Maddy Dluginski

With a Master's degree in Creative Arts Therapy & Counseling from Hofstra University, Maddy brings experience across some of the most tender corners of this work. She has supported children with significant medical and health challenges in a children's hospital setting, worked alongside autistic, ADHD, and otherwise neurodivergent children, adolescents, and young adults, and helped younger clients move through parental divorce, school struggles, grief, and loss. She has also spent years in nursing and rehabilitation care for older adults experiencing cognitive decline and memory loss, where art therapy offers a different kind of language when words and memories become harder to access, often opening doors to recognition, expression, and emotional presence.

Outside the therapy room, Maddy is happiest in her garden, in her kitchen trying out new recipes, curled up with a book, or in a pilates class.

• Helping Emotions Take Shape Maddy meets clients on their level and uses art and creative expression as a primary, visual language. Instead of relying solely on verbal processing, she helps clients explore emotions, build coping skills, and make sense of their experiences in ways that feel natural and engaging. This approach often allows for deeper insight and connection, especially for clients who have difficulty articulating their emotional landscape or who have been told for years to "use their words" when their words simply weren't there yet.

• Moving Through Change Life transitions, whether expected or unexpected, can shake the ground beneath us. Maddy supports clients through these moments by helping them process change, reconnect with their sense of identity, and build stability when nothing else feels stable. She approaches transition not just as a challenge, but as an opening for reflection and growth, guiding clients in making meaning of what they've been through while developing tools to move forward with more clarity and confidence.

• Strengths-Based Neurodiversity Support Maddy works with neurodivergent clients using a strengths-based, affirming approach that honors individual differences rather than pathologizing them. She focuses on emotional regulation in a way that is personalized, practical, and accessible, often integrating creative and sensory-based strategies. Her goal is to help clients better understand their emotional patterns, build regulation skills that actually work for them, and feel more confident navigating daily life as themselves.