Carolyn Shayte

I am a queer and non-binary art therapist with additional training in human sexuality, utilizing a trauma-informed understanding, and a relational, strength-based, person-centered approach. Originally hailing from Baltimore, MD, I received my BFA in 2014 from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Interdisciplinary Sculpture. I previously split my time between working at a progressive art studio doing exhibition and program management, a geriatric hospital facilitating art groups, and several senior centers teaching art and art history. Through this work, I discovered I have a passion for helping people of any age find their inner artist and re-engage with their creative processes and pursuits.

In 2019 I moved to Santa Fe, NM to pursue my MA from Southwestern College in Art Therapy and Counseling, graduating in 2022. I began my therapist career at a residential facility providing mental health support to formerly unhoused residents with severe mental illness. After nearly two years of service to the residents, I moved on to agency work providing care to adults, teens, kids, and couples. In 2025 I became independently licensed and a registered Art Therapist through the Art Therapy Credentials Board and began seeing clients through my own private practice.

Outside of work, I am an avid nature lover and hiker, and enjoys spending time writing, reading, and making my own art.

I embrace a person-centered approach by meeting you where you are at and hold the values of transparency, social justice, and collaboration with my clients. Your questions and feedback are encouraged and I believe that you are the expert of your life. I work with you on establishing safety in the present, while accessing your strengths and felt sense, in order to integrate your emotions, parts, and past experiences to achieve a sense of wholeness.

I see healing as a life-long process that takes many different forms and variations and believe that the more we can know ourselves, the more ability we have to change and heal. Art and community are tools for discovery, empowerment, and transformation and help one cope through life’s transitions.

From the very first session, I provide my clients with a caring therapeutic environment and co-regulation through the therapeutic relationship, which is key for allowing a more stabilized nervous system and a deeper dive into one’s experiences. I can offer empathetic and compassionate support in navigating life’s challenges while guiding clients towards their innate capacity to heal.