Mx. K.C. Wuebbling, LPC, ATR-BC, CAADC, who graduated with a master’s in Art Therapy and Counseling in 2016, sees the resilience of people every day in their work. “Watching people overcome incredible odds is what drives me to do the work I do,” they remarked. While this may be what gets them to work every morning, it is, however, something more personal that influenced their specific career path. “One of the things that pushed me to become a therapist and art therapist is the power of creativity,” Mx. Wuebbling indicated. “We as humans have this ability to self-reflect, regenerate and create something completely new out of nothing.” It was that form of expression that was transformational for them in understanding who they are and how they related to the world.
The lack of mentorship within the queer community was the other motivating factor Mx. Wuebbling cited. Their thesis focused on people living with HIV, and in that work, they saw the absence of elder mentorship due to the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. “The queer community was robbed of people who could have guided us and help us think things through,” they observed. They aspire to be such a guide.
Mx. Wuebbling is someone who is shifting the perception of addictions and how art therapy fits into care. They had to educate themself after getting a job in an outpatient substance use program. When they pointed that out to the program director, Mx. Wuebbling became the Creative Arts Therapies Department instructor of the new Addictions and Recovery Approaches in Art Therapy course. They make sure that their students understand the stigma addiction carries and how they might be able to impact its more systemic problems.
Mx. Wuebbling is coming full circle. “I started this journey wanting to work in LGBTQ mental health,” they commented. Mx. Wuebbling returned to what deeply moves them—giving back to their community. As a therapist at Collage Therapy Collective, they are working from trauma-informed, anti-oppression and harm reduction perspectives and affirming of the kink, polyamorous and sex work communities. Additionally, they will be engaging in mentorship by providing individual supervision to future art therapists and counselors.