Something made is something understood.
Through Maker Therapy, the act of creating becomes a pathway to self-awareness, healing, and connection.
Do you express yourself through drawing, sculpting, woodworking, cooking, coding, collaging, 3D printing, playing music, or video editing?
Creative expression gives voice to our internal experiences and supports the mind-body awareness that is central to lasting growth and healing. Maker Therapy is an experiential approach to counseling that integrates creativity directly into the therapeutic process, through makerspace ideology and hands-on activities that meet you exactly where you are. Whether you're a counselor looking to expand your practice, an individual navigating life transitions, or an educator exploring the intersection of creativity, neuroscience, and mental health, this space was built for you.
Making is more than a hobby. It's a healing practice.
Maker Therapy is the intentional use of makerspace ideology and interventions to achieve therapeutic goals. It builds on expressive and experiential therapy traditions — art, play, drama, and music — but stands apart through its integration of makerspace ideology and STEAM-based activities (science, technology, engineering, art, and math).
In my clinical practice, I encourage creative thinking and problem-solving to help clients strengthen self-awareness and agency while navigating challenging life transitions. The focus is always on process over product — the act of making matters far more than what gets made.
A makerspace can be as large as a dedicated studio or as small as a drawer in your office desk. No-tech, low-tech, or high-tech — what matters is the mindset. Maker Therapy sessions are guided by the STIIR framework: a five-step model grounded in ethical best practice, cultural competence, and mindful awareness.
There's a place here for all of you.
For Individuals, Couples, and Families
Curious about a different kind of counseling? Through Crafty Couch Counseling, I offer warm, creative support for individuals working through challenging life transitions, using hands-on making as a pathway to self-awareness and agency.
For Educators & Researchers
Looking for scholarship, curriculum resources, or a citable framework? Maker Therapy is an emerging, evidence-informed approach with a growing body of research to support your academic and professional work.
I'm Dr. Deborah Lynn Duenyas
licensed professional counselor, Professor of Counselor Education, and the developer of Maker Therapy.
My practice blends creativity, neuroscience, mindfulness, and clinical expertise. I believe we are all creative. And I believe that making — building, crafting, tinkering, designing — opens avenues for expression and self-awareness that words alone sometimes cannot reach.
Based at St. Bonaventure University. Working with curious minds everywhere.
Now available from Cognella Academic Publishing.
Creative Counseling: Empowering Health through Makerspace Innovation Deborah L. Duenyas, Ph.D. & Roseanne M. Perkins, Ph.D.
This comprehensive, practice-ready textbook is written for counselors and counselors-in-training. It covers the foundations of the maker movement, the STIIR framework, integrating Maker Therapy across theoretical orientations, and hands-on activity ideas across a wide range of clinical settings and populations, all designed to help you bring Maker Therapy into your practice with clarity and confidence.
In the spirit of Maker Therapy, use it in whatever way works best for you.
Creativity belongs here.
Experience Maker Therapy through engaging, evidence-informed workshops or explore a growing library of free creative resources for clinicians, educators, and individuals. No paywall, no prerequisites, just meaningful tools designed to support creativity, mindfulness, and wellbeing.