Trauma-Informed Counseling & Art Therapy In Baltimore, MD

Virtual services available throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Honor Your Calling. Create Space For You

Support that honors the person behind the profession.

Your role may ask a lot of you, but it shouldn't cost you your well-being.

Whether you're a first responder, service member, veteran, military spouse, helping professional, or someone who has spent years putting others first, the emotional weight of what you carry can show up in ways that aren't always obvious from the start.

Maybe you have found yourself thinking…

"I should be over this by now."

"I can handle the crisis at work, but the little things at home set me off."

"I don't feel like myself anymore."

"I'm always waiting for the next thing to go wrong."

"I'm tired, but I can't turn my brain off."

"I don't know who I am outside of what I do."

"I keep showing up for everyone else, but I don't know how to show up for myself."

If This Sounds Familiar, You're in the Right Place.

Firefighter turnout gear representing trauma-informed therapy for firefighters and first responders.

Specialized Trauma Therapy for Those Who Serve Others

First Responders

You know how to respond when others are in crisis. Therapy can help you process what happens after.

Military service members representing therapy for veterans, active-duty military, and military families.

Service Connected Individuals

You adapted to what service required of you. Therapy can help you reconnect with who you are beyond the role.

Two people holding hands in a supportive gesture representing compassionate trauma-informed counseling and helping professionals.

Helping Professionals

You spend your days holding space for others. You deserve a place where someone holds space for you.

You Were Never Meant to Carry It Alone

When your role requires you to stay prepared, alert, and emotionally steady, your body can learn to stay on guard, even when the crisis has passed.

Therapy can help you understand these responses, process what you've experienced, and reconnect with the parts of yourself that may have been pushed aside while you were focused on serving, helping, and surviving.

Virtual appointments available for adults throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Finding the right therapist is about more than credentials.

It is about finding someone who understands your experiences, respects your story, and creates a space where you feel safe enough to begin healing.

Meet the Therapists Behind Create & Connect

Casey Frederick ATR-BC, LCPAT, LCPC, LPC and co-founder of Create and Connect Art Therapy and Counseling.

Casey Frederick

MA, LCPC, LCPAT, LPC, ATR-BC

Offering Services in Maryland & Pennsylvania

Casey specializes in supporting adults who have spent years caring for others, including veterans, first responders, spouses, and helping professionals, who are navigating trauma, burnout, life transitions, and the emotional weight of high-responsibility roles.

Christlyn McCaskill ATR-BC, LCPAT, LCPC and co-founder of Create and Connect Art Therapy and Counseling.
Christlyn McCaskill ATR-BC, LCPAT, LCPC and co-founder of Create and Connect Art Therapy and Counseling.

Christlyn McCaskill

MA, LCPC, LCPAT, ATR-BC

Offering Services in Maryland

Chris specializes in supporting women with a special focus on women of color, neurodivergent individuals, and those in high responsibility roles who have spent years carrying the expectations of others while quietly navigating trauma, burnout, parentification, identity, and the emotional weight of always being the strong one.

At Create & Connect, we combine trauma-informed counseling, art therapy, and genuine human connection to support adults who have spent years caring for others.

Our practice was created with a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by veterans, first responders, military-connected individuals, and helping professionals, and a belief that healing should make space for the whole person, not just the challenges they are facing.

Healthcare professional representing therapy for helping professionals experiencing burnout and compassion fatigue.

The Hidden Cost of Helping

When you are accustomed to responding, protecting, caring, or keeping everything moving, it can be difficult to notice how much you are carrying. You may continue functioning well on the outside while feeling exhausted, disconnected, or constantly on guard underneath.

Over time, you may find that:

Your body rarely feels fully off duty.
Your patience is shorter with the people you love.
Rest does not always leave you feeling restored.
You feel responsible for everyone, but disconnected from yourself.

These experiences are not signs that you are failing or that you are no longer capable. They are understandable responses to prolonged stress, repeated exposure to crisis, and the emotional demands of being someone others depend on.

