“Imagine what it might be like to step away from your busy life and figure out what truly gives your life meaning. Life lived from the inside out offers us a pathway to greater authenticity and reveals our deep belonging to the wild universe of which we are a part.” (From back cover of Finding the Wild Inside by Marilyn Kay Hagar) I recently received an advance copy of expressive arts therapist Marilyn Kay Hagar’s book Finding the Wild Inside: Exploring Our Inner Landscape Through the Arts, … [Read more...]
17 Ways to Be a More Eco-Minded Creative Therapist
Are you considering sustainability and environmental impact in your art and clinical practice? I believe that it is imperative that we all be more aware of this in all areas of our life, including our work as creative therapists. This past summer I decided that it was time to commit to doing more to be eco-aware in my practice. I have always recycled at home and work. And have often used repurposed materials in art – magazines for collage, interesting containers and pieces, book pages, etc – … [Read more...]
Torn Paper Transformations
Letting go of things can be hard. Whether it’s past trauma, a loss we are grieving, unhealthy relationships, or destructive thinking, it can be challenging to find the balance between honoring what we have been through but no longer letting it define us. One of the valuable aspects of art therapy is the experiential nature. Beyond talking about something and even visually representing it in the art piece, we can also benefit from the symbolic experience in the creative process. This art … [Read more...]
Creating Hope, Growth, and Strength
Spring has arrived here in Texas, so all things growing and changing have been on my mind. As someone who hates winter and loves gardening, I am always so pleased to see those first signs of spring. Even if the weather is still cold and gray for a few more weeks, I eagerly watch the tiny buds, shoots of new green, and first butterflies. One of my favorite things to watch for over the past few years is the blooming of the first bluebonnet in the patch I planted at my house. Bluebonnets (and … [Read more...]
Protective Containers – Using Art To Strengthen The Metaphor
One of the challenges we often face as therapists is how to help clients find the balance between focusing on their emotions or difficult experiences and then being able to put those things away. In therapy we often encourage clients to be more aware of their feelings, honor those emotions, and spend time addressing difficult memories like trauma. However, we also need to give clients the tools to not be overwhelmed by those emotions and memories, be able to turn away from them so that they do … [Read more...]
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