Photo credit: Erin Bloddgood
Ernesto Atkinson
Ernesto Atkinson has always been motivated to help others, even if it meant putting himself in dangerous situations. Now living in Milwaukee, Atkinson runs his own art therapy practice out of his small office in the Third Ward, but his work was not always calming and quiet. Originally from Guatemala, he dedicated the earlier part of his life to human trafficking prevention. He would often find himself in brothels and garbage dumps offering support to people in the sex trade and providing them a way out.
At age 13, Atkinson was adopted by a man that ran a non-profit focused on placing children in adopted homes and providing services for people in the sex trade. His adopted father became an important role model in his life at a time when Atkinson was starting to get mixed up in illegal activity. Instead, he got involved in his father’s non-profit and found a love for working with people who have dealt with traumatic experiences. Atkinson was often on the front lines, working in unsafe situations and negotiating with traffickers to free the victims. Eventually, the work became too risky for him; after being threatened a few times, he decided he needed to move. It was hard for him to leave his work and family behind, but his father insisted he leave for his own safety.
That’s when Atkinson immigrated to the United States, seeking ways to continue his work. At first, he traveled around, working with different organizations trying to solve human trafficking-related issues. The experience allowed him to see different cultures and gain a better understanding of how people deal with trauma. After a few years, he chose to go to school to pursue art therapy because he was driven to help people on a deeper level, rather than attending to their immediate needs. After finishing school in Chicago, he moved to Milwaukee in 2017 to start his bilingual art therapy practice.
The soft-spoken social worker chose art therapy because he is an artist and understands the healing potential that art provides. “For me, art therapy is a way of expressing and discovering your maximum splendor through the art process,” says Atkinson. He is a painter but, depending on his client, he uses different mediums such as writing, music, sketching, painting or cooking to allow them to express themselves. Art is a way for people to discover more of themselves by working through trauma or other issues in the subconscious. In essence, it provides a different outlet rather than using words.
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Atkinson often speaks with a smile on his face that creates wrinkles in the corners his eyes. He reflects on his work over the past two years and feels like he has helped people in lasting ways. His experiences with his patients have taught him “that we need to be more empathetic. We need each other.” In order to be more compassionate to each other, he explains, we must first love ourselves.
Learn more at aliviointegral.com. For more of Erin Bloodgood’s work, visit bloodgoodfoto.com.
