Rachel Nelms

Rachel Nelms

Assistant Professor, Art Therapy

Department

  • Art

Contact Information

Biography

Rachel Nelms is a board-certified art therapist and professional clinical counselor who has provided support to people who have experienced complex trauma, disenfranchised grief, and end of life care. Her research interests include existentialism, disenfranchised grief, and aggression emerging from grief. She has presented nationally at American Art Therapy Association and locally at Illinois Art Therapy Association. In addition to teaching, she also works in private practice.

Degrees

Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbia College Chicago

Dual Masters of Arts in Counseling and Art Therapy from Adler School of Professional Psychology

Doctorate of Philosophy in Art Education with Specialization in Art Therapy Research from Florida State University

Classes Taught
  • Introduction to Art Therapy
  • Imagery and Metaphors
  • Clinical Approaches in Art Therapy
Publications

Jesup, C., Lucas, I., Nelms, R., Woodruff, A., & Shields, S. S. (2016). ‘We’ve shared a lifetime with one another’: using reflective visual/verbal journals to develop graduate student relationships. Reflective Practice18(2), 161–182. http://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2016.1251409

Nelms, R. (In Press). Grief and aggression in art therapy: The intersection of violence and grief. In D. Gussak & M. Rosal (Eds.), The Wiley Handbook of Art Therapy. Second Edition. John Wiley & Sons.