Susan Virginia Saralegui
Susan is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Art Therapist, Shamanic Practitioner and the founder of Spark of Valor LLC counseling. Susan’s artistic practice is inspired by the natural world and a belief in the healing power of innate wisdom and creativity. Over the last decade, Susan has worked with youth, adults, and families in a variety of professional settings including the criminal justice system, federal Veterans Affairs Hospital, a state psychiatric residential hospital (where she facilitated acute inpatient care for adolescents and adults), and school settings working with young children.
Susan began her artistic professional journey in college with a major in Studio Art and Psychology. It was there where she explored her fascination with the intersection of creative expression and the psyche. Exploring ways to help encourage the expression and transformation of our moods, mind, and spirit into the tangible, while allowing the subconscious a vehicle in which to express, Susan later studied the philosophy of the unconscious and received her Masters in Conscious Evolution. These studies of consciousness invited Susan back into the magic and wonder of art making as she then earned a Masters in Art Therapy.
Education
Master of Arts in Art Therapy, Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT
- Kappa Gamma Pi National Graduate Honor Society
- Albertus Magnus Art Therapy Graduation Award for Outstanding Creativity in Research
- Thesis: Bridge Drawing as Measure of Anticipatory Grief
Master of Arts in Conscious Evolution, Mitchell College, Bethany, CT
- Commencement Speaker
Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
- Studio Art Concentration, minor in Psychology
- Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society
Publications
Speicher, H., Bertram, S., Framularo, J., Cricchi, K., & Skranski, R. (2016). Does the Draw Your Relationship (DYR) Art Assessment Tool Measure Fear of Intimacy?
Saralegui (Bertram), S., (2014). With You: Coping with the Loss of a Loved One
Available on Amazon and used in therapy offices and grief counseling centers throughout U.S.
With You: Coping with the Loss of a Loved One
"With You: Coping with the Loss of a Loved One" helps children (young and old) find perspective on death, grief and mourning by combining beautiful imagery with prose. Narrated by a boy about his relationship with his grandmother, "With You" relays a lifetime of impact, transition and remembrance. Highlighting positive energy and universal life experiences, "With You" artistically reminds the reader that the people we love will always be with us. Appropriate for any religion or culture, "With You" combines the powerful beauty of nature, human life and family. A perfect bereavement gift for families, the messages in the book are truly universal - and reading it can help all who are struggling with loss.