While I was in the military, I began painting to center myself. It was when I began painting, more specifically when I began attempting to explain why I was creating art, that I learned I didn’t know who I was at all. When I tried to explain my paintings, the words wouldn’t come. When I spoke, I felt foolish and inauthentic. I began to feel like I’d lived for 30 years on autopilot and wanted that to change. The process of creating artwork, then reflecting on what was created, helped me look at my own struggles more objectively. The “problem” was rendered in color in front of me rather than remaining some abstract thought I had trouble describing. The problem was no longer within me, but on the paper in front of me. Art allowed me to enter a discussion without positioning myself as my own adversary before I’d ever opened my mouth to speak.

I believe our memory operates through a lifetime of contextual associations we make between people, events, things, and perceived meaning as we navigate our history full of complex interpersonal relationships, chance, and beliefs about the world around us. I further believe that our natural inclination to represent these associations through visual art, storytelling, and play allows us a unique opportunity to gain insight and achieve personal growth. My goal is to join with clients in authentic discussions about life, death, free will, and the divine as they develop a personal style of being that suitably represents the self they choose to be.

Gregory Fricker retired from the United States Army as a Chief Warrant Officer and completed his education at Michigan State University (BFA with Painting Emphasis) and Wayne State University (MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling with Art Therapy Focus). Gregory currently practices counseling (LLPC) and art therapy (ATR-P) while employing an existential approach which is heavily influenced by psychodynamic theory, Happenstance Learning Theory (HLT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).