Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM
Six Reasons to Get Your LPCC ASAP
Posted July 10th, 2016 by & filed under SWC Blog.Get your LPCC as soon as you can. Out. …
Continue reading
Yearly Archive 2016
Choosing your Graduate Program
Posted July 1st, 2016 by & filed under Student & Alumni Stories, Where do SWC Grads Work, People of SWC.Choosing the right graduate program is not an easy task. I am one of those people who did not make the best choice. I am writing this blog to offer some questions to ask when comparing programs in Counseling or in Art Therapy/Counseling.
I earned a MA in Counseling degree when I was in my…
Continue reading
Summer Beach Reading from the “Sea of Whiteness” by Deborah Schroder
Posted July 1st, 2016 by & filed under People of SWC, Consciousness & Mindfulness, SWC Blog.Summer Beach Reading from the “Sea of Whiteness”
I remember seeing lists of books in magazines that were deemed appropriate for “summer beach reading," the assumption being that we all deserved a break from heavier reading material during the summer. I like that idea, in theory. But the truth is that I read what I…
Continue reading
In the Aftermath of Yesterday’s Massacre
Posted June 14th, 2016 by & filed under Reflections from the President.In the Aftermath of Yesterday’s Massacre
We heard the news about the June 12 massacre on Sunday evening. A man declaring himself an Islamic fundamentalist entered a gay bar in Orlando, Florida and began shooting. He killed 50 people and harmed 54 more. It is the most destructive mass shooting in U.S. history.
My partner…
Continue reading
Return to Sender
Posted June 14th, 2016 by & filed under Student & Alumni Stories, Consciousness & Mindfulness.Writing has quite simply saved my life. When I was 16, I was on the verge of ending my life when I received a letter informing me that my first short story and illustration had been accepted for publication. When I was 39, and had just suffered through the death of my life partner, writing…
Continue reading
Considering Working with Addictions/Substance Abuse?
Posted June 4th, 2016 by & filed under Professional Training Certificates & NEI, SWC Blog.A Letter to Anybody even REMOTELY Thinking of Working in Addictions/Substance Abuse
Dear Friends, Colleagues, Prospective Students, Current Students, & Alumni,
Credentials, licenses, and professional certificates can help us get jobs, and help us get clients and referral streams in private practice.
This letter is for ANYBODY who thinks they MIGHT even POSSIBLY be interested…
Continue reading
What the Writing Group has Meant to Me – Jaylek Ahn
Posted June 2nd, 2016 by & filed under Student & Alumni Stories, Consciousness & Mindfulness.What the Writing Group has Meant to Me – Jaylek Ahn
While difficult to put into just a few words, I am so grateful for the depth of emotion, opening, closing, re-opening, awe and reverence that I’ve experienced in the presence of fellow writers that have come to mean so much to me, as has…
Continue reading
Who’s Who at Southwestern College – Deborah Schroder
Posted May 30th, 2016 by & filed under Art Therapy at SWC, People of SWC.I’m the chairperson of the Art Therapy/Counseling program. I moved to Santa Fe to teach at Southwestern College in 2002, and continue to be delighted by the insightful art therapy provided by our students during Practicum and Internship. It’s been an honor to witness our students as they blossom into therapists. And actually, I also…
Continue reading
12 Points Regarding Required Therapy @ SWC
Posted May 20th, 2016 by & filed under SWC Blog.Thoughts about why personal therapy is required at SWC...…
Continue reading
Ponderings on Life Purpose
Posted May 4th, 2016 by & filed under SWC Blog.Life purpose and vocation; I sometimes wonder how they are related.
Sometimes I hear life purpose described simply and clearly, like this quote from notetoselfphilosophy.com:
Note to Self:
“What is my purpose in life?” I asked the void.
“What if I told you that you fulfilled it when you took an extra hour to talk…
Continue reading
Who’s Who at Southwestern College – Ron Light
Posted April 24th, 2016 by & filed under People of SWC.Ron is the Landscaping Director at Southwestern College. You have seen him around a thousand times, and if you’re lucky, you have had opportunities to talk with him. He is a really interesting guy, with a wide and colorful background.
Ron was born in Chicago, and, well---I’ll let him tell you…
“I grew up…
Continue reading
Celebrating a Leader in Art Therapy by Deborah Schroder
Posted April 18th, 2016 by & filed under Art Therapy at SWC, SWC Blog.Howard W. McConeghey passed away on March 28, 2016 at the age of 95, in Albuquerque. He was an important leader in the field of Art Therapy and established the Archetypal Art Therapy Program at the University of New Mexico in 1975, which he directed until his retirement in 1990.
