Vicki L. Williams-Patterson

Born Vicki Lynn Flood--daughter to Don and Charleen Flood and sister to John-- Vicki L. Williams-Patterson fills another important founding board member seat at the Flood Family Foundation. A professional watercolor artist in San Antonio, Texas, a Board-Certified Art Therapist, and a Licensed Professional Counselor with an MCAT (Master of Creative Art Therapy) and considerable experience in Jungian Sand Tray Process, Vicki brings another highly creative perspective to the philanthropic work of the FFF.

In her therapist work, Vicki specializes in Trauma Recovery, most recently with teens and adults, though she has worked with people whose ages range from three to sixty-three. In a recent bio clip for the Rx Art Reception Fundraiser--which was sponsored by San Antonio's Health and Healing Consortium--Vicki discussed her history with art and her parallel path as an Artist/Healer:

While I have been in practice as an art therapist since 1983, I have been an artist since early childhood. Making art has become such an integral part of me that I can't imagine going very long without "making stuff." In 1977 I received my BFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin. Then I moved to California where I was active at Clay Dimensions Studio and Many Hands Artists Co-op. My Art has served as a record of my life, an escape from despair, and as a powerful source of personal truth. The creative process is equally essential to my work with clients. While some of them enjoy using traditional media for self-expression, others express their inner images through the "sand-tray" process. For me, watercolor embodies the unpredictability and complexity of life. Whatever the medium, I find the visual creative process to be both compelling and delightful.

And, of course, Vicki has experienced first-hand the healing power of art and its ability to act as a therapeutic voice or expression for people burdened by a trauma: "art can subtly address

issues," she believes, "especially in the beginning when too many emotions confound language--and language is at first too linked to a trauma."

Given her experience and expertise, it is no surprise that Vicki gives her full support to FFF initiatives like the Freese Elementary Special Education Drum Project--which offers creative arts outlets--like painting, sculpture, puppetry, music and dance-- for young, needy students in the San Diego School system.

And as the daughter of Charleen, who instilled in her the "idea that [she] had the freedom to choose [her] own career path," Vicki works tirelessly--along with the rest of the Flood Family Foundation-- to honor her mother's memory and help free all of those suffering from the encumbering complications of Parkinson's. For more information on Vicki L. Williams-Patterson, click here.