Skip to main content

Checking In


It's been a while. My last post was ages ago and since much has transpired. Let me bring you up to speed.

At the end of 2016 I blogged THIS and was feeling pretty enthused about my new mindfulness infused art therapy group for forensic mental health clients. The group came together in a series of serendipitous events.

After a great few months the membership trickled out as the participants became competent and returned to court. In the moment I was cautiously happy for each of them.

Don't get me wrong, in large part what I do in my "mindfulness" groups is to help with emotional competency. I want those who need to face the trials and tribulations of our judicial system to survive it. I want them to have a chance, no matter how small.

I had one participant who left & returned tell me about fondly remembering me "getting on his case every time he started to get worked up and telling him to STOP + BREATHE and take it from the top".

That's just what I need to do now. I took on quite a bit last semester (Jan-May) and it took a toll. Many things had to be placed on pause, or not do. One of them was this blog.

Lots of small things in the works which I look forward to sharing this summer so stay tuned.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Capturing a Moment: Gelatin Printing

Lets just get right down to it, you've either tried it and loved it or you're currently wondering what I'm talking about. Gelatin prints that's what. A few years ago a student introduced me to the wonders of using homemade gelatin as a printing plate (sugar free kind). As it turns out it is a very versatile work surface that brings an element of intrigue and play into the work space. When my clients first hear I'll be bringing in gelatin, they seek out napkins and forks and eagerly away the obviously tasty snack. The sound of dreams shattering as I pull-out the gelatin plates is audible (if only short lived). Soon everyone is poking and wiggling the gelatin and wondering what we'll be doing with it. Play is an important aspect of what I do. So is creativity and genuine interest. These things are however harder to come-by in adults than their younger counterparts (who jump-into explorer mode instinctively).  Sometimes I have to coerce these attr
1 comment
Read more

Technique Book #1

Returning from this years’ AATA Conference in San Antonio thankful to have connected and reconnected with so many amazing art therapists. It’s been busy and I didn’t mean to set the blog aside, but here’s some visual yummies to begin to make things up. Last August (yep, 2013) I made a small accordion book. In this accordion style, I essentially pieces together several strips of paper into one continuous page that folds at repeating intervals. I gave the book purpose when I decided to use it as a place to document art techniques. These art techniques were small samplings of ones I would be using in my groups. Today I completed the small book and am posting some of the images here with brief dialogue on some of the techniques. If there's interest I will consider separate posts later-on. Book Cover: Layered tissue paper with pressed leaves. Accordion style pages were 'seamed' with strips of tea bags. On left: Tea bag sheets can be used to age/antique.   On
Post a Comment
Read more

May 2014: Cuban Art Therapist (who would have thought it!)...

[I've had this entry on draft mode since the night I read the call for papers on the last AATA journal. In essence: How art therapists grapple with cultural/diversity/identity. ] To be quite honest, I am still naive (but getting better every day). I didn't think much about diversity or culture growing-up. I don't think most of us do.  Until it happened, I stepped out of the nurturing pockets I’d grown-up in. Quite possibly there had been some hints at it, but I was unable to recognize them for what they were. Everyone else was quite like my family...then again I did not expect to be isolated because of my career choices either. Singled-out on another front for not fitting the preexisting categories. Not a teacher of children. Not a "starving" artist. Not a psychologist nor a medical doctor (didn't marry one of those either). Yes. All that is my last name...that part too. No you can't just shove some of it as a middle name. I don’t have one
2 comments
Read more