Art Therapy NYU

Ani Buk Articles

2007-06-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ani was very kind to send me the links to her articles.

http://www.tufts.edu/alumni/magazine/summer2006/features/feature4.html

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9A02E1DE1231F93AA15753C1A961958260

In the New York Times article, I especailly like where Ani points out that she does not "analyze the artwork for the patient" because with some patients, with terrible trauma words are too painful, which is the very reason for art therapy.This article further describes the Human Rights cases she spoke about in class.

Ani Buk Interview

2007-05-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

New graduate Rafael Cohen interviews Art Therapist Ani Buk:

Ani Buk, MFA, MA, LP, LCAT, is a New York State Licensed psychoanalyst and art therapist in private practice on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where she works with children, adolescents, adults and couples. She has twenty years of diverse clinical experience, and is a graduate of Yale University School of Art, NYU's Graduate Art Therapy Program, The Training Institute of the New York Freudian Society, as well as The Institute for Child, Adolescent and Family Studies. A nationally recognized trauma specialist, her work and recommendations have been featured in The New York Times, US News & World Report, The Chicago Tribune, Scholastic News, and Rosie Magazine. She is a co-author of Human Rights Clinic: Training Manual for Physicians and Mental Health Professionals, and A Facilitator’s Guide: Training Health Care Providers to Work with Refugees, published by Doctors of the World and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Ms. Buk is on the faculties of the Graduate Art Therapy Program of NYU and the Department of Psychiatry of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She has been a consultant for Doctors of the World, Safe Horizon, The Children's Advocacy Center of Manhattan, and other agencies in the New York area. She has presented at numerous local, state and national conferences, universities, hospitals, and other organizations, including the United Nations, on a wide range of topics related to parent guidance, trauma, vicarious traumatization, refugee issues, art therapy, and the psychology of the artist.

1. How did you decide to become an art therapist?

Like many art therapists, I took a circuitous route. Once I stumbled upon the field, I realized that it was what I'd been looking for all along. And, as I think is typical for people whose career path has not been a direct one, each part of the path has informed my subsequent undertakings in essential ways. [for a detailed description of Ani's career path, as well as several illustrated case summaries, see http://www.tufts.edu/alumni/magazine/summer2006/features/feature4.html ] Even though I've gone on to become a psychoanalyst, I'm still strongly connected to my identity as an art therapist. In fact, I'm certain that my work as an art therapist has made me a much better psychoanalyst that I would have otherwise been.

2. How would you characterize your style as an art therapist?

Whether I'm functioning as an art therapist, play therapist, psychoanalyst, family therapist or couples therapist, I work from what I would call a humanistic psychoanalytic foundation. I look at symptoms as symbolic representations of feelings and memories that cannot yet be expressed in any other way, and that originally arose in an attempt to adapt to or cope with a particular set of complex circumstances. I do a lot of work around "de-pathologizing" symptoms so that their multiple meanings can begin to be understood in an atmosphere of compassion and respect, which is where true healing can take place. I try to help patients find the safe place that is somewhere deep inside them, where no trauma can touch, and which allowed them to survive the circumstances of their lives and to seek help. Because profound trauma may have caused them to feel that the safe place was completely destroyed, or was never there to begin with, helping them gain a sense of control over how and what they express is often the first step in building that sense of inner safety.

As an art therapist, I work on the "art as therapy-to-art psychotherapy" continuum, depending on what each patient seems to need in the moment. Some patients may never be able to speak directly about certain issues, and the healing process is embedded in the witnessed art making process and product. But I do believe that the deepest healing comes out of being helped to experience one's feelings consciously and eventually to process them verbally, and the use of the metaphor and art process and product often provide an essential, intermediary bridge to developing that capacity.

3. Your speciality is trauma, when and how did you choose it?

As I discuss in my course at NYU, when the concept of trauma is placed on a continuum, as it should be, I think that all psychotherapists are trauma therapists. Not everyone will develop a specialty in working with profound trauma, as I have, but all therapists attempt to help their patients cope with the many ways that a spirited and fundamentally sound connection with themselves and others and life can be derailed. And it is the hallmark of our species that our exquisitely complex minds must attempt to grapple with our awareness that life is so fragile and that our time on earth is limited. If that's not traumatic, I don't know what is!

My focus on profound trauma arose in a natural way out of my work with highly traumatized populations - medical rehabilitation patients, chronic and acute psychiatric patients, and children who had been sexually and physically abused. In 1995, I was the Director of Creative Arts Therapy at North Central Bronx Hospital. When I learned that a clinic for torture survivors seeking political asylum had been started there, I approached the director to discuss the use of art therapy for that population. After I conducted an inservice on the topic for his Primary Care Residents, he brought me in to teach the biopsychosocial impact of profound trauma to them, referred some of the patients to me, and helped me get my faculty appointment at the medical school (Albert Einstein College of Medicine). The Human Rights Clinic, as it was called, was affiliated with Doctors of the World, and I became a member of that humanitarian organization's multi-disciplinary training team and co-wrote their training manuals. I fully believe that being an art therapist was an advantage for me, because, as you know, works of art bring theory to life in ways that transcend words. Presenting a case where art therapy has been used successfully is as close as you can get to being in the mind and heart of the trauma survivor during the training session.

4. Private practice is something we don't hear much about in school. Can you tell us a little about how that works and what it's like for you? Insurance, publicity, anything...

I did not start my private practice until I'd worked as a therapist for many years in a variety of settings, and was enrolled in my first post-graduate institute, the Institute for Child, Adolescent and Family Studies. I think there's a tendency for new clinicians to romanticize private practice - I know I did - and in doing so to underestimate the responsibility and the risk and attendant stress of working without the protection of the agency or hospital. The structure afforded by classes, case requirements, and the kind of supervision you receive at a rigorous institute was critical for me when I opened my practice, as was being in analysis myself. Institutes are typically good referral sources to their candidates, which is important when you're starting out. Most people have to work full-time and then see patients in the evening before making the transition to a part-time job and then to full-time private practice, which can take years to build. Personally, I would not have wanted to start a private practice without having already worked on acute psychiatric inpatient units. It's not always possible to assess how fragile someone is when you begin working with them, and for me being fluent with the full continuum of neurotic to psychotic processes has been very important. When you're in private practice you need to be able to work closely with psychopharmacologists, and possibly to have to facilitate hospitalizations, and having worked on inpatient units makes this easier.