You have spent so much of your life making space for others. Therapy can become the place where you begin making space for yourself again.

Finding Room For Yourself Again

Imagine what life could feel like...

A minimalist design with a watercolor eucalyptus branch at the top and cursive text reading 'Feeling Calm' followed by smaller text 'Responding to stress with confidence instead of overwhelm.'
Illustration of two hands hugging a heart, with the words 'Greater self-compassion' and a quote about replacing self-criticism with understanding and recognizing that healing doesn't require perfection.'
Watercolor illustration of an artist's palette with colorful paint splotches, accompanied by the word "Discovering" and a quote about creativity and overcoming life's challenges.
A minimalist illustration of three stones stacked on top of each other in different shades of blue, beige, and cream. Text below reads 'Finding Balance' with a subtitle about learning practical tools to navigate anxiety, burnout, and life's transitions with greater resilience.
Image with two speech bubbles and the title "Healthier Relationships" in cursive, followed by the text "Communicating your needs, setting boundaries, and feeling more connected to the people you care about."
A watercolor illustration of a sun setting over the horizon with rays extending outward. Below it, the text reads "Looking toward the future" and "Feeling hopeful, empowered, and confident in your ability to continue growing long after therapy ends."

Therapy is not about becoming a different person, it's about helping you reconnect with the person you've always been beneath the stress, pain, and expectations of high demand roles.

At Create & Connect, we believe healing is not one-size-fits-all.

For those who have spent years being dependable, resilient, and prepared for whatever comes next, therapy should be a place where you do not have to perform, explain everything perfectly, or carry the weight alone.

Rather than beginning with, "What's wrong with you?" we begin with curiosity about what you've experienced, how you've adapted, and what has helped you survive.

Stack of books on a white brick surface viewed from below, with focusing on the titles, including 'Rebuilding Shattered' and 'Harm'.

Trauma-Informed Therapy

Healing begins with feeling seen & understood.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

All of your parts are welcome here.

Two people are engaging in a creative activity at a wooden table. One person is drawing on a piece of paper with a blue marker, while the other is holding the paper steady. There is a set of colorful pastel chalks in a black box and a stack of books on the table.

Art Therapy

Sometimes words alone aren't enough.

Casey Frederick and Christlyn McCaskill, board-certified art therapists and trauma-informed counselors at Create & Connect Art Therapy & Counseling.

Clinical Consultation

Become the Therapist you set out to be.

Adults participating in an art therapy session using creative expression to process emotions and trauma.

Healing Beyond Words, Roles, & Expectations

Board Certified Art Therapy in MD & PA

Trauma, burnout, compassion fatigue, and chronic stress don't only affect how you think. They can change how you feel in your body, relate to others, and experience the world around you.

Art therapy offers an evidence-based approach that combines psychotherapy with creative expression, helping adults process difficult experiences in ways that feel safe, meaningful, and personal.

Getting Started In 3 Simple Steps

Book A Free Consult Call

A free 15-minute phone call gives us a chance to answer your questions, learn what you're looking for, and help you decide if we're the right fit.

Schedule Your 1st Session

If it feels like a good fit, we'll choose a consistent appointment time that works for both of us, complete your paperwork, and get everything in place before your first session.

Start Healing

Using trauma-informed therapy, art therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and other evidence-based approaches, we'll work together to help you process life's challenges, reconnect with yourself, and move toward lasting healing.

Taking the First Step Should Feel Manageable

Private Pay and Select Insurances Available

  • "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life"

    -Pablo Picasso

  • "What I seek is within, the images are my maps"

    -Pat B. Allen

  • "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"

    -Vincent VanGogh

  • "It is an act of bravery to feel your feelings"

    -Gayle Forman

Ready to share the load?

We offer virtual therapy for adults throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania, making it easier to access care that fits your unique needs, shift schedules, and daily life.