Today we’d like to introduce you to Cécile Rêve.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cécile. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In metaphorical language, I think of ARTrelief as a garden these days. I have been collecting and planting seeds for this garden throughout my entire life so I am not exactly sure if I can answer the question “how” did it start.
And even though I consider myself a visionary, I am not able to tell you “how” ARTrelief will evolve, because some of the seeds planted are still buried and may appear at any time, and so much of the landscape depends on elements coming from within the community, out of my control. I trust the integrity of an organic growth. I am one minuscule and receptive element in this vast landscape; the collective, dedication, and luck, do the rest.
Some of the seeds I have planted in this garden came from misfortune in my childhood and early adulthood. Other seeds I planted were more intentional, as I respond to how the rivers flow and where my vision sees it going. I think of all my experiences as lessons, whether they were positive or negative, big or small. A lesson is a seed the universe delivers to me so that I can plant it in my garden. If you are a seed you don’t question why or if you should grow, you just do, because that is your purpose. I’ll stick to that for now because living by It has allowed me to be happy. And somehow it is an excellent business model for a social enterprise.
Now in more concrete terms, ARTrelief is an expressive arts therapy and community center. It started as a private practice in my home studio, with the intention to be able to bring back “the human” into the human service I wanted to deliver and be able to work applying better self-care practices. When I ventured off on my own, I had experience working in day treatment, partial hospitalization programs, schools, Early Intervention, community art agencies, elder care and outpatient therapy.
I had seen the common thread of systems being unable to preserve the essence of what service and caring means, and the impact it had on not only the humans we were trying to support but our own health as providers. My practical self and common sense could no longer engage in those systems of care. Doing my work in a context where caring and service are not valued and rewarded was extremely stressful for me. It also made mute and absurd the attempt and efforts I made in reaching clinical goals. Within a year and a half of rapid growth on my own, Gabriela Kotliar joined me in the opening and co-founding our center.
ARTrelief evolved out of a vision that mental health services can be delivered in humanistic ways, and most of healing and resolution comes from the people themselves, given the information and the stability of a safe community. Gabriela and I recognized early on in our careers, that people struggling need to feel they are being served by professionals who are not managed by organizations in which short-sighted capitalism and “the expert syndrome” inform major decisions. This does not mean ARTrelief does not have goals to be a clinically effective and financially healthy organization.
What it means is that with socially responsible policies and practices, and a solid moral compass, we can simultaneously provide top quality services, grow as a business, and share this equitably with the people who help build up the community. Everyday Gabriela and I wake up and feel honored and excited for the opportunity to help others and do our job, which can vary from business planning, empathetic listening, music and art making, or cleaning the toilet at the center. I love being able to manifest all sides of myself, I experience it as humbling and extremely freeing.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t know anything about smooth roads. The road feels smooth to me when I am able to adapt and improvise based on what arises on a day to day basis. The smoothness of my path depends on my ability to “go with the flow” and be grounded at the same time. The road is never nicely paved for me. I am not sure I am even interested in that. Of course, there are times when it feels like stars align for things to happen smoothly, luck is a real thing and I cherish those moments! I am also aware that I was born with privileges I did not need to gain.
But mostly I learn from my mistakes and try my best to integrate these learnings into mindful reshaping of myself and my actions going forward. My visions are not always relevant to what people need and want. I have often felt like the world is not receptive to the idea of inclusion for example. Creating inclusive spaces is hard work, it demands dedication, vision, and gives no glory. Creating inclusive spaces also require the support of group-minded people, and most people are driven by fear and want to engage in something that enhances their life directly in tangible and immediate ways. Creating an ethical and socially responsible managed care system is also very difficult.
As an organization, our costs are constantly being raised, especially real estate and human resource costs. At the same time, as entrepreneurs, we have no control over the reimbursement practices used by health insurance companies. There is always pressure from all sources to cave into non-client-centered, and less than socially responsible practices. Keeping a level head and staying connected to the essence and value of why we do what we do, helps us embody humanistic values and stay authentic to our purpose.
This practice requires depth, integrity, supportive partners, good emotional hygiene and stamina. At times my work feels very clear, positive and exciting. At other times I can lose faith in my vision. When I feel discouraged and disconnected from the love of the what I do, I turn to art, music, writing, dance and Action Theater™. Honing the skill of working from a place of darkness is one of my most valuable aptitudes. Most flowers bloom in daylight, however, some flowers only blossom at night. When they release unique scents. Light and love, for me, come from within a creative state itself. When I am able to surrender to it, I find my way again.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
ARTrelief specializes in the perfect blend of alternative, holistic and traditional community mental health and expressive arts therapy services. We are currently looking for a psychiatrist to expand our services, so if you or someone you know would be a good match for our center, please contact me at artrelief.cecile@gmail.com.
ARTrelief has been serving children, adolescents, adults, elders and families in the Metro Boston area for almost 9 years. We are a very welcoming space for people seeking to meet specific clinical goals, but also anyone who wants to experience creativity among other creative people. Recently we have been putting a lot of energy into developing our creative arts programs open to all people and all ages. Drumming, hip hop, yoga and guided relaxations are some of these newer additions.
artLAB©, a drop-in expressive arts studio it is a perfect therapeutic space for our clients to engage in treatment, but one does not need to have clinical goals to attend artLAB©. We also open our doors daily to little ones in the community who can come play and express themselves in our Move & Playspace.
More yoga classes, Action Theater™, Expressive Arts and DBT, and music programs will be added in the upcoming year so stay tuned!
