Brushing Away Stress: Pitt-Greensburg’s Counseling Center Empowers Students Through Its Open Art Studio

Clear your Tuesday afternoons for a chance to let yourself decompress, relax, and let your creativity flow at the Open Art Studio every week from 1:30-3:00 p.m. This event will occur every Tuesday at 205 Cassell Hall for the rest of the semester — March 26, April 2, April 9, April 16, and April 23.

Students are invited to participate in “art therapy,” which is a non-traditional type of therapy that can help students cope with stress, gain personal insight, explore their emotions, and express themselves in an artistic way.

Amanda MacMurtrie, master of arts therapy intern and a current graduate student from Seton Hill, is proud to introduce this program to Pitt-Greensburg.

“There’s an array of art materials for you to try out and explore. I offer a new intention every week and I’m there to help self-identifying ‘not creative’ people as well as art lovers who don’t always have a chance to create,” MacMurtrie says. “It’s an event where there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ no grade or expectation.”

Morgan Templeton, a junior Communications major, says, “I think oftentimes people have a hard time putting their feelings into words. Sometimes just being creative and getting those feelings out through using your hands or an instrument of art can be a great way to express yourself without having to talk.”

As students, we know how stressful our lives can be, how hard time management can be, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. MacMurtrie acknowledges this.

“It’s good for grounding when anxious, letting off steam, or just a brain-break from studying.  I hear from a lot of people who love being creative who just don’t have the chance or the time. This is a really accessible way to give yourself that gift of creating something, just because you can,” MacMurtrie says. “It’s designed to be whatever you need — drop in for 10 minutes or an hour.”

For more information regarding the Open Art Studio, please email gbgintrn@pitt.edu. For general counseling appointments or questions, please email gbgcounseling@pitt.edu.