Of course, the stressful aspects are counteracted by the luxury of being able to do intensive, long-term work with people. No matter what the setting, it's always incredibly moving and rewarding to participate in the deep healing that the psychotherapeutic relationship can engender in people. However, there is a kind of freedom that private practice affords the therapist that does not exist when you work for an agency. There's no bureaucracy to deal with - unless you choose to join managed care panels, which I have not - and for the most part you control your schedule and your environment. My patients pay me directly, and about 60% of them are reimbursed by their insurance companies for my services. My referrals come from a wide range of sources. For example, colleagues, former teachers and supervisors, physicians, and clinicians with whom I've collaborated on other cases or who have attended workshops I've given refer to me. I've always done a lot of public speaking on a wide range of topics, which I think is important when you're in private practice. You're more likely to receive referrals when people have a good sense of how you work.

5. How has the art therapy program at NYU changed since you were a student here?

The concept of vicarious traumatization - a relatively new concept - was not really addressed when I trained here in the mid-80's. There was also a wonderful course, taught by the previous director of the program, Laurie Wilson, called "Psychology of the Artist." It was profoundly influential in my thinking, and continues to inform my work with artists in my private practice.

6. What is one thing you wish you knew then, that you do know now, that you could share with us as art therapists about to graduate?

I don't remember post-graduate institute training being mentioned when I was getting ready to graduate. In retrospect, I think I would have begun that training a bit earlier in my career. Not right away, though, because I think it takes several years to adjust to working as a full-time therapist. Every therapist needs time to make the transition from intern to paid professional, adapting the mass of information he or she has studied in graduate school to the real world in a unique way. However, it takes more than two years of study to learn how to be a psychotherapist and talk with patients in any specialty. Art therapy is not "non-verbal therapy" because, in my opinion, there is no such thing as purely non-verbal psychotherapy. Creative arts therapists certainly have so much more to offer patients in the non-verbal realms of expression than other specialties, and we are more fluent in non-verbal communication, but we still need to be able to speak to our patients, and help them feel safe to speak to us. The skill of verbal intervention, like any skill, is one that can be expanded and refined for a lifetime. I would say the same thing about refining one's skills as an artist - the more competent we are in the modalities we use in our work with patients, the more effective we can be as healers.

In addition to teaching art therapy students, I've had many years of experience teaching medical students, psychology and social work interns, and psychiatry residents. I can honestly say that the students in NYU's graduate art therapy program have tended to be particularly sophisticated in their understanding of unconscious processes, and more readily able to use that understanding empathically in the service of their patients' emotional growth. The rigor of NYU's program, combined with the comfort art therapy students typically have with right-brain processes, which are the seat of empathy, will serve you well as you enter the field as professionals.

7. I truly don't know if my perspective is representative of the general population or not, but I consider you to be one of the more visible art therapists out there (NY Times article, etc...). What can you tell me about that experience? Do you feel a pressure & responsibility to represent the field in a particular way?

I would say that I'm "conflict-free" regarding the efficacy of the form of art therapy that I have come to practice and teach, and my passion about this has helped me cope with the anxiety that, for me, goes along with doing public relations for the field. I do feel it's my responsibility to represent the field of art therapy as a specialized and sophisticated form of psychotherapy, which is distinct from art making activities that are therapeutic.

8. A few students from my class went to a recent art therapy conference. Do you think its important for new art therapists to go to conferences?

It can be a powerful experience to be in a room with hundreds of art therapists, especially if you're trying to cope with working in a setting that marginalizes the field. It's important to be exposed to the very wide range of approaches within our field, and you can learn a lot if you're careful about what presentations you attend. As with any discipline, the quality of presentations can vary greatly - but sometimes being confronted by a way of working that you don't agree with can be helpful in confirming why it is that you choose to work the way you do, which can increase your self-confidence. However, when I was beginning my career, I had to make a choice between spending money on attending national conferences or paying for private supervision with a supervisor that I really trusted, and I think from a learning perspective that supervision is the priority. I also think it's important to go to scientific programs in other specialties to broaden your understanding of the psychotherapy field as a whole. It's great to live in a place like NYC, where there are so many free presentations to go to.

9. In your class earlier this semester, you spoke at some length about "mirror neurons" and other areas more associated with hard science than with art therapy. Is that where you see the field going?

I think it's essential for art therapists to integrate left-brain modes of understanding with right-brain modes of experience. Each one enhances the other in important ways, and this serves to make us not just better clinicians, but better advocates for the field and for human evolution in general. The more I know about neurobiology, the more I believe in the power of art therapy to heal. When I was working in agency and hospital settings and was dealing with the fact that art therapy can be threatening to clinicians in other specialties, the "hard science" was immensely helpful to me as I fought to deflate the stereotypes.

10. I know that you have experience with low-functioning mentally ill patients. My experience with that population has been mixed in that sometimes it can be hard to feel like I am making a difference. Any advice?

Try to remind yourself that if the stimulation of just one single neuron can activate the ten thousand other neurons to which it is linked, every empathic, life-affirming experience offered to a human being makes a difference.

11. I feel that, depending on the population, art therapy can be as life-changing and revelatory as psychoanalysis or psychotherapy. As interns, we don't always have the experience of working with high-functioning clients. I first experienced my own art therapy (in the role of a patient) during college. Hmmm... I'm having trouble solidifying these ideas into a question... I guess I want to know about the path towards that kind of work. I don't think I am going to start there, but I do have a desire to work in that way, where interpreting images directly with clients is a useful tool and the work follows more of a psychotherapeutic or analytical model.
(I think I sort of answered this one in #6 . . . .)

12. What has been your favorite population to work with?

I feel very privileged to have been able to work with such a wide range of populations, and I've have had so many deeply moving experiences with members of all of them. I especially enjoy doing the long-term work that I do now in my practice, but some of the things that I learned from patients with whom I only had a few sessions many years ago still influence how I work with people today.

13. Do you have a favorite quote about art therapy?

Describing the interface of art and trauma, the psychoanalysts Laub and Podell wrote that "art has the ability to revive the enshrouded past of a trauma through a dialogue in the present. In creating a holding witnessing 'other' that confirms the reality of the traumatic event, the artist can provide a structure or presence that counteracts the loss of the internal other, and thus can bestow form on chaos. Through such form the artist can 'know' the trauma."
[Laub, D. & Podell, D. (1995). Art and trauma. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 76, 991 - 1005.]

