Mary Michola Fibich, MA, ATR

Mary Michola Fibich, MA, ATR is a nationally recognized Registered Art Therapist, artist, and author with more than 35 years of experience in the field of art therapy and expressive arts therapy.

Mary earned her undergraduate degree in art therapy with minors in psychology and fine art from Bowling Green State University and completed her master’s degree in art therapy at The George Washington University. As a Registered Art Therapist (ATR), she has dedicated her career to advancing the integration of creative expression, trauma-informed care, and mental health practice.

Published Author & Expressive Arts Advocate

Mary is passionate about developing accessible, evidence-informed creative resources for art therapists, counselors, and individuals seeking healing through art. She is co-author of:

• Managing Traumatic Stress through Art: Drawing from the Center (Sidran Press, 1995)
• Transform Stress, Crisis and Trauma: An Art Therapy and Writing Workbook to Activate Wellbeing Strategies (Sidran Press, 2024)

Both publications provide practical art therapy and writing-based interventions designed to support trauma recovery, stress transformation, and emotional resilience.

She is also a featured artist and poet in Portrait of the Artist as Poet (Magnolia Street Publishers, 2006), reflecting her deep commitment to integrating visual art and poetry as tools for insight and healing.

Practicing Artist & Creative Professional

In addition to her clinical and academic work, Mary maintains an active studio practice as a painter, fiber artist, and poet. Twenty-one of her original floral watercolors are permanently displayed at The Mayora Rosenberg Women’s Health Center at Swedish Hospital, where her artwork contributes to a healing-centered healthcare environment. Her paintings and fiber art have also been commissioned by private collectors throughout the United States.

Teaching Philosophy

As an educator in expressive arts therapy, Mary is deeply committed to making creative healing practices more widely available. She has witnessed firsthand how art therapy supports individuals in navigating trauma, crisis, transition, and personal growth.

“After all of these years working as an art therapist, I am still amazed every time I see how creative expression helps people to look back, look forward, and move closer to where they want to be,” says Mary Michola Fibich.

Through her teaching at Maine College of Art & Design, Mary empowers emerging practitioners to develop ethical, trauma-informed, and creatively grounded approaches to art therapy, expressive arts therapy, and integrative mental health practice.