Self Care Journal

September 14

Self Care Journal

Work continues to pick up pace, and I am feeling the "need" to journal more and more. I am hoping that I can get back in the habit...

Also wanting to start an art journal night (kinda like a book club). Some good friends, a potluck and art making, sounds like a perfect night to me. I will let you know how that goes.

August 31

Self Care Journal

I am still trying to get back in the habit of journaling after work. Not going so well, but I need it!

August 21

Self Care Journal

July 24
I have had my first full week on the job, and have not really gotten back into the swing of the journaling yet, but have also not been seeing too many clients... It will happen.

Child Therapist's Survival Kit

Today I got the most amazing care package from my sister to congratulate me on my job. It was this great big box with a basket and all these trinkets with little cards on it. Not only did they offer survival tips, but they also will be useful at my new job! I truly have the most amazing sister!!


Here is a list of what was inside, and the message on each card:

• Rope -- so when you reach the end of yours you can tie a knot and hang on
• Clock -- don't forget to take some time for yourself
• An extra pair of hands -- for when you just can't do it alone
• Hugs and Kisses -- because every child (and therapist) deserves them
• Gum -- to help you chew things over... (...not chew others out)
• A puzzle -- to remind you that its hard to put people back together, but sometimes hey can't do it without you
• A magic wand -- to fix things that you can't
• Balloons -- to blow up so that you won't
  
• Cotton -- to help remember that feelings are soft
• Paper plates -- for the times that you have too much on yours!
• Coffee -- to help you stay awake
• A coloring book -- because at the end of the day sometimes being a kid helps
• A yoga video -- to remind you to be flexible
• Glasses -- to remind you that sometimes clients see the world differently
• Dry erase board -- to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, but you can always erase them
• Notepads -- for jotting down notes and appointments
• Magic 8 Ball -- for all the times you don't have the answers
• m&m's -- because they make friends
• Air Pump -- to get pumped up on bad days
• Trail mix -- to remind you to eat
• Band aids -- to heal hurt feelings (theirs and yours)
• Lifesavers -- to remind you of the many that need your help
• Eyemask -- to cover your eyes and forget the little things
• Music -- to help your clients (and you) relax
• Shout Wipes -- to get rid of the messes you will make
• Sour patch kids -- to appreciate the differences in others, and to take the good with the bad
• Paper clips -- to help you hold it all together
• Smarties -- for those days you don't feel so smart
• Nuts -- because sometimes you feel like a nut
• Candles -- to remind you to share your light with others
• Tissues -- for when the big stories of little people break your heart and make you cry
• Bath salts -- to take you away at the end of the day
• Sill putty -- to stretch you beyond your limits
• Pain killers -- for the headache you will get
• Starbursts -- for when you need a burst of energy
• Cell Phone -- to remind you that it's ok to call for help sometimes
• Rubber band ball -- to help you bounce back from the hard hits
• A friend -- to hug you when I can't
• Clothespin -- to help you hang in there
• Toothpicks -- to help you pick through the problems that can be helped, and which ones can't
• Tootsie Roll -- to remind you to roll with the punches
• Quarter -- for when you need to call in for a mental health day
• Smiley Face -- to remember your impact on those you help (and that smiles are contagious)
• Button -- to remind you to button your lips from saying what you really think
• Penny -- to help make "cents" of it all
  
• Mirror (and tiara) -- for when things get really tough, and you feel like you are doing it all wrong, don't forget to look in the mirror and remind yourself of what a brilliant princess you are
• Cat in the Hat hat -- to remind you to have fun (if your job ever becomes work you shouldn't be doing it anymore)

I was speechless, and in tears!

More Big News!

I have a job! A real art therapy job! Which means my art journalling will be picking up again here soon.

The job is at Queen of Peace which is where I had my last internship. It is a substance abuse clinic for women, but I will be working with the children that come into the clinic with the moms. It is full-time, and I start part-time next Tuesday and full-time on the following Monday. So much to learn and so much to share...

Big News

I just received an email telling me that my AATA (American Art Therapy Association) proposal had been accepted and I will be presenting at the 2009 National Art Therapy Conference in Dallas!! Woo hoo... Texas here I come!

Practicum Journal

Today was my last day of school... classes are done... practicum is done... now I am waiting on the thesis to be done. But today was the last day at my practicum site. It is always bittersweet leaving. I have learned a great deal, and will always cherish my time there.

May 4

May 5

May 6

Practicum Journal

April 28

April 29

Practicum Journal

April 20

April 21

April 27

Practicum Journal

April 13

April 14

April 15

Practicum Journal

April 6

April 7

Spring Conference 2009: Lynn Kapitan

After much planning, the spring conference went off today without a hitch. Lynn Kapitan was our speaker, and she did an amazing job talking about a variety of things including her work in South America and her research on re-enchanting art therapy, or making the therapist creative again.

One directive that she gave was to create a monster, our monster (what ever we are fighting right now)

And then to create an environment that both of us could live in

One thing that Lynn noticed in her research is that people often added light to the environment to make things "less scary" and or changed the scale of the monster. In our group, everyone did an element of both of those, making a testament to the power of the directive and of her research.

Another directive that we did called for us to be in groups of 3. In each group we all had a role to play: Creator, Destroyer and Transformer.

The Creator made a piece of art

That the Destroyer then destroyed

And the transformer then made presentable in some form.

It was interesting to see how one reacted in each of the three roles. I for one did not like the creator, for I knew the process and that it would be destroyed. This made me less able to attach to the image. I also did not like the destroyer because I did not like being destructive with someone else's creativity. Of the three I liked the transformer the best although I did feel a lot of pressure to "fix" the drawing in that role.

Practicum Journal

March 23

March 24

March 30

March 31

April 1

Practicum Journal

Since I finished my thesis art journal, I started a new journal to do in conjunction with my practicum. I want to continue the practice of journaling about work, and the issues that arise from working with clients—either from hearing their stories, or from the general stress of a workday.

March 16

March 17

March 18

Final Thesis Journal Pages

I finished my final pages in the thesis journal today. It continues to be an amazing process for me. I find that I learn so much about myself, as well as my perceptions of my clients, through this work. As a bonus, since it is a collective, I am able to look back at the growth that I have had in the practicum placement. I will continue this process throughout my placement, however the pages that I work will no longer be used as thesis data.

That last thing that I will do Is decorate the cover in some way. I will post pictures of that soon!

March 2

March 3

March 4

More Thesis Art Journal

I am a little disappointed, I have a larger gap in my pages than I would like—due to a move and then the flu... Such is life I suppose.

Feb 16

Feb 17

Feb 18

Feb 19

Feb 23

Feb 25

More Thesis Art Journal

I can't believe I only have 10 more pages left in this journal. Then on to the next phase of research... Although I will still keep a journal for practicum, it just won't be for thesis use.

Feb 7

Feb 9

Feb 10

Feb 11

Feb 13