Almost Graduated Students

2007-04-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from a gather last weekend. You can borrow any of the images that are posted.

Puppet Making Class Pics

2007-04-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

What is Expressive Arts?

2007-03-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Below is a workshop lead by my supervisor who is an Expressive Art Therapist. If you'd like to go and get a glimpse into Expressive Arts-Multi Modalities, shes reduced the price for NYU students to $22.50.. a steal
Take Care everyone,
Marina

The expressive arts foster a deep creative exploration in all the arts modalities, paying special attention to developing heightened sensitivity in an artistic process. In a deeply respectful space, this work focuses on imaginative play, allowing for freedom to explore your curiosity without judgment.

NYC EXPRESSIVE ARTS STUDIO
LIVING LINES:
A WORKSHOP IN THE EXPRESSIVE ARTS If we look at the world around us, we see lines everywhere -- in architecture, in nature and in our bodies. It seems the world is structured through line. How can we work with the theme of lines to help create bridges from the world around to the world within? Can we create lines that express grief, confusion, tenderness and celebration, and then bring them into relationship with another? Working with the theme of creating lines, we will delve into the visual arts, creating layers upon layers of expressive line on the page. Then we bring lines into 3 dimensional space as dances emerge from the artwork. In closing, poetic lines bring the experience into yet another form, expressive words. Please join us!

Saturday, March 31 2-6pm
Workshop Fee: --$22.50 for NYU students or $45 for non students--

nycEAS is located in Redhook, Brooklyn, NY
> www.nycexpressivearts.com
> For info email rebekah@nycexpressivearts.com or call 646-522-1550

Interesting Clip - Art and Autism

2007-03-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

This is a facinating clip. Not art therapy per se but interesting feature on art communication and autism.

"What is Art Therapy?"

2007-03-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.arttherapy.org/documents/AT_Ch5News12pm122006.wmv

If you have ever been put on the spot to explain art therapy you probably sounded something like this...

Even the pros trip over "their words."

Congratulations!

2007-03-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all the 2nd years who turned in the first draft (final draft?) of their thesis!

Three Cheers...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2007-03-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Art Therapy makes Wikipedia!

There is A LOT of information included here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_therapy

Get Away for the Weekend

2007-03-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Peter's Valley is an artist's retreat studio located 70 miles from Newark Airport. It is located within the scenic, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, along the Delaware River.

They have week day and week long retreats for adults looking to refresh their skills including ceramics, metal and woodworking, photography, etc.

This info was suggested by someone who has gone for many years.
Just passing it along....

http://www.pvcrafts.org/index.htm

Two Weeks of Art Therapy Training by Some of the Masters

2007-03-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Prescott College Expressive Art Therapy program is pleased to announce the Prescott College Expressive Art Therapy Summer Institute in Prescott, Arizona. The Institute is open to Expressive Art Therapy students, Expressive Art Therapists, and those interested in learning more about the Expressive Art Therapies.
July 7-23

http://www.prescott.edu/students/map/art_therapy.html

Workshops are offered with:

Pat B. Allen, Ph.D., ATR
Art Robbins, Ed.D., ATR, HLM
Dr. Bruce L. Moon, Ph.D., ATR-BC
And more...

Contact Information

Frank Cardamone
Prescott College
220 Grove Avenue
Prescott, AZ 86301

Questions? Contact Cappi at 928-445-0169
cappi@northlink.com

All Things Male

2007-03-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

The most recent American Art Therapy Association Journal (Vol 24) features special topics for men in art therapy. Articles included in the journal are written from the male art therapist perspective - rare in this field. With four male students in our class though the tides might be slowly changing.
Heather has an extra copy of the journal if anyone would like to borrow.

Repost

2007-02-13T12:58:00.001-08:00

Reposts - I am reposting some other YouTube clips that we interesting. They are both well done and insightful.

2007-02-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

Art Therapy in Chicago City Schools

2007-02-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

Sand Therapy

2007-02-04T17:46:00.000-08:00

If anyone wants to start their own sand tray collection for post-graduate work the links below are sites that sell sand therapy toys. Some art therapists incorporate sandplay therapy into their art therapy practice. The first link is to Sandplay.org which, explains sand therapy if you are interested.

http://www.sandplay.org/index.htm

http://www.childtherapytoys.com/store/sandtoys.html

http://www.sandplaysupplies.com/sand.html

Art Awakens Alzheimer's Patients' Minds - Outings to Art Galleries Seem to Evaporate Some Effects of Alzheimer's

2007-02-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Just observing art can trigger memory in Alzheimer's Patients.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=2146253&page=1

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=2146253&page=1

Direct Links

2007-02-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Blog finally figured out how to directly link websites to the articles. If you click the highlighted script a new page will open with the desired website. Some older articles were updated with direct links as well.

Horray!

The Ackerman Institute

2007-02-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

The Ackerman Institute keeps coming up within art therapy talk. I thought I would post a link to their site if anyone was interested in post-grad training in family therapy. Posted is some information from the website followed by a link.

"We are in a dynamic period in the mental health fields, as several professions have recently become licensed in New York State. Ackerman’s clinical programs are particularly well suited to those professionals who have a graduate degree in family therapy, social work, or mental health counseling and are interested in accruing the postgraduate clinical hours required for licensing in these fields. By working under a temporary permit available from the New York State Office of the Professions, clinical work at Ackerman will serve in partial fulfillment of the licensing requirements. Those professionals who are seeking a license in psychology may need to make special arrangements for supervision which can be discussed within our training department. This creates added value to the training opportunities for those students who are currently working toward their licensing requirements.

For all training inquiries, please contact the Training Office at (212) 879-4900, extension 111. Our Dean of Students, Constance Scharf, LCSW, at extension 128, is available to discuss your particular needs and help you select the appropriate program."

"The Ackerman Institute was founded in 1960 as a not-for-profit institution with a two-fold mission:

To develop innovative and effective models of treatment for families in trouble.
To train clinicians how to implement these models.
Since that time, Ackerman has been successful in accomplishing both components of its initial mission. In the process, the Institute has established itself as the premier institution of its kind, with a national and international reputation for excellence in family therapy treatment and training.

During its existence, the Institute has learned how to help families cope with and master many of the toughest problems they face, ranging from major mental disorders, to family violence, to developmental problems in children, to sexual abuse, to family disruptions secondary to divorce, foster care, and so forth.

The Institute has also learned how to train social work, psychology, and psychiatric professionals to work effectively with families, and has sent hundreds of Ackerman-trained clinicians out into the community to staff a host of other service agencies in New York and around the country."

The Ackerman Institute

Email from Diana Milia - Sept 2006

2007-02-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

All the licensure requirements issues are confusing. This email from Diana Milia may clarify some of the confusion for those graduating in May.

For those who may not have seen it, I have received a response from Heather Evans regarding the problem of attaining the ATR-BC status within the two year time allotment for the LCAT.

According to her response, the ATCB must allow an art therapist to sit for the BC exam when the state says they are qualified, and cannot require the additional ATR required hours. The state is also working with the ATCB to make the BC exam available on an ongoing basis in New York. These changes will make it much more reasonable for very recent and future graduates to get licensed. (more information below)

If anyone still needs a supervisor, I have openings in my LCAT and ATR-BC supervision group for recent graduates, that meets alternate Thursday evenings. I know there are a number of other supervision groups going on as well. Good luck to all of you getting employed and seeking NY state licensure!

My question:
“By requirements of the Art Therapy Credentials Board, art therapists can only take the BC exam after receiving the ATR, a lengthier process than fulfilling the 1500 hours work experience requirement for the state of New York. While the state may not explicitly require the ATR-BC, they do apparently require the applicant to pass the BC. So in effect, you need to have your ATR-BC before getting your LCAT. Please help me to understand how this could be otherwise. The last BC exam held in New York was in June, 2006. There is no BC exam scheduled for New York for at least another year, so it is a great concern that art therapists will have a very difficult fulfilling these requirements within a two year period, given the rarity of exam opportunities.”

Her response:

To clarify...
The Art Therapy Credentials Boards’ BC exam is one of three possible exams accepted by the Department for licensure. If one chooses to take the ATCB –BC exam for the purposes of a NYS CAT License, they DO NOT need to fulfill any requirements other than what is outlined by the NYS Education Department standard pathway towards licensure. Once the NYS Education Department determines an CAT applicant is qualified to sit for the exam the Department will provide the ATCB with their name. The ATCB must allow that individual to take the BC exam without having to satisfy any further requirements. Plainly stated, you do not need to receive the ATR before taking the BC exam if the NYS Department of Education has determined you to be eligible to sit for the exam for the purpose of a LCAT. If the ATCB attempts to force you to take or fulfill additional requirement b! efore sitting for the exam, contact the Department immediately. The relationship is specifically expressed in the ATCB’s contract with the state. In addition, the exam must be available to NYS CAT applicants in NYS at least once a year.

Professional Training Series

2007-02-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

Specialty Workshops & Distance Learning Opportunities
These trainings are for social workers, family & marriage therapists,
counselors,
psychologists, psychiatrists, creative arts therapists, and other mental
health clinicians.
*** Continuing Education Credits Awarded ***

Therapeutic Uses of Art, Image & Symbolization for the Mental Health
Clinician
A tri-level training program designed to educate & enhance clinical skills
through the
application of art & image-based interventions in therapy
Level I
Feb. 22-24, 2007; 9 am-5 pm
July 12-14, 2007; 9 am-5 pm
May 29-31, 2008; 9 am-5 pm
Level II
Oct. 19-21, 2007; 9 am-5 pm
June 19-21, 2008; 9 am-5 pm
Level III
Oct. 23-25, 2008; 9 am-5 pm
(21 hours of CEC's for each level, or 63 hours for all three levels)
Early registration: $450 for each level, if postmarked one month prior to
workshop.
Regular registration: $525 for each level.
Sign up for all three levels: $1,200, a savings of $150.

Treating Clients with Eating Disorders with Art Therapy (14 hours of CEC's)
Thursday & Friday, March 29 & 30, 2007; 9 am-5 pm
Thursday & Friday, June 21 & 22, 2007; 9 am-5 pm
Early registration: $300 if postmarked 1 month prior to workshop; regular
registration
$350.
Distance Learning Course $350

Treating Clients with Self-Injurious Behaviors with Art Therapy (7 hours of
CEC's)
Wed., March 28th, 2007; 9 am-5 pm
Wed., June 20, 2007; 9 am-5 pm
Sat., September 29, 2007; 9 am-5 pm
Early registration: $ 150 if postmarked 1 month prior to workshop; regular
registration
$175.
Distance Learning Course $175

Setting up a Private Practice or Consulting Business that is Right for You!*
(5.5 hours of
CEC's)
Friday, Sept. 28th, 2007; 9 am-3 pm
Early registration: $225 if postmarked 1 month prior to workshop; regular
registration
$250. *Includes one hour of individualized consultation, in person or via
telephone.
Distance Learning Course $250

To receive a brochure and more information, please contact:
Michelle L. Dean, MA, ATR-BC, LPC
Board Certified Art Psychotherapist & Licensed Professional Counselor
Ms. Dean is a continuing education provider for the State of California's
Bureau of
Behavioral Sciences (#PCE 3563).
215.885.0642x1
mdeanx2@... or mdeanx2@...

Preventing Burnout:

2007-02-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

Announcing TWO new groups.
Great for social workers, analysts, and creative art therapists who need an
outlet of their own!

Preventing Burnout:
Art Therapy Group for Professionals Working with Traumatized Clients
This therapeutic art group will benefit caseworkers, therapists, social
workers, and others who do direct care work with survivors of sexual abuse,
domestic violence, or other trauma. The goal of the group is to create a
safe, supportive environment for workers to process their own feelings and
reactions to the difficult work they do everyday. Secondary or vicarious
trauma is one of the leading causes of burnout in our field. This weekly
group is an opportunity for professionals to take care of themselves and to,
in turn, better serve their clients.

Two on-going monthly groups available beginning February 2007.

First FRIDAYS
9:00am- 10:30am
and
Last WEDNESDAYS
7:30pm - 9:00pm

$20/session. *pre-registration required.

ART SPA: Therapeutic Art Studio
www.artspanyc.com/burnout.html
917-293-4642

ART SPA: Therapeutic Art Studio

Parent/Child Clay Workshop

2007-02-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

Hartley House is offering a following Clay Workshop facilitated by art
therapists, Krista Bebezas this Spring.

Parent/Child Clay Workshop
Neighborhood Art Workshop Series 2007 at Hartley House

When: 2/7, 2/21, 3/7, 3/21, 4/4, and 4/18
Time: Wednesday, 6pm to 7:30pm
Where: Hartley House Art Studio
413 W 46th Street (between 9th and 10th Ave)
Fee: $60.00 per family
*For reservations please call Hartley House: 212-246-9885, or sign up at the
front desk. Space is limited.

Speaking of Careers in Art Therapy

2007-01-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

Cathy Malchiodi wrote an article called Art Therapy and Career Counseling: Strategies for Art Therapy Job Seekers

It includes a sample resume, cover letter, information about making an art therapy portfolio and other helpful ideas concerning job seeking. It is worth a look through. Follow the link. Thanks again Marygrace!

http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/2c/4b/44.pdf

Go to Article

Curious about art therapy jobs?

2007-01-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

Marygrace mentioned these job search sites in supervision class. Some of them are national search sites for those looking for jobs in other parts of the country.

www.socialservice.com
www.pasesetter.com

and you can always check

www.careerbuilder.com
www.monster.com

Did you know?

2007-01-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

1.
Did you know there is a website that is all about Art Therapy Research?

Their Mission Statement: "The CATR seeks scientifically-oriented research in the field of art therapy in an effort to greatly contribute to the field. In collaborating with professionals in the field, the CATR hopes to dramatically increase the validity of art therapy by using standards, measures, and sound research within the field."

http://www.catr1.com/

2.
Did you know that there is website that is all about art therapy films?

http://expressivemedia.org/

The mission of EMI is:
To produce and distribute films to educate students, professionals, and the general public about the healing power of the arts.

To provide a source of information about existing films and videotapes in the expressive arts therapies.

To promote communication between arts therapists and the general public via film and videotape.

To foster the growth of therapeutic arts programs--in order to assist those in pain, to enhance personal growth, to inspire creativity, and to benefit the community and the society in which we live and grow.

To demonstrate principles of creative practice to those who can help others through the expressive arts. To help providers to offer the arts with sensitivity and respect.

To extend the healing power of the arts to human beings of all ages, from the worried well to those with disabilities and suffering, whether chronic or acute.

Expressive Media, Inc., a non-profit corporation, was formed in 1985 by Eleanor Irwin, Ph.D., RDT, TEP, a drama therapist and Judith A. Rubin, Ph.D., ATR-BC, an art therapist.

They have a list of art therapy films. Perhaps your population has a film that might be worth buying. It could be of help with thesis writing as well.

Artist Doing Art Therapy

2007-01-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

This is a very interesting, well edited film about an artist dealing with grief and loss. The woman is articulate and narrates her healing journey through the art.

Do not pass go. Watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R4EBcGh1M0

Work shops

2007-01-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

This is a link to the Martha K. Selig Institute. They have advanced trainings for mental health professionals. You might be interested in upcoming workshops. Networking...

http://www.seliginstitute.org/course_oneday.html#OD05

Minutes of Clinical Origami

2007-01-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

Although I am publishing notes of a meeting that has already occured, Maiko reports that they might have another event in January or February. Others are welcome to join her for the next meeting. You can email her: maikopenguin@yahoo.com

Meeting:
Toshiko handed out a copy of "MY House Origami Assessment" and "Enrichment
Origami Art Therapy Process/Product Assessment Form." Focus of the meeting
was
1. "MY House Origami Assessment"
2. "Enrichment Origami Art Therapy Process/Product Assessment Form"
Discussion about rearrangement of evaluation items according to the basic
four components of human wellbeing. There were more additions and
subtractions and total rearrangement has been discussed but we did not have
enough time to go over every item.
Attendants agreed to send toshiko the revision of 1. and 2. By the morning
of 29th, in order for her to send out revised edition before the next
meeting.

Toshiko informed there are growing needs of Origami assessment in trauma
related fields and asking for an origami assessment tool and procedure.
Suggested the need of finalizing first edition as soon as possible.

Next meeting will be January 19th, Friday, same place, same time.
Main agenda for the next meeting:
1. Finalizing "MY House..." and "EOAT Process/Product Assessment Form"
2. Bring in "My House" artwork of client to check the assessment tool.
3. Name of this group
4. Looking for therapists/agencies that might interested in trying out the
tools.

Also if you know anyone who is interested in clinical use of origami, feel
free to invite them let toshiko knows in advance.

Thank you so much

Toshiko

Group of Clinical Origami
toshiko kobayashi
718-862-5702(w)
917-517-6649(c)

First Year Students

2007-01-23T12:24:00.000-08:00

Are first years reading the BLOG?

You Tube Stuff

2007-01-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

For those of you who missed the HBO documentary THIN. The part of the film that documents an art therapy session with an anorexic patient has been posted. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAw9n7_9eW8

Not really art therapy but shows how people with autistim can be incredible artists...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAyhz2m-UuQ

Art Therapy with Groups

2007-01-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

Our final project for this class looks amazing. The idea was to weave it into a pattern...stay tuned....

Art Therapy Students Have Fun!

2007-01-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

The Super Juicy Group created a mural with paper, poster board circles and origami.

For Those of You Who Missed It...

2006-12-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Professor Stephanie Wise gave an interesting lecture last week on her trip to Rhodes Greece.

Check out the Art Reach Foundation Website and read stories about the Project Lebanon Training she participated in while in Greece. It is a worth read! Find out more about the cultural influence of art, trauma and hope through the eyes of creative art therapists.

http://www.artreachfoundation.org/project-lebanon-blog/

Are You Interested in Art Therapy and Brain Processes?

2006-12-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

The American Art Therapy Association posts some Journal articles free on their Website.

Check out the free article on Art Therapy and the Brain:

http://www.arttherapy.org/pdf/aaatj04-4-21Lusebrink.pdf

Tami Herzog Gets Published

2006-12-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Tami!

Tami wrote a review for a film that is going to be published in Volume 23, Number 4, of the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. This addition of the AATA journal is about to go to press so keep an eye out for it.

Do you want to know how to get The AATA Journal?
Do you want to get something published?

Click the link on the right side of the Blog and you will be directed to the AATA website.

Visiting Rwanda: Armed with Optimism and Art Therapy

2006-12-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

Valerie Chu writes about the catalyst for her interest in Art Therapy: Rwanda.

This past summer, I spent 9 weeks in Rwanda doing art therapy work. It was actually my third time in Rwanda, but this past trip was the first time I brought my newly-acquired art therapy knowledge with me. I worked with a Christian missions and development organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM), which conducts work in many different countries around the world. I had the opportunity to run groups for young adults who were orphaned from genocide, children infected or affected by HIV, children in primary school, prostitutes, as well as staff. As there were little to no art materials available there, I had to bring everything I was going to use for the 9 weeks in 2 cardboard boxes.

