Expressive Arts Therapist, Educator, Consultant National Certified Counselor Asheville Playback Theatre Actor Jessica Chilton, Owner of SPARK, is an Expressive Arts Therapist, Consultant and Educator, who utilizes drawing, painting, collage, mask-making, drama, journaling, story-telling, movement, sand play and music to facilitate expressive arts experiences. These experiences serve as catalysts for overcoming challenges, solving problems, gaining insight, navigating life transitions, discovering internal strength and wisdom, and developing creative wellness. Jessica is a National Certified Counselor who integrates her compassionate counseling skills throughout her creative sessions with clients. She embodies a counselor’s ethics, professionalism, and skilled attention to personal growth and development while exuding an expressive artist’s passion for creativity and ability to facilitate individuals and groups through a spectrum of artistic modalities. Jessica is an Asheville Playback Theatre actor and has been honoring people’s life stories through improvisational acting since 2004. Through playback shows for cancer survivors, foster children, prison inmates, public school teachers and housing development residents, she has offered her creative abilities and centered presence in service of honoring life stories. This intention to honor each individual she meets inspires every interaction with SPARK clients.

Professional and Educational Background Jessica Chilton has facilitated expressive arts experiences for ten years in the context of leadership development programs and educational settings—from elementary school through graduate level classrooms—as well as therapeutic programs for adolescents and adults, and hospice care/bereavement counseling settings. Jessica earned a Masters Degree from Appalachian State University in Community Counseling with a Dual Concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy and Body-Centered Therapy. She earned a Post-Master’s Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy from Appalachian State University and has obtained additional training from leading expressive arts training centers-- European Graduate School in Saas Fee, Switzerland, and Tamalpa Institute in Kentfield, California. Jessica is also a graduate of Duke University where she earned a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology.