Mary Andrus

Mary Andrus serves as Assistant Professor and Program Co-Director in the Counseling, Therapy, and School Psychology Department at Lewis & Clark College's Graduate School of Education and Counseling, currently on sabbatical during fall 2025. With over 25 years of clinical experience, she has established innovative community-based art therapy programs including Art Therapy Studio Chicago and Art Therapy Studio Oregon LLC (launched Fall 2025).

Her educational credentials include:

• Doctor of Art Therapy (DAT), Mount Mary University
• MA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

As a board certified registered art therapist, licensed professional counselor, and certified supervisor, Dr. Andrus specializes in trauma therapy integrating EMDR, somatic practices, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) approaches. Her research pioneers art-based activism, collective storytelling, and film as therapeutic tools for processing trauma and challenging social constructs around motherhood, infertility, and marginalization. She champions depth education that links artistic self-discovery with societal context analysis.

Her publication trends (2016-2024) reveal consistent focus on art therapy's role in social change, legislative advocacy, and community healing. Key themes include expanding art therapy access through policy reform, ethical considerations in public exhibition of trauma narratives, and film's capacity to process collective loss. Recent work emphasizes art therapy's application in reproductive health and perinatal support.

Dr. Andrus has driven significant legislative victories including HB 2436 protecting art therapy practice in Oregon and HB 3761 establishing statewide insurance reimbursement. She cofounded Art for Social Change (2020) and established Lewis & Clark's digital media lab, community art therapy studio, and exhibition space (2024), plus the Arts in Healing International Film Festival (2025). Her clinical work manifests through Art Therapy Studio Oregon offering individual counseling, groups, supervision, and workshops focused on trauma care.