Why Rwanda?

Four years ago, I made my first foray into Africa. After living in Tanzania for 3 months, the subsequent summers I have returned to visit other East African countries. Rwanda quickly made a lasting impression upon me. The vibrant culture, along with the vitality of the Rwandese people impacted me. But just as strongly, their long and tragic history that led to the 1994 genocide, compounded by the betrayal of international indolence in their time of need, broke my heart. While the country is currently stable, its society and people still carry with them scars from the genocide. Not only indelible physical scars on bodies, but deep psychological scars from being confronted with horrific trauma, continued poverty and deprivation, soaring unemployment rates, a crippling HIV/AIDS epidemic…it is not hard to imagine the emotional needs that are present.

Rwanda actually served as a catalyst in my decision to pursue art therapy in the first place. I am particularly interested in how art therapy can be shared abroad in cross-cultural settings. Certainly people in different cultures have already naturally tapped into creativity as an expressive outlet, but there may not be accompanying awareness on how the therapeutic aspect functions specifically or a framework for deeper understanding.

Attempting Cross Cultural Art Therapy

In spite of growing emphasis on cross-cultural art therapy, the field as it has developed thus far, is primarily a product of the Western world especially since the majority of literature and theories have been developed in the West. Whether we like to admit it or not, I believe that bringing art therapy-- as we currently understand it-- across cultures is a process fraught with difficulty.

In the present day Rwandese culture, the concepts of counseling, therapy and mental health are often not well understood or accepted. Fine arts also appear not to be a field particularly valued or respected. Furthermore, the Rwandese are quite reserved when matters of personal feelings and emotions are broached; they appear to be less culturally disposed towards self disclosure or external emotional expression. Many people, aside from having sustained serious emotional trauma, continue to struggle with immense physical and material deprivation. In light of this, trying to effectively introduce art therapy and utilize it in a beneficial way required traversing vast cultural, economic and social divides. In many ways, I was not entirely prepared for those challenges. While I knew what I was potentially up against, in all honesty I was armed with optimism and faith more than actual expertise or experience. But I certainly learned an immense amount through the process of doing!

While I am still processing my work there, I do believe art therapy has helped those that I shared it with. Even in a culture that does not seem to celebrate personal emotional expression, I believe that traumatized individuals have found relief in sharing their own narratives and feelings, at their own pace, in an accepting setting. It also gave them an opportunity to find support from and commonality with others who have had similar traumatic experiences. Many Rwandese have surprised me with their resilience amidst struggles-- how they have drawn strength from their faith, deep inner personal resources, as well as from others around them. In spite of tremendous hurts, there has been incredible restoration and such potential for more.

There is still so much that I need to examine from my experience, especially in terms of evaluating my own paradigm of doing art therapy and suitability for the Rwandese culture. I think there are a lot of adjustments that I need to make in order to better serve the people there. I am planning to return in summer 2007 if circumstances allow, and hopefully I will go there with more experience and insight.

Submit pictures!

2006-12-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while we get a few moments to relax and enjoy ourselves. Please capture these moments and email them to the Blog: hhitchc@yahoo.com

Second-year students enjoy some falafel.
Ernesto, Marina, Heather, Hillary, Brenda and Raphael.

Mask Making Experiential

2006-12-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Brave students from Ikuko's Art Therapy with Groups Class made masks with a variety of materials. Great job Super Juicy!

Marina's NYATA Conference Experience

2006-11-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

Hello Class,

We’re back from the NYATA conference and it’s great to process. Ting, Erin and I really can give varied opinions of the conference because we all have different interests and attended very different lectures. I was able to carve out my path of interests amidst a huge conference brochure. There was oh-so-much to take in. I ran into people in the field, which was nice (past supervisor, NYU art tx. alumni, etc.), and I made great connections from the USA and Europe.

To some extent if you wonder how it would be to go to the conference alone, I think it would be fine. You end up following your interests anyhow and meeting people along the way. It’s nice to have a friend there too. After the long day the three of us met to discuss and share. Ting attended a lot of Multicultural lectures, which was great for her future career possibly going back to practice art therapy in Taiwan. Erin was able to combine her current interests in starting up programs and education. I was happy to have a wide range of courses to attend so that I could really see and understand our field.

Some of the panels I attended: Art Critique, Essential Components on Doctoral Level Education, an Artist presentation, Neuroscience topics. Referenced topics were trauma and the left-right brain connection like Prof. Ani Buk referenced in her excellent weekend class.

Consider:
There is so much to attend. Being that it was my first time I might’ve overdone it. It was mostly lecture format, workshops cost extra so be prepared if you want to go the cheaper route. Your brain might want a vacation after the conference. Not that you can’t handle it, but it’s a lot of Art Therapy.

Pro’s:
~Being grateful for my Art Therapy at NYU education and for the Psychoanalytic frame of mind- reference vantage. Also, I believe my classmates can present at the conference, if moved to do so.

~It is great to connect the literature with actual people- I found I was drawn to great audience comments and came to realize they were for PhD and art therapist Paola Luzzatto who has a background in Philosophy and Comparative Religions.

~ I was happy with different panelists, especially Michael Franklin, MA, ATR-BC, who is the director of the Graduate Art Therapy Program at the Naropa University in Boulder Colorado. He gave a lecture on mirror neurons and studio work.

Frustration:
~I was disappointed in the 'Research in Art Therapy' panel and walked out. The guest lecturer was Bessel Van der Kolk, who was a great mediator. I was so frustrated that I brought it up in the ‘Governmental issues’ panel. Unbeknownst to me I was speaking to Cathy Malchiodi. From what I gather, in order to better the art therapy field we need the research being done by David Spiegel at Stanford University. My complaint was that I would have liked to hear from David Spiegel.

As for New Orleans, outside the NYATA Conference, I was happy to go to a Blues Festival when we were there. Happy to ride with Anderson Cooper’s very own driver through town, (by pure chance). Happy for the food! Happy to talk to people there because after all the conference was named ‘Rebuilding Communities’.

~Marina Masic

Superheroes

2006-11-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

Some of us may be seeing a lot of Superhero imagery in the artwork of our clients. In order to investigate the symbolism of the characters we need to look at the original characters. What powers do they have? How is the figure rendered by the cartoonist? Do they have enemies? What is the story of that character?

