ABOUT
DEVORA

Devora Weinapple

LMFT, ATR-BC, MA

​As a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Art Therapist and Board Certified Art Therapist practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area, my focus is on helping you to find emotional outlets, create support systems, and gain insight into what has been creating depression or anxiety or other disorder in your life, or in the life of your teen or pre-teen. I am trained in a wide range of therapeutic approaches, and will tailor our sessions to meet your individual needs.
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I treat individuals and families; teens, transition-age youth (18-24), and adults.  My clinical approaches include Neurodevelopmental Art Therapy (NDAT) with techniques for dealing with developmental and relational trauma, Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy (MBAT) with breathing and meditation techniques, and the metaphor-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which involves learning how to be psychologically flexible, and changing one's relationship to the anxiety, depression, grief, loss, ambiguous loss, and trauma that are an inevitable part of life. I also teach mindful self-compassion which is strongly predictive of well-being, and lower levels of anxiety and depression. The emotional right brain is dominant in all forms of psychotherapy which is especially true in child and adolescent therapies.  In the age of COVID, learning resilience and self-compassion are key components on the path to mental, physical, and emotional wellness.
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I also incorporate art making, journaling, mindful awareness, guided imagery, and other creative coping skills designed to empower you beyond the therapy session. No artistic talent is needed to participate in Art Therapy, only a willingness to suspend self-criticism and judgment, and to trust your own intuition. 

Periodically I provide art therapy trainings to staff and interns at Sunnyvale Behavioral Health, a satellite clinic of the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System.  I am also a substitute group supervisor at the Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC) in Mountain View, where I did my 4-yr practicum and internship in-agency and in district schools.

Currently a board member of Arts Unity Movement (AUM), a non-profit that promotes wellness and healing through the transformative power of the expressive and performing arts. I am also a recent past president of the Northern California Art Therapy Association (NorCATA).  I am active with the California Art Therapy Advocacy Initiative (CATAI) whose goal is to increase advocacy efforts to increase visibility and demonstrate the value and efficacy of art therapy on a statewide level.   

LICENSE
Marriage & Family Therapist
MFT Lic #81558
CA Board of Behavioral Sciences,  August 2014 - present


​CERTIFICATION
Registered and Board Certified Art Therapist
ATR-BC 12-219
Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB)

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EDUCATION
Notre Dame de Namur University. Belmont, CA
MA, Marital and Family Therapy, and Art Therapy Psychology
May 2010
NOTE: As of late 2021, The NDNU Art Therapy programs are now the Dominican University Art Therapy Graduate Programs

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ASSOCIATIONS
Past President and Treasurer - Northern California Art Therapy Association (NorCATA), a chapter of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA)  

Clinical Member - American Art Therapy Association (AATA)  
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Clinical Member - California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (CAMFT) 

Clinical Member -- Silicon Valley Chapter - SCV-CAMFT
 

PRACTICE
AREAS

Individuals: Teens 12+, and  Adults 

• Anxiety 

• Depression 

• Sexual Assault, Abuse or Other Trauma

• PTSD

• ADD / ADHD

• Autism Spectrum Disorder 

• Grief and Loss

• Obsessions and/or Compulsions

• Stress Management

• Life Transitions

• LGBTQQ Issues

• Self-injury

• Suicidal Ideation

• Sleep Disorders

• Eating Disorders

• Addictions (including screen addictions) 

• Behavioral Issues

• Anger Management

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)