Practicum sites for 2011

I am excited to share with you all that I have an abundance of sites to run art rooms with clients this year. Hopefully my direct client hours will add up fast so I can get my career on the move! So here is a short list of what I am doing:

1) Running an open studio once a week with withdrawl management services. This is a sobering center and the clients I work with are in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Some coupled with mental illness. The art serves as a vehicle for understanding the process of recovery and self care.

2) Working with a recreation therapist and an occupational therapist in the new patient care center at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. A one hour open studio that runs everyday (I am there mondays and fridays) for adult mental health inpatients. The clients I work with are hospitalized and treated for moderate to severe mental illness. The art work serves as a distraction while they are in the hospital and is very popular.

3) Co-facilitation of an art therapy group for transitioning through loss. This group will run, Sept-Oct at the South Island counseling center. I am happy to be working with my friend and art therapist in training Frances. We will be exploring through art directives where we sit with loss, where we could potentially go after grief, and how to get there safely.

4)Another group with Frances at Saint Georges Anglican church. We will be exploring spirituality through Art Therapy. How can we experience our spirituality through art making, worship, and relationship. This group will run late september through October.

5) Not confirmed yet but a good possibility. Running a 4-6 week Art therapy group with youth and young adults who are first psychotic break in-patients. This group would start in January and I would be working with a social worker and a nurse. I am so excited for this one if it comes through! It will be challenging, but working at multiple sites in the hospital gives me lots of connections and experience.I hope it works out!

There you have it. My year at a glance!! I am excited to share more as it comes. Thanks for reading!
Blessings,

M

Practicum 1-let the DCH begin!!

I started the first of many of my direct client hours yesterday. I've continued with my volunteer work with mental health and addictions. It felt really good to be back, and nice that some of the staff remembered me. It was such a beautiful day, at first I didn't think I would have any one show up. Over all I had 6 clients in and engaged with me on and off. I feel more confident going back with that month of training under my belt. It's amazing how much  growth and learning I gained in such a short amount of time. I am still learning how to listen and engage with my clients without telling them my personal stories. It's hard to balance gaining a professional friendly relationship without sharing information about myself. I have also been getting very good at working with difficult irrational people. Believe it or not I think my training as a waitress has given me the best experience of dealing with all kinds of people...more to learn more to learn...

M

moving along..

I had my first practicum supervision tonight. After a brief conversation with my peers I have seen the value in my working with OT's. (occupational therapists) Art therapy, at least in Victoria has a small gap in that it has been separated from the work that these therapists do. (which is phenomenal) My working with one would hugely benefit the local art therapy community in that is creates a new bridge for therapists to work as a team. I am truly excited to learn more about my desired profession and how it fits in with other health care professionals. I hope this placement will work out seeing as it could be such a wonderful opportunity.
 I have also learned from some peers further along in there practicums that creating your own placements is an investment in your career that opens doors for others. I may start exploring another opportunity with a friend running an "art as spirituality" group within the Christian community. eeeeeeep!! I've barely started and I am so excited. To be learning and doing and growing=amazing. I really love doing my own research and being amongst like minded people who recognize the value of creativity and the psyche.
God is great...nuff said

Practicum possibilities

So I am finally getting some where with starting some practicums. I have finished one of my intensive sessions with BCSAT (British columbia school of art therapy) and am now looking at starting some art therapy groups. I have been volunteering with mental health and addictions for a couple of years now teaching art. Now with a small amount of instruction under my belt I feel confident in adding art as therapy to my current volunteer group. As I think about what kind of therapist it is that I want to be I find I am constantly changing my mind. I have a heart for mental health and addictions but also in family therapy. (that may just be because I have finished my course in family art therapy.) But if I could help families of those suffering with addiction that would be ideal. So the possible practicums I may start this summer include working solo in withdrawl management services, detox and maybe with an occupational therapist in psychiatrics at the hospital. At present I am a little bit intimidated by some new environments, but look forward to breaking down the barriers and stigmas that I have  associated with these populations. God has truly blessed me with this career choice, and if I can serve others the way he has intended, I will be truly happy no matter where I am.


Blessings


M

水影画——敦煌（浮水拓画彩墨轻） Chinese Water-Ink Art Part 2 : Dun Huang