Self-compassion, acceptance, and loving yourself are so important to mental health and self-esteem. Unfortunately, many people try to seek this acceptance and validation from other people instead of first finding it within themselves. The last blog post shared some ideas for addressing the Inner Critic that voices self-criticism and makes us feel not good enough. I wanted to follow this up with a quick post about a therapy activity using quotes and art to help clients focus on … [Read more...]
Facing The Inner Critic Through Art
We all have that voice inside of us – the voice of criticism and judgment, the worry about not being good enough. When this “Inner Critic” is too loud or we pay too much attention to it, our self-esteem suffers, we feel anxious about whether we are doing things well enough, or we don’t attempt a new challenge because we assume failure. Whether you call that voice the Inner Critic or negative self-talk, if you are a therapist you are familiar with the need to help our clients tame that inner … [Read more...]
Art Directives for New Year’s Resolutions
Are you making any new year resolutions, intentions, or goals? Art and creativity are a great way to deepen your exploration and commitment to these intentions or goals. Art-making about your goals or an intention is helpful for a few reasons: Encourages you to spend more time thinking about the resolution as you work on the art The art process can make the resolution feel more concrete Art-making allows you to explore your motivation, emotions, and thoughts around the resolution … [Read more...]
What Do You Do With The Art After Therapy?
The artwork that is created in an art therapy session can be a powerful thing, which means it’s important to carefully consider what happens to the artwork after the session. Art therapists are carefully trained in considering this, although sometimes there will be different approaches or practical realities to consider, so art therapists may not need this information. However, I know that many non-art therapists read this blog as well – therapists and counselors who are incorporating … [Read more...]
What Do You Need To Hold On To And Let Go Of? – A Creative Exercise
An important part of growth is being able to define what we need and want to have in our lives and what we need to let go of or keep out. Of course, the next part of the process – actually making these changes – is where the real hard work is done. But we cannot move toward a different life until we start to define how things need to be different. This is a creative exercise that I have found helpful for myself and with clients to explore what needs to change, what needs to stay the same, and … [Read more...]
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