Tamara Liz Rivera-Hyde

Clinically trained Art Therapist and mental wellness entrepreneur with 10+ years bridging expressive arts, somatic healing, and psychoeducation across clinical, community, and crisis settings. Founder of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and creator of the Spiritual Arts Model (SAM) — a proprietary 12-session psychoeducational framework currently being validated through doctoral research at UTEP. Bilingual practitioner (English/Spanish) with a track record of designing culturally congruent programs for underserved border communities, trauma survivors, adolescents, and adults navigating co-occurring challenges.

Combines rigorous clinical training, lived cultural wisdom, and academic scholarship to create lasting pathways to wellness.

Founder & Executive Director at Creative Souls Studio for Sacred Arts Healing Inc. (2015-01 – Present)

501(c)(3) Public Charity · EIN 33-4834501

• Founded and built a 501(c)(3) nonprofit psychoeducational organization from the ground up — securing grant funding (VELA 2022, MCAD 2023), establishing community partnerships, and achieving IRS public charity status.
• Created the Spiritual Arts Model (SAM), a proprietary 12-session immersive psychoeducational journey integrating somatic, expressive, and contemplative practices — currently undergoing doctoral validation at UTEP.
• Designed and led grant-funded community programs offering art therapy, spiritual healing, and creative empowerment to survivors, youth, and underserved populations throughout the El Paso–Juárez border region.
• Organized workshops, retreats, and collaborative events rooted in creativity, cultural wisdom, and collective renewal — including a featured workshop at EPCC and coverage in Apple Polishing Magazine.
• Managed all program operations: partner relations, grant writing, evaluation processes, compliance filings (990-N), and community outreach across sectors including healthcare, education, and nonprofits.
• Established partnerships with NAMI El Paso, Wholistic Mercado, Cafecito/Bodega Loya, Sun City Coop, and EPCC, building a trusted community presence rooted in cultural authenticity and peer-level trust.

Private Practice Art Therapist at Haverhill Mental Health Services (2025-01 – Present)

• Facilitate spiritually rooted, somatic-informed individual art therapy for trauma survivors, adolescents, and adults navigating grief, identity, and emotional dysregulation.
• Integrate mind-body practices, ancestral wisdom, and expressive arts modalities to support deep emotional healing and authentic self-reconnection.
• Develop customized treatment plans that honor both clinical evidence base and each client's personal, cultural, and spiritual identity.

Behavioral Health Specialist — Border Crisis Response at Vighter Medical Group (2021-01 – 2021-12)

• Delivered trauma stabilization and crisis mental health services to refugees and asylum seekers in high-stress humanitarian environments at the U.S.–Mexico border.
• Applied culturally respectful art therapy and somatic interventions to promote safety, dignity, grounding, and emotional regulation in acute distress situations.
• Coordinated with legal, medical, and case-management teams to deliver integrated, trauma-informed, holistic care within a complex multi-agency humanitarian operation.

Art Therapist at Sequoyah Adolescent Treatment Center (2019-01 – 2019-12)

• Provided individual and group art therapy in a secure inpatient psychiatric setting for adolescents with acute emotional, behavioral, and trauma-related challenges.
• Facilitated expressive arts sessions targeting identity development, emotion regulation, self-worth, and trauma processing — within a strengths-based, trauma-informed framework.
• Contributed to interdisciplinary treatment planning alongside psychiatrists, nurses, and licensed social workers, ensuring integrated care aligned with each client's clinical goals.

Art Therapist at Albuquerque Health Services (2019-01 – 2019-12)

• Supported adults facing co-occurring substance use disorder, chronic mental illness, trauma histories, and housing instability through evidence-informed creative therapeutic interventions.
• Utilized visual art and expressive modalities to rebuild self-connection, self-efficacy, and pathways toward community reintegration.

PhD Candidate in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences – University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) (2026-09)

Master of Arts in Art Therapy – Georgia College & State University (GCSU)

Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts – Escuela de Artes Plásticas