I found a website that lists superhero by country.

For example you can search by country, look under Japan and find the character "Gokou". There is a wealth of information on that character: occupation, magical class, enemies, relatives and a lot of description of the characters story and powers.

If your client was making artwork of Gokou, you could research it in order to understand it and validate it.

I am sure there are other sites out there. Post a comment if you know of other sites with Superhero information.

It might also be interesting to look up your childhood Superhero!

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/

NYU Faculty, Christina Grosso's field of research focuses on the symbolism of the Superhero as it relates to traumatized children's projection of both ego-ideal and self-portrait. If you would like further information regarding this topic please contact Christina at christinagrosso@hotmail.com.

The Arts And Healing Network

2006-11-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

This is a great website for anyone who is interested in art, community and healing.

Here is an excerpt from the Who We Are Page from the site:

"Arts and Healing Network is an on-line resource celebrating the connection between art and healing. Our web site serves as an international resource for anyone interested in the healing potential of art, especially environmentalists, social activists, artists, art professionals, health care practitioners, and those challenged by illness. Our hope is that the information presented here will educate and inspire."

Check it out:

http://www.artheals.org/start.html

PROFILE OF A FACULTY MEMBER: AN INTERVIEW WITH DRENA FAGEN

2006-11-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

oil on canvas (40 x 40")

acrylic on paper (20 x 30")

Drena Fagen, MPS, MSW, LCAT is an art therapist practicing in New York. She is an adjunct faculty member at NYU and shares a private practice called ArtSpa in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her good friend and colleague, Nadia Jenefsky. Drena co-coordinates the Creative Arts Therapy program at the Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem. This program is supported with a grant through the World Childhood Foundation and has been operating for about 3 years. The WCF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the most vulnerable children worldwide, especially those who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. Art Therapy at the Northside Center is focused on group therapy for children who have experienced sexual abuse. A parent's support group is also included in the therapy process for this program. I am currently Drena's intern at Northside.

Drena. Thank you for agreeing to be the first interview for our art therapy blog.

Thanks for asking Heather. This blog is a great idea.

Everyone has some interesting tale about getting to the field of art therapy. How did you decide to become an art therapist?

I never imagined that I would be a therapist. In fact, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into at all when I entered graduate school. The decision to go back to school was a mid-career change for me. I had been working for many years in Los Angeles as an advertising art director, working on magazine ads for clients like Fender guitars, Baush & Lomb binoculars, and SEGA PC games. I enjoyed the work but found something lacking. In 1997, I decided to seek out some adventure, so I quit my job, threw all my stuff in storage, liquidated my savings, and traveled solo for nine months on a round-the-world ticket. I started in the South Pacific and ended in Europe. The journey completely changed my world view and, more significantly, my life priorities. On the way, I met an English girl in Italy who told me that she was going to be studying art therapy as an undergrad. Until then, I had never even heard of art therapy. I was immediately intrigued and once I got back to the States I looked up everything I could find on the subject. I found myself very drawn to it (no pun intended) and figured it would be something I could leverage in the corporate world—maybe doing teambuilding workshops or company retreats. Little did I know that I would find myself so enamored of the clinical aspects of the work and the satisfaction of being in a helping profession.

I know that you got your social work degree after your art therapy degree. Can you talk about that process?

Well, I decided to pursue the degree before the New York State licensure was finalized. I was motivated in part by a wish to legitimize my art therapy work and to make myself more employable. I am also, by nature, a freelancer, so having the dual degrees would allow me more flexibility to develop programs or work as a consultant with different agencies and populations. My experience at the NYU School of Social Work was pretty satisfying. I attended on OYR status, which means I got to use my art therapy job as my field placement as long as I could devote time to learning more about talk therapy, assessment, advocacy, and policy development. I chose to complete the program in three years. Although there were redundancies in the curriculum, this overlap allowed me deepen my understanding of more complicated clinical concepts. Despite being in school for social work, I often found myself writing notes in the margins on how what I was learning could be applied (and in some cases improved) through art therapy interventions.

How do the two professions overlap?

Social work as a profession encompasses a wide range of skills and areas of practice. Some social workers focus on policy work and advocacy, others do case management, while others work clinically and identify themselves as “therapists.” Most social work graduate programs are designed to allow students to train in their particular area of interest. NYU’s program is clinically based, which is why I chose it, and it aligns with many of the theoretical approaches we teach in art therapy.

You received your art therapy degree from Pratt Institute. How does the program there differ from NYU?

There has always been a longstanding “rivalry” between NYU and Pratt that has historical roots. What little I know is the stuff of urban legend. Let’s just say that the founders of the two programs had some differences of opinion back in the day. At this point, I find it kind of amusing. I don’t feel that there are any real academic differences between the two programs now—and certainly not in the quality of art therapists that each school produces. I have supervised predominantly NYU students and have never felt like we weren’t speaking the same language. I suppose the biggest difference is that Pratt’s program seems to me to be a bit more organic by design. My whole class of 23 students was thrown together as a cohort, directed to make lots and lots of art, and encouraged to take therapeutic risks and to share them with the class. I never felt like I had any idea what I was doing for the entire two years. This was infuriating at times, but it taught me so much about the process of therapy that I can’t imagine having learned the material in linear way. And I am certainly excited to be the first Pratt graduate to teach in the NYU program. I wonder if my students notice a “difference.”

What do you think is the biggest misconception about art therapy?

I think the biggest misconception is that art therapy is “recreational” and that the work is not grounded in sound psychological theories. A big reason for this misconception is that art therapy does not have enough research to back it up. This is why I strongly encourage my students to read clinical papers from other treatment disciplines and to figure out how to adapt those ideas to the work we do as art therapists. Other fields, like psychology and social work, are way ahead of us in validating and proving that their practices are effective. I say we absorb that information and use it to our advantage.

Your program at Northside is called Creative Arts Therapy, why?

I joined the program after it had been running for a year. I replaced an art therapist, Doris Lubell, who had done a tremendous job developing the program and proudly passed it along to me on her retirement. Initially the program was designed to include a dance therapist. This never materialized, but I was happy to keep the broad description in the name. I think “art” therapy can be limiting, particularly when working with children in groups. I am at the ready in every group I lead to switch to drama, music, movement, dance, puppetry, photography, poetry, video, or whatever expressive means will be most effective in the moment.

Your program is mostly group therapy. What are the benefits of doing group therapy with a traumatized population, as opposed to individual art therapy?

