Programs

WOMEN   'Women's Interest Group' - A safe and confidential peer group where women can share their experiences.

MASSAGE   'Alternative Touch Massage Therapy' - A hands-on treatment to provide adults and children with a healthier, calmer, stress-free lifestyle.

ART   'Art Therapy' - Artistic self-expression helps people to understand and resolve conflicts and problems.

CHILDREN   'Children's Play Group' - Learn to interpret the 'language of childhood' as you bond with your child.

'Women's Interest Group'

Join Us To

• Celebrate our lives
• Change negatives into positives
• Learn, laugh, cry
• Nurture and be nurtured
• Reconnect
• Feel empowered, proud, and confident
• Increase self-esteem
• Be in a learning environment
• Feel joy

The goal of the Women's Interest Group is to provide a safe and comfortable and confidential setting where women can share their experiences. This sharing serves to minimize feelings of isolation; offers a place to vent thoughts and feelings without being criticized or advised; may open alternative courses of action for issues in your life and may provide the beginning to a new social support system for the participants. This peer support group provides a setting where women can be heard, understood and listened to on a deeper level.

This Women's Interest Group operates on a traditional peer support model where Riverview Counseling Center Director Mary-Michael will guide rather than direct the process and women can learn from each other. Joining a women's group provides a good opportunity for women to make useful connections, generates a lot of good feeling that helps increase one's self-esteem.

The Women's Interest Group is an ongoing year round program that meets every 2 weeks.

If you have any questions call 908-850-5778 and Mary-Michael will talk with you personally.

Over twenty years facilitating a safe environment for women in groups Mary-Michael Levitt, Director Therapist, Educator, Advocate, Mentor Riverview Counseling Center.

Women's Interest Group - Program Details
	Meeting Dates	Meets Every other Wednesday. Eve. - 7:30 – 9:00 pm.
	Fees	$25.00 per session
	Registration	Registration is required. Mail registration form with non-refundable $10.00 Link to Registration Form

Massage Therapy

Attentive Touch Massage...

Massage Therapist: Dawn Bell,

An Attentive Touch Massage provides adults and children with a healthier lifestyle through alternative treatment and education. Our specialized treatments include massage hands-on treatment to provide adults and children with a healthier, calmer, stress-free lifestyle.


Why Massage Works...

When muscles are overworked, waste products such as lactic acid can accumulate in the muscle, causing soreness, stiffness, and even muscle spasm. Massage improves circulation, which increases blood flow, bringing fresh oxygen to body tissues. This can assist the elimination of waste products, speed healing after injury, and enhance recovery from disease. Therapeutic massage can be used to promote general well-being and enhance self-esteem, while boosting the circulatory and immune systems to benefit blood pressure, circulation, muscle tone, digestion, and skin tone.

For clinical trial results and other documented case studies proving the benefits of massage therapy for those with Autism and other nervous disorders please refer to the following links:

• Autism and Treatment With Therapeutic Massage - Michael Regina-Whiteley
• Massage Therapy for Autistic Children The Touch Research Institute's Results - By Shirley Vanderbilt
• Massage - University Of Maryland Medical Center

Massage Therapist: Dawn Bell,

Dawn graduated from Allied Medical and Technical School in Scranton, PA in Spring of 2004 with a degree in massage therapy. In addition to her work with Attentive Touch, Dawn is a Certified Nursing Assistant working part-time at The House of Good Shepherd. Dawn has received CPR and First Aid Certification and provides volunteer services to the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Boy Scouts of America.

For the past three years Dawn has been working at the Chiropractic Wellness and Rehab Center practicing the following techniques:

• Swedish Therapeutic Massage
• Deep Tissue
• Chair massage
• Pre-Natal massage
• Touch Therapy
• Pediatric Massage
• Hot Stone Treatments

To give her clients even better service, Dawn is currently studying pediatric, myofacial release and geriatric massage.

Dawn looks forward to working with you as well!

Massage Therapy - Program Details
	Cost:	A massage at the Riverview Counseling Center is $60 for a full hour on the massage table. This does not include time spent on your medical history or changing clothes
	Dates:	By appointment
	Appointments:	Contact Dawn Bell, 908-878-9113 to schedule an appointment

Art Therapy

What Is Art Therapy?

