Pamela Krueger, Cancer Lifeline’s resident expressive-arts-therapist in training, has always loved creative writing, starting with neighborhood marionette playwriting in childhood and, as she grew, often venturing into poetic interludes for solace and the insights the process of writing delivered. When her eldest son was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood leukemia, she turned to poetry and journaling to process her experiences and seek meaning. Her own experiences during his three and one-half years of chemotherapy led her to deeply understand the power of the creative process, leading her down her current path. Before she became an emerging therapist, she counseled clients about protecting the environment, facilitating many groups through the process of resolving conflicts during her fifteen-year legal career. She lives in Issaquah, Washington, with her husband Scott and her two young adult children, Ethan (22) and Oliver (18), and their beloved corgi, Buddha. She recently received her Master of Fine Arts in Creating Writing from Oregon State University and will receive her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, Expressive Arts Therapy, from the California Institute of Integral Studies in May 2020.
Starting this Fall, Cancer Lifeline will be hosting Pamela, who will offer up to six fee-free sessions at our Dorothy O’Brien Center. These sessions with Pamela will take place in our Healing Arts Room and are available to individuals, couples, families, and groups. We plan to pilot this natural extension of our artistic expression programming throughout Fall, Winter, and Spring, and will then evaluate it as a potential ongoing offering. No diagnosis is required to be eligible to meet with Pamela and she is supervised by a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist with twenty-five years of experience as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. If you are in need of some additional therapeutic support and are a member of our community, consider reaching out to Pamela to learn more.