Meet Reeve Bowling, MA

Reeve is a pre-licensed psychotherapist and art therapist with professional experience working with individuals across the lifespan. He specializes in working with adults with substance abuse disorders, children and teens with neurodevelopmental disorders, and military veterans.  He believes a strong therapeutic relationship provides a strong foundation for healing, and is passionate about curating a space of warmth and authenticity that invites clients to do meaningful and transformative work.  Outside of psychotherapy, Reeve enjoys an active lifestyle as a former college athlete. He enjoys all things outdoors, and most of his leisure time is spent making art, camping, hunting, spending time with his family, and relaxing in nature. He is conversational in American Sign Language.

Education and training

“If you look at a tree growing in a valley, you’ll notice it grows differently than one on top of a mountain. The environment that surrounds us has a large influence on our lifestyle, schema, mental health, and behavior.”

The above quote is foundational in Reeve's evolution as a professional.  Though he studied Nursing, Psychology, and Biomedical Humanities at Hiram College in Ohio, and spent time as a student nurse in the neurology department at the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital, he encountered obstacles with the disease-based model of medicine which led him to shift his professional focus to mental health care.  Fundamentally, Reeve believes in the sociocultural and humanistic aspects of client care, and it was these values that ultimately led him to switch careers and began training as a psychotherapist.  

Reeve went on to study at Adler Graduate School, where he graduated with a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy in June of 2023. He completed his graduate school internship with Lutheran Social Services (LSS) and Art Lab Rx. Through LSS, he was able to work with a variety of lifespan demographics, including military veterans, homeless youth, adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and elderly adults. Reeve is a pre-licensed therapist working towards his LPC licensure and ATR-BC certification. Mary Kuepper, LPC-S, supervises him.

Experience

Reeve has professional experience working in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Through his internship experiences with Art Lab Rx, he has experience facilitating group therapy sessions in public schools, as well as Inpatient facilities.  He has worked with both children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders, which has included facilitating art therapy for children (K-12) with special needs.  Reeve has experience utilizing person-centered and recovery-oriented principles to treat adults navigating severe mental health struggles, as well as substance abuse difficulties.  To this end, Reeve has extensive training and experience in Enhanced Illness Management and Recovery Foundations (E-IMR), as well as Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT), both of which are best practice treatment of individuals experiencing mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders (CODs).

Counseling Perspective 

Reeve’s professional philosophy is integrative, utilizing multiple theoretical frameworks to create a scaffolding which shapes his clinical work and perspective. This scaffolding draws from Adlerian, Person-Centered, Narrative, and Gestalt therapies, creating an interplay of values focused on connection, community, and growth, to name a few.  In addition, Reeve is passionate about the study of epigenetics, an incredible field which has allowed us to begin to understand the impact of life experience on the writing and rewriting of our DNA story.  Reeve believes our stories shape us, and is always curious with clients about the interplay between epigenetic trauma, neuroscience and, if clients are open to it, art therapy.

Art therapy is a technique rooted in the idea that creative expression can foster healing and mental well-being.  This type of therapy doesn’t emphasize verbal communication, and no artistic experience is needed to be able to access the benefits of this powerful modality!  Research indicates that art therapy can be highly effective for those with poor verbal regulation, including those navigating PTSD, and those dealing with nonverbal autism spectrum disorder. Art therapy can be an especially helpful avenue for clients wanting to address difficult or challenging themes, with a sense of safety.

Reeve works in collaboration with clients, cultivating sessions that are tailored to one's unique and individual needs. He believes that traditional talk therapy, in conjunction with expressive therapies, provides an optimal environment for wellness, and as much as a client is willing, will hold space for those more expressive therapies.  In addition, clients can expect clarity around goals, as well as acknowledgement of movement towards growth.  Clients can expect to be treated with a profound sense of respect, and are encouraged to express themselves openly.  Sessions with Reeve may include various integrative interventions, including, but not limited to; psychoeducation, expressive therapy directives, play, mindfulness, visualization, grounding exercises, movement, and role-playing.