ART THERAPY as defined by the American Art Therapy Association 2007

“Art therapy is an established mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages.

It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight.

Art therapy integrates the fields of human development, visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms), and the creative process with models of counseling and psychotherapy.”

Art Therapist: Danielle Merk, MPS Art Therapy and Creative Development

Knowing her calling early on, Danielle studied art therapy and fine art at C.W. Post University and received BA in Psychology in 1987. A window of opportunity arose in 2004 which allowed her to complete her education and received a MPS in Art Therapy and Creative Development from Pratt Institute in 2008. She currently provides art therapy for clients at Riverview Counseling Center in Hackettstown and the Morris County Sexual Assault Center in Morristown and runs the Art Therapy programming at JBWS, which she implemented in 2007 working with children of domestic violence. Beginning in April 2008, Danielle will be providing art therapy services to victims at Morris County Sexual Assault Center. Danielle is an active member of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) and the New Jersey Art Therapy Association (NJATA)

In addition to her work as an art therapist, Danielle is also an artist, potter and ceramicist, specializing in Sgrafitto, raku and hand building.

What Is An Art Therapist?

Art therapists are masters level professionals trained in both art and therapy. They are knowledgeable about human development, psychological theories, clinical practice, and the healing potential of art. They use art in treatment, assessment and research, and provide consultations to allied professionals.


Frequently Asked Questions:

Do you have to be an artist to participate in Art Therapy?

Not at all. The emphasis is on the relationship between the client and the creative process, not the aesthetic value of the product.

Will my artwork be interpreted?

Art therapists can interpret imagery for diagnostic purposes; however, this is a practice I try to avoid. My philosophy in the field demands that each piece of artwork is unique to the artist and is to be viewed individually based on process and discussion, as well as the final product.

Is Art Therapy for everyone?

As with any form of therapy, the willingness to do the work and a proper fit with the therapist is essential. Art therapy addresses the same issues as verbal therapy only in a different way. The only way to see if it feels right is to try it.

How is Art Therapy Different?

It is through the metaphor of the creative process where the self has the opportunity to find its voice which separates this field from traditional forms of therapy. The client becomes an active participant in their own work through a tangible object that is permanent and can be revisited multiple times to review progress.

Children's Play Group

Playfulness and humor are closely related to mental health, intellectual development, creativity and problem-solving.

Play in actuality is one of the strongest supports for coping, learning, good adjustment, and productive activity! Play creates a safe atmosphere where children can express themselves, try new things, learn more about how the world works, learn about social rules and restrictions, and work through their problems.

Parents can understand their children better if they observe and understand the way they play. Children will express more about their thoughts, feelings, motivations, and struggles by decisions they make through play rather than by talking. Play has been called the "language of childhood," so if parents re-learn that language, it can help them build even stronger relationships with their children. Play is one of the most critical elements of healthy child development!

When we, as adults, encounter a tough problem, we often think about it for a while, look at it from different angles, determine our options, and sometimes talk about it with someone we trust. When things go wrong for us, we might mentally review what happened and think about how we might handle the situation in the future. Play time provides children with the same opportunity by using their imaginations. Play time provides the tools (toys and activities) and the atmosphere to help children express themselves, work on their problems, "try on" different solutions, and learn more effective coping methods.

Professionally led play groups offer parents a window into their child's world to create a stronger bond, higher understanding, and better ability to reduce power struggles.


Play is the primary way that children...

• Learn about the world.
• Understand how different things work.
• Express their thoughts and feelings.
• Develop their physical skills.
• Develop their mental skills.
• Develop effective social skills and bonds.

An opportunity to observe, understand and learn how the therapeutic powers of play will help your child develop positive self-esteem, creativity and confidence.

Join Us To:

Help children express feelings & accept limits
Watch as developing self-control reduces the need for repeated discipline
Observe your child socializing with other children and understand how they see their world
Acquire problem-solving skills through creative play
Use play to resolve conflict
Hear from and talk with other families.

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