Ed Regensburg, Licensed Art Psychotherapist

The Northport Wellness Center Proudly Announces its Newest Alliance Member.     ed-regensburg-head-shot

Ed Regensburg, licensed Art Psychotherapist, works with adults and children ages 5-12 years old. With over 30 years of experience, Ed has a unique talent for counseling individuals with various disorders and challenges, especially children with special needs such as autism, who often have difficulty communicating their thoughts and feelings effectively.

Ed is passionate about helping children with special needs find their voice in the world.

“Traditional counseling relies on words for emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual information,” says Ed. “Young children and individuals with special needs cannot use ‘words alone’ to effectively express this information. If they can't use words, they can't tell you what's wrong.”

Ed explains that it is not just the biological condition behind a diagnosis that creates conflict and challenges within a child. Rather, he says there are layers of issues from struggling with a condition that cause emotional and psychological symptoms that require therapy to overcome. Understanding and diffusing those layers away allows the child to heal and be more productive reducing anxiety and impulsive behaviors. For children who have difficulty communicating verbally, creative art therapy is the ideal intervention.

ed-with-children-larger-imageEd assists people in expressing information, exploring its meaning and providing the context for unlimited healing, growth and transformation.

Ed reports that today's mental health system places a premium on modifying behaviors, many     times without a true understanding of WHY the behaviors exist. He says, “I am committed to helping people understand WHY behaviors have manifested in the first place...then with insights born, change behavior. This is available to ANYONE, regardless of their learning style.”

Ed is an an expert in Image Analysis, which involves the accessing of internal imagery such as a dream, expressing it through art creation, and then deciphering the hidden, coded meaning in symbols and form such as color, shapes, etc. This leads to accurate understanding and resolution of conflict regardless of any artistic talent, he says.

Ed invites children and adults to work through their challenges in a warm, welcoming and peaceful environment, which he refers to as his Creative Sanctuary®. Utilizing specific techniques developed over 30 years of clinical practice, individuals use the tools of the artist, such as drawing, painting and clay, to release their innermost feelings, work through their emotional issues and challenges, and move on to a path of healing.

According to Ed, “There is another language...the ‘hidden language’ of images or imagery where the conscious and unconscious mind come together in an integrated expression.” This creative expressive process results in:

  • ed-with-child-larger-image* Emotional release
  • * Stress reduction
  • * Freedom for feelings and issues to be explored,
  • understood and resolved

Individual treatment plans are developed using various techniques that best meet each client’s needs. Different therapeutic approaches include:

  • * Visual Art Therapy
  • * Analytic Therapy
  • * Dream Work & Dream Image Analysis
  • * Guided Therapeutic Imagery
  • * Hypnotherapy

The therapeutic approaches above are used to treat adults and children with who are faced with a range of challenges including:

  • · Anxiety or Fears
  • · ADHD
  • · Autism Spectrum Disorders/Developmental Disabilities
  • · Child or Adolescent Issues
  • · Chronic Pain or Illness
  • · Depression
  • · Dissociative Disorders
  • · Impulse Control Disorders
  • · Loss or Grief
  • · OCD
  • · Parenting
  • · Psychosis
  • · Spirituality

Biography: Ed Regensburg, MA, ATR-BC, CHt, LCATed-regensburg-logo-rounded

Ed was the executive director of North Shore Creative Rehabilitation Center, Inc., a creative arts human service organization that utilized creative arts therapies and a variety of alternative technologies for healing, growth and rehabilitation. At North Shore Creative Rehabilitation Center, Inc., Ed was able to treat hundreds of clients and train dozens of practitioners in the art of creative rehabilitation. Ed brought his extensive experience as a practicing artist and his understanding of the creative process to demonstrate the powerful way art and imagery heals and relates to the dimensions of human consciousness. After sixteen years Ed has moved on to focus on his private practice providing treatment services as well as continuing to consult and train in Art Therapy throughout the tri-state area . In addition Ed is the Director of Art Therapy for Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc.

Since 2001, Ed’s Universal Insights™ Research Program has offered his visionary services to assist clients in the marketing and advertising industry in developing creative “out of the box” solutions. According to Ed, with creativity unleashed, the potential outcomes are unlimited. Some past clients include JWT USA, Draft FCB, Galileo Marketing and Research and others.

Ed graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz with a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education in 1975. He received a Master’s Degree in Creative Arts Therapy from Hofstra University in 1980. Since 1980, Ed studied physics, quantum physics and metaphysics, integrating traditional and non-traditional knowledge regarding the human psyche.

From 1975 – 2008 Ed designed, established and supervised clinical Art Therapy programs at North Shore University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Sagamore Children’s Center, Pederson Krag Mental Health Center and North Shore Creative Rehabilitation Center. During that time, he also established an exclusive private practice specializing in art psychotherapy and hypnosis for children and their families, individuals and couples.

Ed’s artwork has been featured in galleries across the country and is included in many private and corporate collections. It includes paintings of ethereal skyscapes and life-sized sculpture that reinterprets totemic themes. His work has been said to evoke a meditative response that moves the viewer from a state of fragmentation, anger and fear to a gentle, more integrated state of well-being. His work, which he calls “Memories of the Future,” reflects the evolution of the human family from its current circumstances to an emerging integrated global consciousness.

Ed is also a noted lecturer and workshop leader. From 1984 – 1994 he served as adjunct professor of Art Therapy in the graduate Art Therapy program that he co-designed at Long Island University. He has been sought out by many organizations for his consultant services including the New York State Office of Mental Health, Long Island Association for Aids Care, Pall Medical Corporation of America and others. Ed has been featured in Newsday and Psychology Today for his work as Director of Art Therapy for Family Residences and Essential Enterprises in Old Bethpage, NY.

Ed Regensburg is a licensed, board certified professional Art Therapist (ATR-BC,LCAT). In addition he is a board certified hypnotherapist, having earned the CHt.-BC distinction from the International Association of Counselors and Therapists in 1992. At that time, he established the first Wellness Education and Treatment Through The Arts model of care for people with special needs, with a focus on psychological illness. Unlike traditional programs, this model combines creative arts with functional skill building techniques to help people resolve inner conflicts and to heal and grow.

To make and appointment with Ed Regensburg or to learn more contact Ed at 631.493.0933 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Article By Ed: “Drawn To The Table:" Why Children on the Spectrum Need Art Psychotherapy as a Required Service