Group therapy is ideal for children and families dealing with sexual abuse because it gives them the opportunity to learn that they are not alone in their experience. Many cannot believe that this terrible thing has happened to anyone else. Sometimes that first group, when the children meet in person with others who have been victimized, is among the most powerful moments. The benefit of creating community when a person is feeling overwhelmed by shame and helplessness cannot be understated. The group format creates a safe space in which children can repair damaged trust with others. Although group therapy is an ideal intervention, it is always best for the children to also be in individual therapy at the same time. I don’t think it is an either/or proposition.

Why is art therapy especially effective with a sexual abused person?

Like other kinds of trauma, sexual abuse is essentially a non-verbal experience. Art therapy can be effective because it provides a window to parts that may not be accessible through verbal language.

Now some fun questions;
What is your art material of choice, as a therapist and as an artist?

As a therapist I really encourage three-dimensional exploration. I think it is less threatening to many clients who instinctively recoil at the thought of making art for fear of being judged as a “bad” artist. Using a glue-gun, wood scraps, fabric, and clay is something that everyone knows they can do. And with a 3-D object you can really engage the art piece in dialogue or play once it is completed.

Personally, I am a two-dimensional artist. I love to draw—take pencil or charcoal to a clean, white, 20 x 30 sheet of Rives paper. In the last few years, though, I have been painting abstractly with oil on large canvases. It kind of feels like a developmental stage though—like I am transitioning towards something more meaningful in my art. The oil paintings have really been about playing with the materials without intention. I recently added personal “art making” time to my weekly schedule with a fellow art therapist friend. It’s like having a “gym buddy” only we make art instead of break a sweat. It is so important for us to do as art therapists—because if we lose touch with our own creative exploration, I think it makes us a bit hypocritical. The same goes for being in therapy—it’s somewhat presumptious to be a therapist without ever having had the experience of being the client. I wish more art therapy students would choose art therapists for their own treatment.

What gets you through a stressful day?

Believing that the work I am doing matters to someone.

Describe yourself in one word.

Voracious.

Why that word?

It’s funny that this is the word that popped into my head. If you remember, Heather, just last week I noticed that I was creating little “pigs” everytime I got hold of some clay. I’ve done it at least three times since you started the internship. And while I do indeed like to eat (a lot), I think this definition captures it better: “Having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit” I definitely feel this way about art therapy, but I feel it about many things. I don’t approach my interests with particular caution—I really feed myself, metaphorically, with the things I care about and the things that interest me. I suppose “passion” would be a nicer word, but voracious feels a little messy and that appeals to me.

Do you have any questions for me?

Sure.

What is surprising you most about the practice of art therapy as you learn more about it?

There is unbelievable amount of self-awareness that goes with being an art therapist. Right now I am very much on a journey to discover what makes me do, think or act the way that I do. What are my patterns? What roles to I put people in? Why did that thing just pop in my head? Somedays I feel like Siddhartha searching for enlighenment. Other days I feel more like Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz.

What was your most transformative experience as an artist (not a therapist)? A moment when you personally recognized the power of art making?

I can't say this is the most powerful moment but it was very memorable. My very first art class was at the Art Student's League four years ago. I graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and had been teaching so I had no real art experience and was gearing up to start this program. I showed up to the studio with my coat and a smile. When the models took a break the jolly-old-man teacher whispered to me, "Where are your paints, your canvas... your... art materials?" He scratched out a list of supplies and I ran and out and bought everything. I came back sweating, embarrassed, unsure and totally nervous. There I was crammed in a tiny studio filled with real artists. It reeked of oil paint and coffee. I had stains all over my clothing and I had the worst seat in the room. But when I put my sable brush on that fresh oil paint something shifted in me. I was one of them! Learning to paint in this way, really, learning to express through the art making process was like getting opening my third eye.

And finally, what do you think my “pig” characters mean? (ha ha)

I think the expression is "... not with a ten foot pole."

HBO Documentary - THIN

2006-11-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

As Steve mentioned a few classes back there is a documentary on HBO called THIN.

The film documents the treatment of women and girls at Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Florida. "The result is a deeply affecting film about the struggles with eating and weight and the deeper issues that lie at the core of women who are, literally, dying to be thin."

Some of you working with people who are eating disordered may want to check this out.

Check time and date listings at the following link:

http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_DETAIL=DETAIL&FOCUS_ID=610137

Art Therapy for Adolescents Guest Lecture

2006-11-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

Elissa Bromberg gave a lecture on Medical Art Therapy for the Adolescents class this evening. It was a great lecture. One of her memorable quotes concerned the therapist and his or her journey.

"Know yourself because you will meet yourself."

Post your thoughts.

Safe Place Artwork Facilitated By Ani Buk

2006-11-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

Second year students attended the Art Therapy with Diverse Populations class facilitated by Art Therapist Ani Buk. This course explored the use of art therapy with traumatized clients. In addition, the class learned about the concept of vicarious traumatization and self-care. For the experiential, the class created 3-dimensional models of a Safe Place.

Here are some of them with thoughts from the artists:

I began my safe place with a room made out of a cigar box. It'’s a good solid thing and smells faintly of tobacco which reminds be of the cigars my boyfriend occasionally smokes. There is a picture on the wall of us that makes me smile. I imagine I smell coffee and pine needles. I imagine I am in the room and the window is open. I feel the air brush against the hair on my arms and I think I hear wind chimes but they are far away. I sip my coffee and taste the bitter and sweetness of it. I hear the wind in the trees rattle and soften, I hear birds call and respond. I think I hear loons on the lake. I step out of the house and take my coffee to the porch. I pick up a stone I left on the small table and cup it in my hand. Its my special object, a stone I once found that is curved and looks like it's striving to rise like some embryonic animal coming to life. It fits perfectly in my palm and lies curled around my thumb.
Walls inside and out are covered in art projects Ive done and am doing. One idea leads to the next and the ideas are inexhaustible. Right now I am working with paper, cutting it into mandalas and faces. The faces are characters in stories I can write down at night when it's too quiet. I say the words, Im safe I can stay here as long as I want and I can leave when Im done.

Deborah Berk

This Space was created by second-year student Erin Viola.

Margie Edwards Green created this space.

Art Therapy BBQ at Veronica's House

2006-10-29T15:26:00.000-08:00

Fun was had by all in Brooklyn at Veronica's house for a fall BBQ. First and second year students with their friends and family got together to fire up the grill, play with the dogs and relax.