During WWII he met Gertrude…
Continue reading
The Call of the Times and the Rise of Art Therapy
Posted April 13th, 2016 by & filed under Art Therapy at SWC, Where do SWC Grads Work, People of SWC, Consciousness & Mindfulness.Featured Artwork: Mandala Buddha, acrylic on paper, 36"x24", 2012, Tejal Murray
Over the last few blogs, I’ve been exploring Stephen Cope’s The Great Work of Your Life in a general way with examples from my own life. Today, I’m going to dive more deeply into the teachings by profiling one of Southwestern College’s graduates.
…
Continue reading
A Letter to Potential SWC Students
Posted April 1st, 2016 by & filed under Student & Alumni Stories, Wild Heart Gallery, Creativity & More, Consciousness & Mindfulness.Hello! My name is Beth Lykins, and I am a current student at SWC. I am starting my final quarter of my first year in the Art Therapy and Counseling program, and I wanted to share a student’s perspective of life at SWC. I am attending part-time, so I generally take two courses per term.…
Continue reading
Aim is Everything
Posted March 30th, 2016 by & filed under Consciousness & Mindfulness, SWC Blog.In my last blog, I talked about the intersection of dharma (our sacred duty in this lifetime) and flourishing at midlife.
The issue that typically arises from someone exploring dharma at midlife is fear. Fear that they’ll have to throw away most everything they’ve created and worked for in order to follow their dharma. Sometimes,…
Continue reading
Where Do Southwestern College Grads Work? Lee Cartwright
Posted March 23rd, 2016 by & filed under Where do SWC Grads Work.Lee Cartwright, M.A.
I have a private practice that focuses on helping people resolve the biological/energetic basis of trauma.
I feel deeply honored to do the work I do. I am also blessed to be a presenter in the Trauma, Grief & Renewal certificate program and at the College's Annual Transformation and Healing Conference. Although all of the modalities…
Continue reading
Flourishing in your Dharma at Midlife
Posted March 16th, 2016 by & filed under People of SWC, Consciousness & Mindfulness.I'd been exploring the intersection of Stephen Cope's book The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling, and Martin E. P. Seligman's book Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being in relation to a blog series when this photo quote by Brené Brown came across my Facebook feed.
I think she hit…
Continue reading
Who’s Who at Southwestern College – Kathryn Harris Tijerina
Posted March 14th, 2016 by & filed under People of SWC.Southwestern College is really defined by the extraordinary individuals who work there–the staff, instructors, and the board members. In an effort to give you a more intimate sense of our school, we are launching the “Who’s Who at Southwestern College” series so that you will get to know these extraordinary people who change lives.
So…
Continue reading
Where Do Southwestern College Grads Work? Charmayne Kilcup
Posted March 7th, 2016 by & filed under Student & Alumni Stories, Where do SWC Grads Work, People of SWC, Consciousness & Mindfulness.How Quitting School Was the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me
Charmayne Kilcup, Ph.D.
At the young age of 23, I was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and sure I wanted to be a therapist. I had just graduated college and knew that furthering my studies was the next step in my career. I had fallen in…
Continue reading
MA in Counseling or Ph.D. in Psychology? Some Economic Considerations
Posted March 5th, 2016 by & filed under SWC Blog.An MA in Counseling is the fastest and most economical track to becoming a Psychotherapist/Counselor...…
Continue reading
1st, 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th Act…How is Your Life Evolving?
Posted March 2nd, 2016 by & filed under People of SWC, Consciousness & Mindfulness.Life evolves.
My 3rd and 4th Acts have taken place here at Southwestern College - first in Admissions and now as Director of Student Services. My 1st act was also in higher education – as a Residence Hall Director, Director of Student Support Services, and then as a Doctoral student. I advised, taught, managed, and…
Continue reading
Five Great Reasons for Becoming a Professional Counselor
Posted February 29th, 2016 by & filed under Counseling at SWC, Where do SWC Grads Work.If you have been told that you are a good listener, or you are the one your friends come to who have problems, keep reading....…
Continue reading
Stuff to Think About if You’re Going to Be a Successful Therapist
Posted February 15th, 2016 by & filed under SWC Blog.Looking for a Therapist?
I was looking for a therapist. (And I have heard my story from countless others…)
I looked on my insurance company’s page, “Looking for a Therapist", or something like that. There’s very little information, maybe a photo (too often from 10 years and 30 pounds ago), and a long checklist of…
Continue reading
Embracing Intuition at Midlife: The Key to Living Your Dharma (Part 3 of 3)
Posted January 27th, 2016 by & filed under People of SWC, Consciousness & Mindfulness, SWC Blog.Missed Part 1 or Part 2?
Part 3 - The Way Through: Relying on Intuition and Faith
In The Great Work of Your Life, Stephen Cope describes the way he has come to see intuition at work as we navigate decisions at midlife. He describes an 8-step process that is co-creative; it includes both our…
Continue reading