Debbie Miller, M.A., (Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern #IMH5754) has been conducting Art for the Heart workshops since 2005 when she first encountered the powerful collage and journaling process in her personal journey of emotional healing and spiritual growth. She brings the rich experience of her own story to each workshop, candidly sharing some of her collage images and journal entries to illustrate the techniques and benefits of the Art for the Heart process.
Debbie adopts a psychodynamic model of change, recognizing the need for both right- and left-hemisphere brain functions to be engaged for lasting change to take place. But she is also keenly aware that the mysterious union with Christ is at the center of all healing. She believes that Art for the Heart, with its combination of creating visual images and written journal entries about those images, accomplishes therapeutic goals in fun and surprising ways, drawing on the power of the Holy Spirit and connecting participants with their hearts and each other in unique ways.
Debbie is a graduate of Reformed Theological seminary and a full-time therapist. She works in the Orlando area, serving clients at Living Water Christian Counseling, a ministry Church of the Ascension in the Dr. Phillips/Windermere area. Her undergraduate training in English literature and Communication Studies was completed at the University of Maryland (day school and University College). She is working toward a graduate certificate in Biblical Studies from The King’s Seminary and is enrolled in the Audire School of Spiritual Direction.
Debbie has conducted dozens of workshops from topics as diverse as emotional healing prayer to how-to increase participation in recycling programs. She frequently teaches at her church, and she is a regular speaker at women’s retreats.
Married since 1989, Debbie resides in Orlando with her husband, Brian, and their pets (three cats and one neurotic dog). She enjoys expressing herself through mixed-media collage, jewelry-making, gourmet cooking, and knitting.