Some of our strengths include:
– the use of expressive arts therapy
– a body-centered treatment approach
– a person-centered and holistic approach
– a community-based approach: therapeutic mentoring, school-based support, parent support, services out in the community
– the inclusion of people from all walks of life
– a celebration of neurodiversity and cultural diversity
– providing a stable community space for vulnerable people not to feel isolated
– artLAB©, a drop-in expressive arts studio for people all ages
– wellness services: adaptive art-music-movement for people of all ages, shiatsu therapy and Thai-yoga massage
Gabriela and I are most proud of being leaders in creating inclusive spaces for almost a decade, and providing support to all people to come together, feel empowered and heal.
To that effect we have a yearly fundraising event called yARTsale, this year it will take place on Saturday, December 1st from 10am-6pm. This event allows us to offer low-cost services throughout the year, making them accessible to all people. If you are an artist or make hand-made items, or if you offer healing services/products and would like to join the event, contact us at artrelief.info@gmail.com to apply for a vendor space.
Thank you for spreading the word to your friends and family about this exciting family event. There will be a live music band, art for sale, and this year a special ribbon dance works for all ages. More details will be posted on our website and facebook page as we get closer to the date. We hope you can join in the fun!
What were you like growing up?
I was born in the capital city of Cameroon, Yaounde, from an American mother, a Peace Corps volunteer at the time, and a French father who was based in Cameroon during his military service.
My mother came to Cameroon in part because she wanted to learn more about African music and art in general. She was a pretty amazing and talented woman: a music teacher, an English teacher, a singer and a dancer. She played piano, guitar, recorder, and balafon. My mother also had several students with disabilities coming to our home, and I remember watching her patience and compassion while teaching piano to these children and young adults. This was in the late 70s-early 80s, and Music Therapy as we know it today did not yet exist.
My father was also an artist: a photographer, a sculptor, and he also made and sold tie-dye art. I loved learning and creating with him, he was a playful and warm person. My father worked for various companies during my early childhood, and finally, later on, started his own construction company. He took me to construction sites where I’d watch with fascination, the cement mixer machines make thick grey concrete.
I also have fond memories of the smell and feeling of sawdust in his wood shop. My father was hard-working and though at times became relatively successful, he had many struggles and setbacks in his career. He turned to sculpture, paint and photography to express his emotional world. Both my parents, marginalized from their own families and culture, were artists-entrepreneurs that made a living and got by. My parents were fascinated and enamored with the local art and music and transmitted to me that love.
My first-grade teacher who was from India wrote on my report card “Cécile is an artist”.
This was one of my proudest memories. Thanks to my parents, I was exposed to art and music daily. I took ballet and modern dance lessons played several musical instruments and sat on my mother’s lap during her play-reading groups. I was also and avid visual artist growing up and turned to write as a means of expression in my teen and early adult life. I was a curious and gregarious child, who loved getting dirty and immersed in whatever I did. Exploration and having the opportunity to manifest my ingenuity were great motivators for me. I was often told by teachers and my friend’s parents that I am mature and empathetic.
And something more private to me was that I was drawn to the spiritual world and felt like an “old soul”. My spiritual life was shaped by my father who, though a self-declared agnostic, was a pretty spiritual man; and my mother who raised us with a Catholic faith, through openness to all religions allowed me to be exposed to a wide range of views. I had very close friends growing up and enjoyed being part of small groups of people.
Today all my friends are scattered around the world and thanks to social media, I am able to stay virtually close to many of them. Simultaneously to being a social child, I also loved spending time by myself. Daydreaming, one of my favorite ways to spend time, is really healthy for me. I have a vivid imagination which requires a lot of outlets. My parents were hands-off in their parenting style and I spent most of my time outdoors, I am very grateful to have had a lot of freedom to connect to myself. I didn’t have a television until my late teens, I was heavily involved in a variety of artistic outlets, and any time during my childhood we didn’t have means, so my imagination kept me entertained.
My parents cared about education and made sure I had access to a good one, and in addition to traveling to see family in France and in the United States, my community was culturally rich. I grew up with 2 older sisters, as a white minority in Yaounde, in the post-colonized period of Africa. We spoke mostly French in my house. I learned English through my mother and by attending the “American Club” of Yaoundé, as well as the “Marines House” where we played pool and saw the latest American movies on a big screen. I attended a private French school on a scholarship. My friends, throughout the years, were so diverse, they hardly had anything in common.
This was a complex cultural and historical context, my childhood was flavored with both oppressive and emaciation societal movements. White people were expats who came to Cameroon serving, through their organizations, capitalistic, political and religious goals. I was also a minority within the American and European groups, because most people came and went after a few years, and I lived there from birth to 18 years old.
Cameroon was my home, and though I have been in the Boston area for over 25 years, Yaounde will probably always remain my country of origin. I would not be who I am without these experiences, and everything that took place in that context are some of the blessings and privileges I was able to build my future on. ARTrelief, no doubt, finds many seeds in the whirlpool of my youth.
Pricing:
- Individual Therapy (50mn session): $65-115
- Couples and Family Therapy (50mn session): $75-125
- Group Therapy (50mn session): $8-20 per person
- artLAB© – Expressive Arts Studio: $8/hour or $70 for a 10 hours pass
- Move & Play Space: $6 single entry or $50 for 10 entries
- Shiatsu Therapy (hour session): $70-100
- Thai Yoga Massage (hour session): $70-100
- Supervision for Expressive Arts Therapists: $80-120 individual, $40-60 dyad.
Contact Info:
- Address: 51 Kondazian Street, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472
- Website: www.artrelief.info
- Phone: 617-924-1285
- Email: artrelief.info@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artrelief_original/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/expressiveartwellness/
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
