years in school counseling, “I’m good,” has hardly ever been the whole story.

Hand a student art materials instead, and you’ll see so much more. Art is spatial, not linear. It gives another way to respond, and that perspective helps understand a student’s internal world.

Follow along as I share how ART can support your school counseling practice.

🎨🖌️

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounsellor #artsintegration #sel #schoolcounseling by @artfullyintegrated

Watch this tension melt.

Heavy strokes first. Then water. The color moves on its own.

It doesn’t matter what it looks like. Notice how hard you press, which colors you reach for, and what happens when the water hits the page.

School counselors, try it yourself first, then offer it to a student who’s carrying a lot. Afterward, write or talk about it:

- What did the strokes feel like?
- What changed when the water came?
- Where did you feel the release in your body?

Follow for more artfully integrated strategies you can use with students tomorrow. 🎨

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounselingmatters #sel #artsintegration #schoolcounselorsofinstagram by @artfullyintegrated

Bigger caseloads. Higher expectations. Fewer staff. Less PD and materials to reach students. The job keeps growing — the resources keep shrinking.

And still, school counselors find a way. Leaning on creativity, resourcefulness, and each other to meet students where they are, even with having less.

We can’t fix the systemic issues overnight. But we keep going — as we fight to get back what should have never been taken away.

Save this as a reminder that you’re doing all you can with what you have. 🔖

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounselingmatters #schoolcounselorsofinstagram by @artfullyintegrated

Water doesn’t slow down to wait for the way to be easy. It moves forward anyway.

That’s what integrating art into school counseling has felt like for me. The system isn’t always built for creative work. The paperwork, the mandates, the red tape — it’s real, and it’s not going anywhere.

But the work still finds a way through. A simple drawing prompt for a student who doesn’t want to talk. A visual check-in that feels safe. Small currents that keep moving even when the structure around them doesn’t bend. 🎨

If you’re a school counselor pushing against something rigid this week — this is your reminder that flow doesn’t require the obstacle to disappear.

#schoolcounselor #schoolcounselingmatters #schoolcounselorsofinstagram #artsintegration #arttherapyinformed by @artfullyintegrated